We’re going inside men’s underwear to have a look at the inner support we have built into the Men’s Underwear pattern from Pin-up Girls. Along the way, we’ll go through the construction steps one-by-one. It is easier than you think to make the man in your life comfortable, supportive underwear. Supportive, you say? Yes, each view in the pattern has an optional sling inside. This sling keeps the body parts separated to prevent rubbing and chafing. Our customers tell us it is this feature that elevates our pattern from the others on the market.
Layout and Cutting
Choose which style you want – either the European style Lillebror or the traditional look of Michael. In our example today, we’re sewing Michael. Trace your pattern carefully. There are 4 pieces to each pattern. If you do not want the sling, please cut two of the front panel and none of the sling. Baste the two layers of the front panel together and treat as one during the construction, ignoring the sling.
Check the fabric before laying out for cutting. Check which direction has the greatest amount of stretch. We call the Direction Of Greatest Stretch by its acronym, DoGS. Mark the direction with a wash-out marker on the fabric. The DoGS of the fabric should run around the body for ease of movement. Here is the layout IF the fabric has the DoGS running across from selvedge to selvedge. Cut the back on the fold of the fabric.
However, the fabric I chose actually has the DoGS running up and down along the selvedge. Therefore, we need to arrange our fabric a bit. Don’t worry – they will all fit!
The Sling Inside Men’s Underwear
Serge the inside edges of the sling (if using) as shown in the drawing. (Sorry, I forgot to take the picture of just the serged edges!) If you do not have a serger, you can zig-zag the edge of the sling or overcast the edge.
Pin and stitch the sling to the front section, matching notches M-1 and M-2. Stitch all around as shown, but do not serge the seam yet. Since the fabric is sheer, you can see the serged edges through the panel.
Pin and stitch the side front piece to the front/sling unit, matching the notches M-1 and M-2 You now have three layers sewn together along the curved seam. Now you can serge this seam. That’s how easy it is to add the support piece inside men’s underwear!
Putting the Underwear together
It’s easy to finish the sewing! Sew and serge the curved seam at the back, matching notches M-3 and M-4 on the back piece with M-3 and M-4 on the side front piece.
Next, stitch and serge the inseam from one hem edge to the other, matching the notch on the back to the seamline of the front panel.
Legs and Waist
We hemmed the legs by turning up the bottom edge 3/4” (18 mm) and stitched with a small zig-zag stitch. However, you could also use a three-step zig-zag, a cover stitch (done with a cover stitch machine, not a serger) or stitched with a twin needle (size 2.5/75 Stretch twin)
For the waistband, cut a piece of wide waist elastic 4” (10 cm) smaller than the actual waist measurement). Sew the ends of the elastic together with a straight stitch. Open the seam and zig-zag across to keep the ends from fraying.
Fold the men’s underwear to mark the CF and the centre back and mark it with pins. Fold from the CF to the CB in half and pin again. Each pin represents one-quarter of the waist measurement. Quarter the elastic for the waist in the same manner and pin the elastic to the outside of the underwear fabric at each pin, overlapping the elastic over the fabric by 1/4” (6 mm). Use a three-step zig-zag stitch to sew the elastic to the right side of the fabric stretching the elastic slightly as you sew to keep the fabric flat.
Here’s the finished underwear. We made them sheer so you could see what’s going on inside.The sling supports the scrotum. men tell us they love the support factor, especially when running.
Of course, you don’t have to make the men’s underwear out of sheer fabric! Here’s a pair made of a fun (admittedly garish!) print. Wouldn’t the man in your life love a pair of these flashy party pants? lol
We hope you have enjoyed this peek inside Men’s Underwear. As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.
Beverly
Would I be able to use this to make a ladies version(just delete the sling section) I love to wear boy shorts that are shaped like this so that they do not ride up my cheeks and the only company that is making something like this is Hanes, but, sadly, I can not find them in any stores in Canada and so would love to jump in and make my own underwear…Thoughts anyone?
No reason why you couldn’t! Go for it and let us know how you make out!
Wow! Your images are very informative. Everything is very clear and open. Your post is extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing!
I feel like I’m late to the party…but finished my first pair of Michael underwear yesterday & am proud to say my husband (a committed white brief guy) is sporting his new fashion statement today. With just a waist measurement, this pattern was easy to sew, fits perfectly, & looks terrific.
I’m making the Lillebror as a swimsuit. Should I line the front panel, line the whole thing, or use no lining at all. If I line the whole thing, would the sling also get doubled? The swim fabric is a print with 80% Nylon 20% Spandex 4 way stretch. I don’t have any swim lining but I do have another plain swim fabric with the same characteristics I could use as a lining.
I would line the front panel but not the sling. And I would use something solid colour as opposed to a print for the lining and the sling. I applaud your use of this pattern for a swimsuit. Please share photos of it on our Facebook page or Instagram page!
Great option to make the back part pop-up thanks for your help!
I bought this pattern last summer and my husband, a committed boxers wearer, loves them. It is a terrific pattern.
What is the fabric you have used here? What do you suggest from Bra Makers Supply as a light weight option for this pattern?
Thanks so much, I am so enjoying this blog!
The sheer is called matte glissonette, but we only used that so you could see the sling inside. For real life, the men seem to love the Bamboo, or Venice for really lightweight underwear, or the Active Cotton, Cotton Spandex for the colder months
My DS2 only wants the big bucks brand name one from now on. I’m making him a pair for Christmas for a comparison. Hmm, I might have to make my hubby a pair too.
Well thank you for the sneak peek inside men’s undies Beverly!! I can see these would be very comfortable for the man in my life – I’d never thought much about ‘support’ before, but consider myself fully informed now!!