In the article on making stockings I left you with a pattern drafting / sewing puzzle... How to pattern draft and make a pair of tights / panty hose.

 

Some of you may have already worked it out from the picture of the pattern that I drafted. For those of you who are still scratching your heads then, here is the solution.

I always say that one of the key elements to successful pattern drafting is the ability to “think” in three dimensions, in other words to mentally visualise how a flat two-dimensional pattern or fabric garment will “wrap” around the human body. In the stockings article I gave you a clue to the tights / panty hose when I said that the long straight line of the pattern was just like the stocking pattern and was to be thought of as “on the fold”. As I have said before, in industry nothing is “cut on the fold” - that’s why in an industrial CAD pattern drafting computer programme, such as Lectra’s Modaris, there is no built in pattern symbol for “on the fold”. So, we must “open out” the pattern and it should start to make a bit more sense:

 

What you have is one leg and half the panty section of a pair of tights. And the curious “long diamond” pattern part? A good old “diamond gusset”! Now, in your mind visualise how the one leg / half a panty wraps around a leg and body.

 

 

Yes, the “U” shape at the top of the pattern is the body centre front to centre back panty seam and the diamond gusset part sews into this seam, in-between the three pattern triangle alignment markers.

 

 

When you have visualised the garment fitting the body, you should be able to work out what measurements you need to take and were they will be used in the pattern draft. As we are dealing with stretch fabrics it’s negative ease time, so adjust the measurements to suit your tight's stretch fabric. In my examples I have used lightweight, very stretchy powernets. The first measurement will be the length of the tights; just like measuring the length of the leg for the stockings, we need to know the distance from the tip of the toes to the waist, running up the centre front of the leg.

 

 

And we can use a stocking pattern from the stockings article and extend the “base” line to this measurement.

 

 

The next measurements are odd ones. As the main seam of the tights leg runs up the back of the leg and over the bottom cheek to the waistline, we need to measure from the centre front line of the body to an imaginary centre line running up the leg; “B””D” then from this leg centre line to the centre line of the bottom “cheek” “A””C”. Take the measurements at hip level, say 20cm down from the waist, and at waist level.

 

 

Then after applying negative ease to the measurements, plot the measurements on the pattern as shown in the diagram.

 

 

Next, using a french curve or flexi curve, draw a curve from the “old” stocking top through the bottom cheek mark to the waistline mark - as per the diagram.

 

 

Now copy or trace all the leg / part panty outline to the other side of the base line / leg CF line. Notice that I have curved the waistline line by a small amount; this is to give a better fit at the waist.

 

 

We now need to mark a point on the pattern where the panty seam at centre back will end. We already have a point for the seam start at centre front - it’s the end of measurement “B”. So take away from half of the full body waist measurement (minus neg ease) the sum of “A” and “B”.

A + B = Y, 1/2 body waist measurement – Y = X.

Mark on the pattern the measurement X as in the diagram.

 

 

Draw a line from the end of “B” through the end of “D” and then draw a line parallel to this line starting at “X”. The two lines will be a guide for drawing in the panty seam.

 

 

The next body measurement that we need is from the waistline at centre front; between the legs to the waistline at centre back. This will give you the total length, minus negative ease, for the panty seam.

 

 

Using your tape measure and the two pattern guidelines, draw a smooth U-shaped panty seam line on the pattern, whose length is equal to the CF waistline to CB waistline measurement (A bit of trial and error, sorry!)... or you could be clever and use maths (before you all start e-mailing me about accuracy):

• Draw a circle whose diameter equals the distance between the two parallel lines,
• Half the circumference of the circle = 2pr/2 = Z,
• CF waistline to CB waistline measurement – Z = X,
• X / 2 = W
• W = the new length of the two parallel lines. Then add on the half circle to complete the panty seam.

...or you could just use your tape measure, plus trial and error.

 

 

Divide the CF waistline to CB waistline measurement in half, measure around the panty seam U shape, and put a alignment mark at this measurement. This will be the centre of the diamond-shaped gusset.

 

 

The length and width of the diamond gusset can be left to you, depending on how much “coverage” you like. If you are planning to make a pair of opaque tights to wear under shorts or outer garment “leggings” you may like to not have a gusset at all, the pattern will still work without one. In my example I have drafted the gusset to be 12cm long by 4cm wide.

 

 

To transfer the gusset “size” to the panty seam line, measure the length of the “side” of the diamond and, using a tape measure or flexible ruler, measure around the seam from the first centre pattern alignment mark and place two more alignment marks. Between the three marks is where the gusset will be sewn.

