WELCOME BACK TO PERIOD PANTY SEWING SCHOOL!
Well hello! Are you ready to make some heckin Period Panties? We’ve got our patterns all ready to go, time to dive into our materials!
Ready? Ok! Here we go.
You’ll need these things:
- Your sewing pattern, with pieces to make an enclosed crotch, and an extra crotch piece without seam allowances for the absorbent interlining layer.
- Your Period Panty Sewing Kit! If you got the full kit it will have absolutely everything you need to make three pairs of period panties. If you got the Mini Kit, you’ll also need the following-
- Your fabric for the main part of the panties, and fold over elastic. I like this wide 1 inch elastic which makes it super easy to enclose all of your lovely layers in the crotch.
In your Period Panty kit, you’ll have three fabrics to make the absorbent, leakproof crotch. The black fabric is wicking jersey, which goes next to your skin, and wicks away all moisture into the layers below it. Next, the white quilted fabric is the absorbent layer, which is made of quilted bamboo and cotton, and holds the equivalent of up to 2-3 tampons. Last, you have your waterproof backed organic cotton jersey, in the color of your choice! Here I’m using Sea Urchin. If you’d like more info on the fabrics in our kits, head to this blog post!
PREWASHING TIPS
If you like to prewash your fabric, all of the fabrics and elastics in the kits can be prewashed! Prewashing fabrics shrinks or relaxes the fibers in your fabric before you cut and sew, reducing the chance of garment-altering shrinkage after you’ve completed your lovely new clothing.
TIP: Before you throw the white quilted absorbent layer in the wash, secure the edges of the fabric with a zig zag or serged edge so that all of the filling doesn’t get pulled out by the washing cycle. Otherwise, you may open the washing machine to find your wicking and waterproof jerseys alone in a blizzard of cotton and bamboo fluff.
DO NOT USE fabric softener, which coats the fibers and prevents them from absorbing properly. If you normally use fabric softener, run a load without it before washing your period fabrics or finished period garments. DO NOT put into the dryer. Lay flat or hang to dry.
To wash your fold over elastic, just soak in some water (cold or hot, whichever you prefer) for a few minutes, then lay out to dry. It usually shrinks 1-2 inches per yard.
CUTTING INFORMATION + TIPS
Cut out one crotch layer of your waterproof cotton. Remember, holes poked through the waterproof polyurethane layer don’t heal (don’t try to use heat to melt them closed) so it’s best to use pattern weights and a rotary blade for this portion, potentially a digital fabric cutting machine if you are looking to add a design, or trace and cut.
Cut one crotch layer of your wicking fabric. There are no concerns about this fabric, so pin away!
For the quilted absorbent layer, use your crotch pattern piece that has no seam allowance. This layer is rather bulky, so use sharp scissors or whichever tool that works best for you.
You should now have one crotch piece cut out of your wicking jersey, quilted absorbent material, and the waterproof jersey. Your quilted absorbent material should have no front or back seam allowances.
Cut out your panty front and back from your main fabric.
Here are all of your final pieces-
- Panty Front,
- Panty Back
- Crotch Waterproof
- Crotch Absorbent sans seam allowance
- Crotch Wicking
Up next in DIY Period Panty Sewing School we’ll have the panty sewalong!!
I’d love to see photos of what you make on Instagram, tag me @Sophie_hines and use the hashtag #shinesperiodpanties so we can follow along with you and get inspiration!
Happy Sewing!
