The always-wonderful Beverly Johnson wrote a blog post about swapping out elastic for stretch lace a few years ago. In it, she points out that you could use the same technique for new-made undies or to replace worn out/too small/stretched out/unlovely elastic on previously made (or even RTW) undies.
I love stretch elastic as an edge finish for a few reasons.
- It only needs one pass to sew, so it’s fast!
- You don’t fold under any edges. This makes the edge of your undies lie more flat, which can help reduce showing through your outer clothes.
- It’s pretty!
Beverly recommends 1″ stretch lace for the legs and, really, any width you like for the waist. I had a pair of RTW panties that used a very wide stretch lace at the waist. Near the top of the lace edge, a matching 1/4″ plush lingerie elastic was sewn to help keep the edge from stretching out. If you’re struggling to match your elastic to your use, Beverly created a very handy chart (along with tips for application) for that!
