Sewing lace panties: Romantic made easy

Would you like to sew a pair of panties with lace? In this article, you'll learn how to do it, what you need to know, and why it can be easy even for sewing beginners.

The most important things at a glance

• To sew panties with a lace insert, you need a pattern designed for this type of construction
• It is important to choose elastic lace and work it in the direction of stretch
• It is best to sew lace with a super-stretch or microtex needle
• It is best to sew elastic seams with elastic stitches: narrow or wide zigzag stitches or an overlock seam will preserve the fabric's elasticity

Being "well-behaved" was yesterday! From now on, you can sew romantic panties with lace inserts in no time at all. And that even up to size 60.

Claire, for example, is a comfortably cut hip-hugger panty with a medium rise. The back part is cut to provide full coverage.

The panties are made with a single-layered gusset. This is very easy to do and does not add bulk.

The highlight of this pattern is the multitude of ways to mix fabrics and colors. This is perfect for your jersey scraps, which you can also upgrade as you wish with matching lace, fold-over elastic, or decorations.

Note on working with fold-over elastic: If you want to finish the panties with fold-over elastic, you should cut them without seam allowances.

• Detailed, illustrated sewing instructions with the following sewing techniques: waist elastic, leg elastic, jersey strip processing
• Pattern in sizes 32-60 in A1/A2 and A4
• Taping plans for all size ranges
• Charts: body measurements, finished measurements, fabric consumption
• Skill level: suitable for beginners with some experience

• Sewing stretchy fabrics
• Sewing jersey
• Sewing hems
• if necessary, Sewing with a binding attachment

Elastic fabrics such as:

• Cotton jersey fabrics^*
• Viscose jersey^*
• Lingerie microfiber
• Ponte jersey^*
• Elastic lace

Also optionally

• Elastic lace^*
• Elastic band^*

• Color-matching sewing thread^*
• Tailor's chalk^*
• Sewing machine or overlocker
• Rotary cutter^*
• Fabric scissors^*
• Needle & thread
• Bow^* (lingerie bow)

Before you buy lace, you should check whether you need elastic or non-elastic lace for your planned project. For sewing lingerie, for example, elastic lace is almost always the right choice.

For tunics, bridal wear, or for decorating bags and pouches, however, non-elastic lace can also be a good choice. You can find a very nice selection of lace fabrics^* at Hemmers.

Depending on how wide your lace fabric is, you can save a lot of fabric by cutting it with a double fold.

In this method, the fabric edges along the grainline are folded towards the center from two sides instead of one. This way, the fabric can be used optimally. There is less waste.

When cutting with scissors, you should ensure the blades are truly sharp. Lace tends to snag, especially when it is elastic lace, which has extremely fine spandex threads incorporated into it. These ensure that the fabric moves nicely when worn.

If you accidentally don't cut through them and pull on them, the entire fabric can deform and ripple. Precise cutting is then barely possible.

Tip No. 1: To prevent the lace from shifting during cutting, you can place tissue paper under the fabric. This way, it lies securely without slipping.

Tip No. 2: It is very difficult to use notches when working with lace. A good alternative is marking the lace fabric with a fabric marker.

A rotary cutter is a good tool for cutting lace fabrics. Here, too, you should make sure that the blade is sharp all the way around and does not skip any threads.

If you want to work with two lace pieces that have an identical mirrored pattern, you should first cut the first pattern piece according to the sewing pattern.

Then, take the cut piece and place it left sides together on the lace fabric. You should look for the exact spot in the fabric that corresponds to the pattern repeat of the first cut piece.

The size chart tells you what the measurements of the finished garment are. Panties sewn from jersey yourself are often significantly larger than their store-bought counterparts.

Why is that? Store-bought panties are often made with a much higher elastane content. Or they consist entirely of Lycra or microfiber. So it may be that your self-sewn panties seem very large to you. But when you slip them on, you will find: They fit perfectly!

The prerequisite for this: You have determined the correct size. The body measurement chart will help you with this.

Measure with a tape measure at the widest point for each respective body height and write down the results. The tape measure should be snug without constricting.

If you are between two sizes, you can, for example, connect the lines between the sizes using a fashion ruler.

Which needle is the right one for sewing panties with lace depends a bit on the nature of the lace.

While non-elastic lace can certainly be processed with a titanium or universal needle, the choice of needle for elastic lace should be based on the elasticity of the material.

Jersey or stretch needles are perfect here. Personally, I also like to sew lace with a super-stretch needle. Just like basically all fine, stretchy fabrics.

If you find that the seam still doesn't look as nice as you imagined, it's worth trying a Microtex needle.

In any case, you should sew a test seam on a scrap piece of your fabric to make sure that everything works out when "it counts."

You should take the nature of the material into account. Here are my tips for sewing lace:

• Non-elastic lace can also be sewn with a non-elastic stitch: A straight stitch or combination stitch (e.g., overlock stitch) are well suited.
• Elastic lace should also be processed with an elastic stitch. This ensures that the elasticity of the fine material is fully preserved. An elastic straight stitch (sometimes also called a "narrow zigzag") is just as suitable for this as a wide zigzag or other elastic stitch types.
• Lace is transparent: It is therefore a good idea to topstitch seam allowances in a direction where they are not visible, e.g., under a jersey element.

You can use normal all-purpose thread to sew lace. If you like to sew lingerie often, it is worth considering purchasing woolly nylon thread.

Woolly nylon is a soft, non-twisted synthetic thread that feels elastic and soft.

It is only used on coverstitch or overlock machines. And only in the loopers.

It is best to try out with a test spool which woolly nylon thread works well with your machine. If the seams do not meet your expectations, it may be that you need to play a little with the thread tension.

If that doesn't help, I recommend testing woolly nylon from another manufacturer.

My Babylocks work very well with the woolly nylon from Babylock (who's surprised?) and that from Madeira. Only when I was sure that the seams looked beautiful did I treat myself to woolly nylon sets in my preferred colors.

Threading the lower looper is child's play, especially with Babylock, because only the tip of the thread is inserted into the thread channel and then sucked in with air. Practical, right?

Important: The thread color should match the lace fabric. It is perfect if the thread is one color shade darker than the fabric itself.

The ideal companion for lace panties is Top Terra. The beautiful basic piece can also be wonderfully refined with lace. I show you step-by-step in the instructions how to sew the camisole with encrusted lace, for example.

In principle, lace can be bound just like other fabrics. You can also refer to my tutorials on binding jersey when finishing lace edges.

For example, scalloped trim or fold-over elastic are suitable for binding.

Binding also works very well with a binder attachment. By the way, I also use it to process fold-over elastic with ease.

Happy simple sewing,

your Sabine

Non-stretch lace can be sewn well with a fine universal or titanium needle. You can sew stretch lace with a jersey, stretch, super stretch, or microtex needle, for example.

A simple all-purpose thread that is a shade darker than the fabric works great. Bulky nylon threads are also great, as they feel soft—especially for clothing worn directly on the skin—and provide elastic seams.

Lace can be bound very well with jersey strips or scalloped trim, for example. Finishing with fold-over elastic is also very suitable for lace fabrics.