Handmade 52: 17, 18, 19 & 20 - Little Girl Undies

Do you have little ones that just don't fit perfectly in some items from the store? For Missy it's panties. Don't get me wrong, she can get them on just fine, and they stay up...but the leg elastics just aren't very comfortable for her. I got tired of watching her constantly readjusting the leg elastic on the inside of her thighs every 20 minutes, no matter where we were, who we were with, or with any regard as to who was watching her.

So I pulled out my That Darn Kat - Children's Undies Sewing Pattern (there's a boy and girl version included in the pattern) and got to work! I was puzzled as to which size to make, so I made a size 4 and a size 6. And for those about to make a pair and happen to have a similar fabric stash to mine: See that purple pair below? Don't use that fabric for undies! It may be easier to sew because it doesn't stretch as much, but it doesn't stretch as much when they're wearing it either! Oops! Lesson learned ;)

Left: Size 6 & Right: Size 4
That Darn Kat Pattern

 The size 4 fit her just fine, and will most likely fit even better when made out of stretchier material, but they don't leave much room to grow on her. And yet the size 6 is far too big on her tiny frame. We have the same problem with store bought panties by the way, so please don't think this is an issue with the pattern! She's really stuck at an in between size right now, and it makes shopping for her a tad bit difficult.

She does LOVE her new panties though. And guess what? She hasn't adjusted her undies, not even ONCE, when she's wearing her new pair (the pink ones have been put up until she grows into them)!! It is wonderful!


But wait, that's only 2 items and the title notes 4!

So in true advertising style:

But WAIT! There's MORE!

I wanted to try another pattern to see if I could find a better fit with a little more room to grow. With all the upcoming sewing, building, birthday party, and Christmas projects coming up, I didn't want to end up needing to add another batch of panty sewing right in the middle of all the chaos!

I decided to brave an Ottobre Magazine pattern. This pattern is often recommended when someone asks for a great fitting girl's pattern, and because they don't come only in even sizes, there is a greater chance of finding the particular fit I am looking for. The particular pattern I used is pattern # 34 in their 4/04 magazine.

After consulting the handy dandy measurement chart (I recently forced the kids to endure seemingly endless measuring), I decided to try size 104. European measurements are different in their size numbers, but that size essentially boils down to a US size 5. See! In between sizes!

There are 3 versions of the pattern, and as it turns out, after making these two, there is at least one more way to do the legs! I by mistake finished the legs in the same way That Darn Kat does, instead of the binding method that Ottobre was calling for, oops. Oh well, she loves them and I am happy to say they FIT! And by fit I mean they fit well now, and are comfy enough with room to grow! Yippee!

I can promise you they look a lot better on than they do here, but forgive me for having not the photos to prove it...a little girl's privacy and all that. ;)

Ottobre 4/04 #34. Size 104
They are both technically the same size. However the top pair I cut out and then realized I'd forgotten to add on a seam allowance. So instead of folding down the top and hiding elastic, I used some picot edge elastic I had bought from Joann Stores the other day.
I've never used this type of elastic before so it's less than perfect, but both my daughter and I love the look of it when it's done!

The back. The slight size difference is more noticeable in the back, with one having seam allowances added on, and the other not. But the size difference while on is hardly visible, so don't worry too much if you forget to add them on like I did the first go round!

3 pairs of undies will most certainly not be enough, so together we went through some of my fabric stash. She picked out many new fabrics, from dinosaurs and ninjas, to butterflies and purple stripes. No stereotypes in this house! ;)

I am excited to get started cutting them out. Stay tuned for a panty stash update soon!