My love and quest for perfect lingerie began a few months ago. I made this stretch gauze dress. I love it! But, fewer people probably loved seeing my undergarments. LOL Just kidding, I rigged some undergarments to make the dress “work” for the event. Thank goodness it was not anything like an 8 hour workday. A friend who was also at the same event mentioned not being able to find a slip either. Nothing quite like perfectly fitting lingerie. My mind ultimately went where every seamstress’ mind goes, “I can make that!” This lead to a Pinterest board, a research frenzy, and an impromptu purchase of fabric at an actual store instead of online. The best lingerie fabric is not found locally for me.
I picked up some Tricot and a couple of patterns. I was very excited to get started. In case you didn’t know, it’s best not to wash lingerie fabric prior to sewing. Which worked out great for me! I was kind of anxious to get started. I learned one thing really fast. This is not the fabric I wanted to use for lingerie. The amount of stretch is minimal. I drafted my own pattern from tap pants I already own. They fit nothing the same due to the type of fabric. Back to the drawing board so to speak. I’ve now narrowed down my online sources for lingerie fabric. Tricot in a fabric store does not mean the same thing as in a lingerie store. Gertie suggests using microstretch jersey OR venezia stretch lining for lingerie.
One of my favorite fabric stores online carries Venecia Stretch ITY Jersey Knit, perfect for lingerie. Which makes me pretty happy because the fabric is $4.98 a yard. Fabric.com also suggests using chiffon tricot. It may look great in lingerie but at this point I am not a fan of chiffon. The fabric requires a great deal of patience due to the amount of fraying. Stretch lace is another option. This is a fabric I have used and LOVE so much. It’s very soft and also stretches. It’s probably not the choice for all lingerie, but there are times when it’s the perfect choice. According to a site I found, I believe my next choice will be nylon chiffon. The site suggests using tissue paper between the layers of fabric when sewing.
If you have not used tissue paper in sewing yet, you are in for a treat. Use the tissue paper to cover the cutting board. Then cut through the tissue as well as the fabric. It helps a lot! Then sewing through the fabric as well as the tissue prevents slipping. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be sewing my lingerie up in tissue knit or ITY knit a few times before jumping into the fancier fabrics. I like sleeping in those and since the slip I need will be visible the knit is a great solution for me. I’ll post any lingerie I make. I’m sorry, I will not be modeling it, the hanger will! 🙂 No matter what you sew, ENJOY!