 

 

To finish off the pattern add 2cm extra at the waistline for a hem / waistband. The 2cm will be “turned down” and sewn. There is no seam allowance to add as all the seams should be about 3mm and that would be a nightmare to add by hand (you should really be CAD drafting by now?).

 

 

As this pattern is for one leg and half a panty section, remember when marking / cutting out the fabric to “flip” the pattern over so that you cut out a left and a right leg / panty half.

 

 

To sew the tights together start by sewing on any heel and toe reinforcement parts as per the stockings using a three-step zigzag stitch.

 

For the gusset you may like to “line” the gusset with a stretch cotton lining first. To sew the gusset in, overlap the edges of the gusset and one side of the panty seam at the alignment marks, and then three-step zigzag stitch in place to give a comfortable flat seam - or overlock / surge machine. You can overlock / surge machine the panty and gusset seams, but make the seams as narrow as you can, for comfort when wearing the tights.

 

 

Now overlap the panty seam edges by, say, 4mm, and zigzag stitch down from CF or CB waist to the unstitched sides of the gusset. Overlap the gusset and panty seam line, stitch down, then continue to stitch main panty seam. Again, you can use an overlock / surge machine.

 

 

Now, using either an overlocker / surger sewing machine or single-step zigzag stitch, sew up the leg back seams. Again, as per the stockings article for overlocker / surger settings and zigzag stitch technique.

 

 

To finish off the tights, turn down the 2cm waistband hem and three-step zigzag stitch in place. Alternatvely, you could use a length of stretch lace for a waistband but make sure the sewn length of the lace will stretch over your hips when putting on the tights.

A fun design idea - if you split the pattern down the leg CF line you can then cut out the two leg halves out of different patterned or coloured stretch fabrics for some very “jazzy” tights and, of course, you can make the tights “footless” or “stirrupped”.

 

 

 

Control Pants

Another design idea which I may expand on in a future article... if you draft just the top part of the tights (i.e. remove the leg section and then cut out / sew up the garment in a medium to strong powernet - after adjusting the negative ease values) you will have your own pair of “Spanks” or “magic knickers” control pants, because that’s all that they are; the top of a pair of tights knitted on the same circular knitting machines as fully legged tights and pantyhose.

 

 

We will add 5mm seam allowance to the pattern because we always have “flat” seams against the body for shapewear. Please no overlocker / surger sewing, unless you want red lines over your body after wearing the shapewear from the bulky seams! (The amount of supposed “modern” shapewear that is sewn together using an overlocker or surger that I have seen in the shops is disgusting. It’s all because the manufacturers cannot be bothered to get or use the correct sewing machines, so they bang out the foundation garments on the same overlocker or surger machines they use to sew up cheap t-shirts on. That’s Far-East sweatshops for you; profits, profits and more profits...).  

 

 

As powernet does not fray you can simply turn under the leg openings by, say, 1cm and three-step zigzag stitch so you do not have any “bulky, show-through” plush elastic hemming around the legs. The seam sewing for the garment is to firstly straight stitch the seam, then open out and three-step zigzag it flat.

 

 

The length of the “leg” for the garment is up to you...

 

 

...and you could even add some control panelling!

On the pattern, draw in were the control panelling is to go. Remember the rule on control panels from the corselet article? The control panels must run around the body to maintain elastic tension and control. Trace off the panel areas on to fresh paper.

 

 

Mark and cut out the parts, remembering to flip the patterns over for left and right halves. You can use fabric carbon paper to trace the control panel areas on to the body parts (in my example, red carbon paper).

 

 

If you are lining your gusset use straight tack-stitching.

 

 

To sew up, sew the control panels onto the inside of the garment using a three-step zigzag stitch.

 

 

Position the gusset on one half of the panty CF / CB seam between the alignment marks, straight tack-stitch in place, then open out the seam allowance and three-step zigzag flat.

 

 

Then sew the other half of the garment CF / CB seam, straight tack-stitch in place, then open out the seam allowance and three-step zigzag flat.

 

 

Sew up the leg / bottom seams, straight tack stitch in place then open out the seam allowance and three-step zigzag flat.
Finally, turn under the lag hems and three-step zigzag stitch, it helps if you slightly stretch the fabric as you sew. Let the machine “pull” at the fabric. Turn the waist hem and again three-step zigzag stitch.

 

 

There you are, your first “bifurcated” shapewear garment (yes the red carbon paper marks will wash off).

 

 

Now you can use this “tights top” basic pattern block as a starting point to develop more bifurcated shaping garments for the lower body area.

 

 

 

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