5 Lingerie Sewing *Myths*

Alrightyy, let's start debunking, dethroning, DEMOLISHING the 5 most popular lingerie sewing myths!

First of all, YES, yes there are many schools of thought, ways of doing and thinking processes, but what I want to do with this post is turn around those myths which I always get asked and I see are the main reason why some folks will abstain from starting to sew their own lingerie. BUT FRET NOT! Sewing your own clothing, particularly lingerie is far more accesible and withing reach than it seems :)

MYTH 1 You can only use fabric with stretch

Favvv myth to dismantle and also the most popular. I remember when I first started sewing lingerie and I was completely focused on finding stretchy fabric. And boy oh boy did I find out in a bitter way that underwire bras DO NOT WORK with stretch fabric! Massive disaster. Unwearable garment. Sewing mojo dead.

With time, practice and lots of sewing investigation I realized that fabric, as any other thing in life, serves a particular reason. Moral of the story, stretchy fabric works wonders in bralettes and undies, but stable, rigid fabrics are the way to go with underwires for example. So no, you don't need to work with stretch fabric only to complete all your lingerie sewing dreams.

MYTH 2 Raw edges must be finished with overlock

Well, OK, first and foremost, WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS AN OVERLOCK. It is a machine which sews with 3-4 spools of thread at the same time, wrapping the raw edges of fabric in thread while cutting the excess fabric of said raw edge. This machine is amazing to finish edges and it's famous for working pretty well with stretch or knits. If you do have it it will help a lot in finishing touches for a super neat & clean garment. If you don't there are hundreds of methods and techniques available to have neat & clean finishes too without the investment of an additional machine. So no, you don't need an overlock machine to finish your garments.

MYTH 3 Everything is sewn with ZigZag

Phew! Actually THIS is my favorite myth - when I was taught how to sew lingerie EVERYTHING had to be sewn with zigzag, and that idea got stuck in my mind for ages, even when the garment wouldn't look right, but I didn't know what else to do. I actually considered it was my machine and that I needed an overlock or coverstitch machine BUT NO, that wasn't the case, what I needed was simply a good ol' straight stitch. So no, not every seam must be sewn with zigzag, you'll see that on ocassion everything works better with a regular straight stitch.

MYTH 4 You need a coverstitch machine

I'm still to see a home sewing pattern that requires a coverstitch machine. Yes, in massive production chains the coverstitch is constantly used to finish lingerie and stretchy garments, such as the lef opening in undies or elastics in hip / waist opening, yet, for home sewing and even custom made pieces there are lots of methods to finish without a coverstitch. So no, again I'm telling you, you don't need additional machines to sew your pretty undergarments.

MYTH 5 Supplies and fabrics are gard to get

This myth has some truth to it, but only because the difficulty lies in knowing WHAT you are looking for and HOW to look for it, supplies wise. Once you've sewn, practiced, seen what works and what doesn't, and when you know which key words to use when searching in google, you'll find everything you need in the tip of your fingers. Actually, I suggest you take a look at my supply shops post when you can find what supplies are needed and their key word names. So no, supplies aren't hard to find if you know what to look for.

So, there you have it! 5 classical myths that are only stumbling rocks before us, hereby I release you from letting them stop you from sewing beautiful undies and bras!