How to sew children's panties?
My dear sewers. Today I have prepared a few tips for you on how to sew children's panties at home. What to sew them from, which technique to choose, and what components to have at home. Perhaps underwear seems like a piece that you definitely won't sew at home, maybe it seems too complicated and you're thinking of buying underwear in a store instead. But I have several good reasons why you should sew children's underwear at home.
Let's take a look at them and show you that sewing underwear is not as complicated as it seems at first glance.
Grace Panty Pattern
Children's panties Grace
99 CZK
Pattern for higher panties for girls from 86 to 140 in a higher cut
Why sew children's panties at home?
And why buy them in a store?
The first reason is your own choice of material. Because we sew underwear for children at home, we have control over the composition of the fabrics we use. Simply put, we can just choose.
The second reason is price.
We can sew from organic cotton and it definitely won't cost insane amounts. From a meter of organic cotton, you can sew about 8-10 pairs of panties. The average price of organic fabrics without print is 299 CZK, so the math is simple. We get 10 organic panties for less than 29 CZK each. Who else would offer you such a price?
The third reason is the pattern.
Practically everyone needs something special. There is no such thing as one pattern that fits everyone. That's just an illusion of large chains that try to push this idea on us to sell more. Each of us has our own needs, and no two individuals look the same.
One has thicker thighs, another has a bigger bottom, a third has boyish figures, a fourth... and so on.
So there are three strong reasons why we should sew underwear (not just t-shirts and hoodies) at home.
What to sew children's panties from? Materials
Children have delicate skin, and it's often said to dress them only in cotton. Well... My opinion is that not only cotton is suitable for underwear.
And what do I personally prefer?
The softest is bamboo knit. It is a fabric that boasts softness, lightness, breathability, and is very absorbent. Which comes in handy for underwear for smaller children. Every now and then, a small accident happens, and we are glad when only the panties get it and not other layers! Moreover, it is extremely flexible, and underwear made from this material lasts twice as long as cotton.
Another popular fabric is organic cotton knit. Organic cotton differs from classic cotton in that it is softer, grown under stricter conditions and in controlled agriculture. The result is a more flexible and soft knit.
Perfect for children. The disadvantage is that it is not as flexible as bamboo.
The third popular choice is ribbed knit of low grammage. Ribbed knits are really great. Extremely elastic and smooth. But you need to choose grammages ideally under 200g. But even those around 200g can be used well.
Elastic ribbing (also known as babyribb or plain rib) is the fourth representative of super materials for children's underwear and especially for panties. But it is necessary to choose carefully again, and preferably among organic materials.
VIDEO - How to sew panties step-by-step
Here you'll find a video on how to sew Grace panties step-by-step in a simple form without doubling in the middle. This tutorial is quick, ideal for replenishing children's underwear supplies.
Photo tutorial for sewing children's panties
Let's show you step-by-step how to easily sew such panties.
Material consumption:
First, let's talk about material consumption. The largest panties fit into a height of 50 cm and a width of approx. 32 cm. This means that you will use a rectangle of 50 x 35 cm at most. Four pieces of the largest size panties - 140 - will fit into half a meter of fabric with a width of 145 cm.
You can sew eight pieces from a meter. That's pretty good, isn't it?
What to sew on?
Practically, you can combine a multi-functional machine with an overlocker. If you only have a multi-functional machine, I recommend sewing only with a straight stitch with elastic thread or a three-thread stitch.
You can also sew with a flatlock stitch on an overlocker or a coverstitch machine. There are more options.
First, sew the crotch piece
In the first step, cut out all the pieces.
On the wrong side of the back part, make a mark for inserting the second layer of the crotch.
Then place it with the back part right side down to the wrong side in this way and pin the piece before sewing.
Sew with a straight stitch - zigzag
Sew with a straight stitch or a decorative stitch - for example, a zigzag.
Now fold the center
Fold the crotch piece to the other side and iron the edge. Pin it and do not sew through.
Fold the crotch piece and secure it
Stretch the crotch piece of the panties into the other front counterpiece and fold the edge evenly inwards. Secure the resulting edge with pins and sew with a straight stitch. This is one way to attach the crotch piece.
Now we will sew the sides
Let's move on to sewing the sides of the panties. Fold the panties right sides together so that the sides align precisely. Sew on an overlocker or with a straight stitch.
Prepare the elastic bands
For the leg openings, 1 cm wide, and for the waist, you can use wider ones, but expect a reduction in the height of the panties.
Measure the length of the elastic bands according to the circumference of the leg opening (they should fit well) - if necessary, shorten the elastic band by 1 to a maximum of 1.2 cm compared to the opening circumference. Ideally, measure the thigh circumference at the child's crotch. For the waist, I measured exactly according to the circumference and it was just right.
Stretch the elastic bands around the circumference
Sew the elastic bands together at the ends and insert the first elastic band into the middle of the back piece. Evenly stretch the elastic band around the entire waist circumference and clip or pin it. Now sew the elastic with an overlock or zigzag stitch.
It definitely needs to be a flexible stitch. Otherwise, the elastic would break when stretched.
Fold the waistband elastic inwards
Sew the elastic using an overlocker or a straight stitch/zigzag. Once done, fold the entire hem inwards one more time and sew again. You can use a zigzag stitch or an elastic stitch.
It must be an elastic seam, otherwise, the stitching may break when stretched!
Proceed with the leg openings as with the waistband
The same procedure applies to sewing elastics into the leg openings. The shorter the elastic, the more it will gather around the legs. But remember that not everyone finds this comfortable.
Stretch the elastic evenly around the circumference.
Sew the elastic
Again, sew with an overlocker or a conventional machine using a zigzag stitch. Ideally, use elastic stitches so that the sewing doesn't break.
Final step
Fold the sewn elastic one more time into the inside of the panties so that the elastic is evenly stretched around the circumference and the elastic fits snugly against the fabric everywhere.
Sew again. You can choose Zigzag, three-step zigzag, or three-line elastic stitch, or use elastic threads.
And it's done!
