Upcycling, How to sew a panty with an old shirt ?
We promised you, here is an article dedicated to textile upcycling, we will show you step by step how to sew warp-and-weft fabric panties from a shirt. (If you have any doubt about the definition of warp-and-weft, go to our Glossary)
This tutorial was made during a previous photoshoot, we thought it would be nice to share with you a little tip to reuse a garment that we no longer wear (or to stitch this garment to your darling. 😄)
Are you ready ? Let's go !
1. What you need
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• The garment of your choice, here a men's shirt (Thank you darling !!). • Pins and scissors. • 2 meters of lingerie elastic between 0.5 and 1 cm wide. • 100% cotton jersey for the gusset. • The sewing pattern of your choice, achievable in warp-and-weft fabric. (we used version A of the Mango Fizz briefs) |
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👙 Sewing tip 👙
In this article, we will detail the steps to make a warp-and-weft fabric model. You can easily do upcycling in a jersey T-shirt with the appropriate sewing pattern, with Margarita panty or Limoncello boxer for example.
2. Preparation
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Cut out the garment: To recover the maximum usable fabric and to be able to lay the fabric flat, cut out the collar, sleeves and shoulder seams. It's pretty fun to see the garment broken down like this, isn't it? 🙂 |
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The Mango Fizz pattern being designed to be cut at the fold of the fabric, we folded the shirt on the center back. Then, we pinned the front and back of the bloomer, following the straight-grain direction of the fabric. As you can see in the picture, the side seam of the shirt does not lay flat, We had to fold the front of the shirt so all the parts of the pattern were flat on the table. |
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Cut all around the patterns of the front and back. There you have it, you now have your 2 main pieces 🙂 |
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Remember to cut the crotch from the main fabric, following the straight-grain direction of the fabric. |
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Then cut the crotch a second time in 100% cotton jersey. (That can be in an old Tshirt, to be upcycling until the end!) |
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All the parts of the bloomer are ready! |
3. Sewing the bloomer step by step
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So that the crotch seam is invisible and super clean inside and out, we will assemble it with a sheath seam (see Glossary) : Position the right side of the back over the right side of the front. Then the right side of the lining crotch on the wrong side of the front. In this way, the front will be "sandwiched" between the two bottoms. Sew the assembly seam (here 5 mm from the edge), with a straight stitch or an overlock. |
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Do the same with the back: Place the right side of the back on the right side of the crotch. Then the right side of the lining crotch on the wrong side of the back. Sew the sheath seam 5mm from the edge. |
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Unfold the panties, then overlap the side seams edge to edge, right sides together. Sew the side seam 5mm from the edge, then finish the seam. |
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Finishing stitch all around the waist and thighs on the edge of the fabric so it doesn't fray (you can do it with a satin stitch, rolled over with a serger, or two zigzag seams) For this model, we made a satin stitch with a golden glitter yarn 🤩 |
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Cut the elastics according to the pattern size used, then pin them evenly to the inside of the briefs. |
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Sew the elastics 1 cm inside the edge of the fabric, with a single zigzag stitch (recommended for a 5 mm wide elastic) or a 3-point Zigzag (recommended for a 7 mm wide elastic) |
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For a super clean finish, you can tuck the excess threads of the thighs and waist under the elastics. To then cut them again and avoid the small threads that protrude 😉 |
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And here’s the result !! |
So, did you like the Upcycling experience?
Do not hesitate to share photos of your creations, we love to see your projects !!
If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to contact us:
