Basic Thong pattern from Rebecca Page

 

Sorry folks, but I have to draw the line at modelling these!

I actually had on my New Years to-do list to make underwear and thongs were always part of this at least in my head. Then I found this pattern from Rebecca Page and I started with a basic pair from scraps from my Cerena seperates. I already had some blue picot elastic and this tones really well with my blue animal print.

 

I am very happy with these. 

So They fit great but I am a little unsure if I should go down a size. I will see how they fit after wearing a  couple of times. Recent adventures with Rebecca Page has proven I am in RP patterns an XS when usually I am a S or a M. These are S which according to the measurements should be correct.

This is the inside:

For the blue pair I never overlocked the outside edges since the pattern says its optional which being a  knit that doesn't fray is true. 

Not very neat really! 

I did sew the gusset to the main part of the pants but you do not have to. 

My other 2 pairs I have not done that. 

You sew these up at the gusset seam with the right sides together but with the gusset alighned wrong side up to the centre seam so you sew all 3 bits at once. I overlocked this seam. Then you flip the gusset to the right side/ inside of the pants and fasten in place at side seams so its very easy to make these. Rebecca Page patterns include very comprehensive instructions making it very easy to make her garments.

 

 Then the seams  side seams are overlocked

 And then attach the elastic.

I sewed elastic with slightly stretching it to th right side then folded over and topstitched with the same stitch.







I attached elastic using that zigzag stitch that is made of lots of little stitches rather than a normal zigzag.

These blue pants are made from new fabric scraps from the RP Cerena Romper / separates but after that I had a clearout of my clothing because my wardobes are bulging with all this stuff I seem to make. I actually have far more new clothes than when I bought RTW clothing and its become a big problem storing it all. And my wardrobes are still bulging even after this clearout and after vacuum packing my winter clothes, which is a pain but I refuse to eliminate anything else. I do wear it all and all that will happen is I will then have to either buy or make some new stuff. Having very different looks for work and play does mean I have more clothing than many people.

Well during my clearout I decide to alter many T shirts into either vest tops for summer or into underwear so not actually eliminating that much but it will be smaller to store. I also get a few new fabrics to spice everything up in my stash!

These two pairs of knickers then are made from Sainsubury's Tu ski or running base layer tops.

I loved the colours but these tops never really fitted well.  Stupidly I never took pictures of the starting materials here, but if you can visuallise long sleeved tops which are made as a seamless tube with no seams and some texture at strategic points like sides and CF and CB then thats what these were made from. Because the front and back of the tops are different textured patterns I just cut as best I can.

I tried to make a feature of the textured bits which remind me of the mermaid mock swim costumes described in the Awakened Fate books, by Skye Malone, where the Dehain ( mermaids) all have like fake swimsuits of scales when they go onto land and mix with humans. I have had Alexa reading me the first two of these books while I knit rcently. They are a bit different to normal paranormal/ fantasy books. I think though they are aimed at teens. I got the first book free as a kindle book. For some reason these have made a nice change to my usual book choice while in lockdown. I normally either read horror or detective types of books.

Anyway back to this project - both tops were some kind of synthetic fibre with lycra. They feel like nylon but who knows. I made the first pair I using bands instead of picot. This works though there is no extra elastic in my bands so I am unsure how these will be to wear. They are fine right now but after 5-10 wearings who knows. But then essentially these are free so I do not care. Really I could have got a third pair by having different  coloured front and back but I decided not to bother. I have just been donated several T shirts by my Mother who has also had a clearout, to make into even more knickers and I only have so much space in my wardrobe, so best to stick with these 2 pairs for now I think.

Mermaid scales?

For both of these pairs I used a normal zigzag.

After a bit of messing around I found a width of 3.5 and length of 2.5 works well so I have stuck with that for both pairs.

I never made a note of the width and length of the first stitch I used, which is a shame because I have found blogging a very useful tool in recent years to record what I do and when I remake a pattern it works a bit like a reference book or note book and I can check back as to how I did this or that and how to make things better or repeat things that worked. And ofcourse avoid the previous mistakes.
 
 For the second pair I decided to edge with some white picot which I bought very cheap a while ago.

I have I believe around 10kg of this white picot elastic. Its surprisingly good quality although a basic white. I think I need to get into white now rather than buying more in more upmarket colours.

I cannot remember the actual length I bought. It came in a huge box. I actually bid the minimum which was I think £8 starting price with free shipping (Ebay). Since that compared with a couple of metres from other sellers (though prettier colours) I decided it wa a bargain. The box had been water damaged so it is possible some of the elastic could be discoloured. When I opened the box it all seems fine and there is so much of this stuff it really does not matter if I end up throwing some away. I did not win the auction, and then heard from the seller I had been offered it as a second chance offer about a week later.

Great thinks me, and buys it. I did not visualise just how much of this stuff I won until it arrived. I suspect I will never use it all before it decays even if that takes 20+ years, but it will keep me in basic picot for years to come. Storage of this is the main issue really.

So here are my new fluorescent yellow knickers made with this cheapo picot. I suspect you will see lots edged with this stuff in the next few years if you visit me regularly, which I hope of course that you will.

I only overlocked the edge of the gusset for these two upcycled pairs and never attached the gusset to the main but they still work making this attachment step a bit un-necessary I think. I supose it depends on the material and if you edge the gusset. On my first pair I just folded the raw edge under the stitched to the main so there was no edge.

I think this is so far the best knicker pattern I have made. Of course thats if you want a thong. I do. 

Now I need to find a pattern for big pants and for shorts.

So, I am now also excited to try the Megan Neilson free Acacia knicker pattern next. You get this free by signing upfor the newsletter. 

Acacia is not a thong pattern, but I do need more normal, big knickers as well. More on these later. I have yet to sew them up though did cut out earlier today.

Well I love this pattern and recommend it.  

Bracken