I picked up around six meters of a very pleasing charcoal grey four-way stretch knit fabric at Our Social Fabric (a great initiative, and manic haven for sewists) the other week. I had no idea what I was going to do with it because I’ve always been too intimidated to tackle knits, but I knew I wanted it. I’m not really one to say no to a challenge.
The fabric is ever so slightly sheen on the right side, and ever so slightly fuzzy (a bit like an impossible flannel) on the wrong side with about 60% stretch – perfect for a hip-hugging pair of boxer briefs or boycuts. I couldn’t take a picture that captured the subtle differences between the right and wrong sides, but trust me – it’s fabulous. Which brings me to the Comox Trunk pattern by Thread Theory. Once I got the pattern I realized I didn’t really have a source for the lovely wide and soft elastic that a decent pair of underwear deserves – thankfully, Thread Theory started carrying that as well ;- )
Based on my men’s room habits, I decided to forgo the “gate” on my boxer briefs which simplified things.
Overall I’m overjoyed with how my first pair turned out (took about three hours from opening the patter to putting them on), and I’ll definitely be making more soon. They are as comfortable as my beloved MeUndies, and a little more personally fitted. Of course they look better with me in them than crumpled on my bed or worktable, but I’m not going to stand around taking pictures of myself in my underwear – even for the blog.
I traced these onto some red tissue paper to keep the pattern intact so that I can easily make modifications and versions for friends in different sizes – 6m is a lot of underwear.
NOTES FOR NEXT TIME
- I’ll lengthen the legs, pocket, and butt so I have a bit more to work with on the hem,
- I’ll probably get a special foot for a double fold hem,
- The instructions have you pin the elastic on – I found it easier to stitch in four places and then ease them together in a single slow pass,
- I had no luck pressing the seams with the technical knit, but it hasn’t been a detriment to the final product.
Thanks for reading!