Sewing your own underwear

MickeyLee

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threadbangers has a few underpants tutorials ya might wanna check out. from basic construction to tips of tweaking ya perfect man-panties :wink:
 

redneckgymrat

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D.I.Y. cannibalize a working model.
ya will need to sacrifice two pairs of drawers. :frown:

That's a good suggestion, actually. Quite good. Thank you. I was imagining having to work from paper, which was the scary part.

press all the pieces, trace each piece out on a light/cheap fabric. cut out, sew up. ya will have to make a few pair before you work out a perfect pattern. if ya serious, is worth the work.

Precisely. I think having a pattern that would work for my body, and especially one designed to be able to be taken in as the fat disappears and I get more definition, would be quite helpful.

I don't mind work, and especially work that pays dividends down the road.
 

petite

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It's not impossible but it's easier. I have a Singer SES1000 (SES stand for Sew/Embroider/Serge) There is an SES2000 on the market but have no real ambition to upgrade. I rarely have time to use my machine these days.

Oh, a refurbished one is quite reasonable! I didn't even know that one of those existed.

I got mine used off Craigslist for $30. The person who sold mine to me still had the original box and all the attachments. It only does a few stitches, though. It's as basic as an electric sewing machine can get but I was pleased by my bargain find. I always wanted to learn how to sew!


Thank you for finding that for me! :smile:
 

1958ST

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I still use a treadle machine myself. The best advise I can give you is "don't be afraid to rip out a seam and start over" I have done that multiple times on a garment (never done underwear) and it still came out all right. Sewing is very forgiving, it is the cutting where you have to allow enough cloth, even there it is easy to trim it after you are done.. good luck
 

redneckgymrat

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Well, I found some stretchy polyester fabric at WalMart. Bought 2 yards. Surely for something as small as underpants, that should be plenty to work out the design.

Next step, the pattern...

Oh, it seems to be a multi-directional stretch...does the direction matter, for this application?
 

bigg tool

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I've been sewing ever since a 4th grade class in it and made all kinds of things from pants, shirts to swimwear. However, you might want to check out "Buffedbod". This is a one man company in Atlanta I recently found that makes everything custom fit for you. You can pick out the style, fabric and pattern...and he's very reasonable!...just an option :wink:
 

OCMuscleJock

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Definitely gonna try a bathing suit myself. Might as well...since I got a sewing machine :)
Wow!

I also found BrianSews!, the blog of a man who makes his own swimsuits of similar design, and many other projects as well.

Apparently this isn't as crazy a project as it seems!
 

invisibleman

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Sew that settles it...I am going to get me a sewing machine and take some classes. (There is a place that teaches in my local area. (I have always wanted to make my own denim jeans and overalls.)
 

redneckgymrat

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Definitely gonna try a bathing suit myself. Might as well...since I got a sewing machine :)
Perhaps we can exchange patterns...drafting the pattern seems to be the hardest part for me.

In fact, maybe we could make a sticky post, and each of us contribute our own improvements to a community database...
 
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OCMuscleJock

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sure :) *when get time to working it up* I make my halloween costumes and such...hopefully, it wont be as hard. :)
Perhaps we can exchange patterns...drafting the pattern seems to be the hardest part for me.

In fact, maybe we could make a sticky post, and each of us contribute our own improvements to a community database...
 

redneckgymrat

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Well, I just got out my old "stapler-style" lockstitch machine, and will be playing around with a few design ideas tonight.

Don't have a "real" machine, anymore...but I'm hopeful about finding one. It *is* the weekend, and it's time for garage sales!

If I'm lucky, I'll find a serger!
 

redneckgymrat

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Well, today when I got home from church, I had waiting for me in my driveway, a very nice older Kenmore sewing machine, model 1560.

While it's an old, all metal machine and therefore well made, it actually has some modern features, including a number of decorative (and therefore stretchy) stitches, and the manual even lists a function that approximates serging.

It's almost as if God wanted me to get this machine, huh? YIPPEE!

Next step, of course, is making sure it actually works, followed by learning how to use the thing. But, for the relatively simple seams I'll be making, it shouldn't be overly difficult.

I hope.
 

travis1985

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For such a (deceptively?) simple garment, underpants that deviate from FotL briefs are surprisingly expensive.

I think your basic Fruit of the Loom or Hanes are TOO expensive. When it comes to buying underwear, you can basically either invest in something good but ungodly high-priced, or overpay for cheap crap.
 

redneckgymrat

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I think your basic Fruit of the Loom or Hanes are TOO expensive. When it comes to buying underwear, you can basically either invest in something good but ungodly high-priced, or overpay for cheap crap.
Perfectly reasonable...but wouldn't it be nice, if we could find a middle ground? Something perhaps not ultra high end quality, but at least of decent quality, but which doesn't cost $25 a pair?

FotL is $10 for a 6 or 7 pack of briefs, at any mass marketer, let's say WalMart. And, the basic construction is not *that* different from the good underwear. Lots of seams, similar shapes, binding on the edges... The BIG differences are in the quality of the materials.

I would be the last person to begrudge anyone as much profit as they can squeeze out of the market, but come on. I just can not accept that 6 or 7 *good* quality briefs could not be manufactured and sold in a similar package for, let's say, 2 or 3 times the price of the FotL offerings. Paying 17 times the price...well, that's just absurd.
 
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