50s pin up silk knickers

silk knickers

Well Bridget Jones, eat your heart out. Mine are big and all silk!

There has been a lot of knicker making activity going on in blogworld recently. For example these pretty French knickers by Kat at The Couture Academic, these ‘little pants‘ made by Rachel at the House of Pinheiro and just check out Gertie’s prolific pant production line! Plenty ’nuff inspiration to ease me gently into the beginnings of lingerie-making.

As with most things I do for the first time, I headed to my Burda Style magazine collection, remembering a Lovely Lingerie section in issue 01/2012, which of course included the perfect pattern.

Burda Style LingerieThe only thing that flummoxed me was that these ones had a side zipper! I can’t get my head around having to zip up your pants in the morning, call me old-fashioned! I guess the rationale was that the over layer of tulle wasn’t too stretchy and I for one would never be able to get non-stretchy nicks over  my hips!

So first mission was to find some stretchy lingerie fabric so I could omit the zip. I went in search of stretch cotton satin but on presentation of skirt-weight cotton sateen each time, I gave in to the more luscious lure of 100% stretch silk. At £15 metre, these are definitely the most expensive but certainly the most luxurious pants I own. My faithful haberdashers in Shepherds bush market stocks the elastic lace at 50p a metre which softens the blow!

silk knickers bow

These were such an easy and delightful make. Though I don’t want to give you a ‘bum steer’ (!) They are more time-consuming than you would think, to stretch-and-stitch the elastic lace, top-stitching it twice on each opening . . . especially on to slippery silk.

Oh, and by the way, I make no apology for the lack of modelled garment. How could I possibly compete with the way that Scruffy Badger so confidently models her frilly knickers?!

34 Replies to “50s pin up silk knickers”

  1. they do look very luxurious and it’s well worth paying good money to have nice undies. I’m personally quite addicted to full knickers because they sit better under most things and greatly reduce the possibility of the VPL.

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  2. these look so professional! I thought that was the inspiration picture but you made them! wow! the expensive fabric really paid off!

  3. Thanks for the ping back, ooobop! I’ve been eyeing this pattern for a long time now and now I’m thinking I should just get on with it and make some seeing that you’re are so beautiful!!! Very very nice job as usual, your sewing is beautiful. Very sexy and classy an chic all at the same time.

  4. Absolutely gorgeous, the loveliest blog knickers I’ve seen (and there are some fine pairs doing the rounds!) They look so classy and expensive and they’re my perfect knicker shape (can you tell I love them?!) x

  5. Well, you clearly are on a whole other playing field. I’ve heard of people like you who sew undergarments which to me seem like tiny wedding dresses in terms of difficulty. I can’t imagine futzing with that slippery material. And, the edging, it all looks so professional. Awesome!

    1. It wasn’t really that bad to be honest, though I was expecting it to be! Important to use a fine needle and not have the machine speed to high!! Easy to slip off track otherwise!

  6. Oh Janean they are adorable! Now that you are hooked, do keep an eye out for stretch silk bargains – I picked up a whole bolt of it for $4m (about 2GBP) because it was water damaged, but all it took was a wash! Also the sandwashed stuff is great, and often easier to find.
    Zippers!! I sell a lot of stuff to design students and one lass is making a lingerie collection with, get this, pearl buttons and loops as working closures! Can you imagine just getting in the door, busting to go, and having to undo 12 pear buttons, not to mention the lumps showing through. Of course it’s all high fashion fantasy stuff, but my poor head can’t cope with something so spectacularly impractical!

    1. Oh wow that was a bargain! Funnily enough I saw some sandwashed silk the other day and was wondering what I could use it for. Was talking to a friend who used to be a costume designer who also mentioned the vintage application of pearl buttons in place of a zip…. I said exactly the same thing with regs busting for the loo! Bet they look pretty though 🙂

  7. Wow! How very pinup sexy of you, my dear! These look very professional – are you sure you didn’t just drop by a fancy lingerie shop on the way home? 😉 I can’t imagine zipping up my undies… what the actual heck?? Who would? LOL Especially not when there’s stretch silk charmeuse out there 😉

  8. These look so professional and glamourous, I have just bought the downloadable pattern from Burda, but I am a bit flummoxed by a couple of the pattern pieces that haven’t got any instructions for them! I am a beginner seamstress so it might be obvious to an expert but I hope reason for the four little extra bits will come clear!
    Great job…the silk looks beautiful. Very sexy!

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