I sat down to watch Sew It All on my local PBS station this morning and was pleased to find an episode on DIY Undies. I have been making my own lingerie, bras, and panties for many years. It is really not as difficult as you might imagine and I thought I was pretty good at it but I actually learned several very clever techniques from guest Monica Bravo of Bravo Bella Custom Bras.

Sew It All

Some of her great techniques included:

• the pin trace technique for tracing your favorite undies pattern - this was a new and brilliant technique for me
• the "pin" stitch technique to prevent fabric slippage when sewing
• the clever "hot dog in a bun" technique for adding a crotch panel to your undies

Other words of wisdom:

• use glass head silk pins to prevent pin heads from melting while ironing
• use a marking pin that does not heat set and be sure to test with your iron on a scrap of fabric before using it on your fashion fabric
• look for lingerie fabrics on clearance bins - people do not always know what they are and so they do not often sell out
• use a blind hem stitch to sew stretch into the seams - most all machines will have a blind hem stitch - no need for anything fancier
• seal the raw edges of your elastic with a lighter after cutting to length to prevent fraying
• use a serpentine stitch or any decorative stitch for attaching elastic so long as it is a continuous forward motion stitch
• do not over stretch elastic when attaching it to the fabric since the feed dogs will also stretch it some
• lay your scissors flat sideweays to cut away fabric from underneath stretch lace

Get more details from this episode at Sew It All Episode 913

You can learn more about Monica and custom bra and lingerie making on her website at Bravo Bella Bras

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