After half an hour with Jan Bones, the average home sewer goes away convinced she can make her own undergarments that will fit properly and look feminine as well.
“Lingerie is sometimes a forgotten area of garment construction,” the Winnipeg designer said at the recent creative sewing and needlework festival in Calgary.
Bones designs and sews everything from the practical flannel nightshirt to a sexy satin and lace nightie that fits most women’s figures.
Her design sizes range from regular to extra large and are easy to make with any fabric.
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Bones calls her pattern line Lingerie Secrets and she always tries to recommend fabrics and notions can be found in local stores.
She favors fabrics like Antron, a nylon tricot patented by DuPont. It has a shiny, lustrous appearance and is anti-static. Antron panties, slips and camisoles won’t cling to clothes and they’re easy care. The only thing that will damage nylon tricot is a hot dryer or iron, she said.
Many of her cotton lingerie items are made from cotton interlock, stronger than singlelock cotton used for tee shirts. Interlock hems won’t roll and the garments feel cozy.
Hemlines are finished off in several ways depending on the fabric. She may use a multiple zigzag, serger hem or a rolled hem.
She said sewers don’t need a serger to make lingerie, but for some of her hemlines she prefers a four-thread serger so there are no ridges.
Her camisoles and nighties come in a basic design that can be played up with specialty fabrics and laces. To give a better fit and support, an elastic casing runs from the bust across the back to the other side.
One unique design is the wrap-around half slip which is suitable for fuller skirts and can be adjusted to fit any size waistline. The vent can be placed anywhere.
When Bones puts lace on a slip, she generally sews it directly on the fabric. Lace edging the hem makes the slip crawl up nylon panty hose, she said.
Finishing touches
Straps on camisoles can be made out of almost any trim the sewer fancies. Elastic, velvet, lace or satin ribbon, self fabric straps or braided fabric all add pretty finishing touches.
She also likes to use transparent elastic that has considerable stretch, doesn’t add thickness and can be sewn over by machine. It doesn’t absorb body odors so it doesn’t break down. It’s only enemy is heat.
“The dryer is not elastic’s best friend,” she said.
Bones recommends washing lingerie in a gentle machine cycle and hanging to dry.
She does not dryclean lingerie, even if manufacturers recommend it for finer fabrics like silk.
“They didn’t have drycleaners 3,000 years ago,” she said.
She pre-shrinks all natural and man-made fabrics before cutting and sewing. This also stops some fabrics from showing water spots from a spitting iron or perspiration.
To prevent fraying on woven fabrics, her patterns often recommend cutting on the bias rather than the straight grain. Garments cut on the bias drape well and have extra give, especially when made out of stretchy fabrics.
