This post is also available in:
Français
This month, I didn’t sew much — I stuck to a few alterations and made some silk underwear.
Last month, I sewed silk underwear for the first time, and one of them had a silk gusset. Shop-bought underwear always has a cotton jersey gusset, but having it in silk is incredibly satisfying — the feel is amazing. I was worried silk wouldn’t absorb as well as cotton jersey, but it has absolutely no downsides. I’ve decided to make all my underwear from now on with lace and silk, with silk gussets. I remade my two favourite styles:
The Elisa brief in silk and lace from Je fais mes dessous. This style uses quite a bit more silk and the Calais lace is absolutely gorgeous. I slightly modified the pattern to have one long piece of silk at the front (instead of 2 pieces). However, you can’t wear it under white trousers for example, as the lace creates a visible layer at the front.
The Orion lace brief — pattern by Eclipse Lingerie Studio — uses less silk (only the gusset), but it’s completely invisible and I can wear it under slightly more sheer or white clothing. It also uses less elastic. I absolutely loved this nude-coloured Calais lace I bought on Vinted for €5/metre.
I am absolutely obsessed with these handmade briefs — the Calais lace, the silk gussets… they’re so comfortable and luxurious, I find it hard to go back to shop-bought underwear. Honestly, if you have even a basic level of sewing, I strongly encourage you to try making lingerie. They’re small projects but they bring so, so much comfort to everyday life! And this kind of thing simply doesn’t exist in shops — even luxury brands would use a cotton jersey gusset.
Next, I altered a vintage silk pyjama set by Malizia by La Perla. I almost threw it away because after machine washing it (on a silk/wool cycle), several seams had torn. I think the previous owner had put some strain on the seams (she mentioned in the listing that it no longer fit her), and the trouser elastic had gone stiff. I put it in the “to toss” box for two weeks, then took it to the dry cleaner to see how it looked properly washed and pressed — I found the silk beautiful enough to be worth repairing, as there were no other flaws apart from the tears. I reinforced all the seams at the underarms and crotch. Since all the seams on this set are French seams, it was very easy to hide and repair the tears. And here’s the set (in white). I replaced the elastic and adjusted it to my size. It’s become one of my favourite pyjama sets.
I also took the opportunity to shorten a silk pyjama trouser, and turned an Indian-style trouser that JB loves, which had torn, into a pair of shorts. I think if we were more motivated to repair clothes, there would be far less waste. I used to throw things away at the first sign of a stain, but I’ve learned that dry cleaners can remove them quite easily. Now that I know how to make briefs and bralettes, I think I can at least upcycle old garments into lingerie. I’ve also seen on Instagram that you can change the colour of your clothes using a colour remover and then a dye. In short, there are so many ways to refresh clothes you no longer love.
For the two other garments where the alterations were too involved, I took them to a tailor. Prices are around €15–20 (in Lille).
This post is also available in:
Français
