Browsing Tag

fold over elastic

Valentine’s Sew Along: Finishing the Waistline with Elastic

Tutorial, Valentine's Day Sew Along, Videos January 25, 2017

Sorry it’s taken me a bit to post this next quick and easy step. I’ve been overloaded with Valentine’s orders! But here I am with the last step of the panties. After this, we will start on the bra.

This part is easy. We’re just going to finish the waist edge with fold over elastic. I’d recommend just trying them one one last time to make sure the fit is exactly how you want them.

The elastic here should not gather or pull in the waist line too much. It should just create a nice snug edge. The panties themselves are fitted, so the elastic edging just creates that extra bit of stability around the top.

Starting from the inside of the garment, find the approximate side-point of the waistline. This is where we will start applying the elastic. Use a zig-zag stitch to “baste” it on. The foldine of the elastic should run alongside the raw edge of the waist. I have a super easy way of joining my elastic into a continuous loop, which you can read about HERE. I don’t like to sew it into a loop first, then apply – I prefer to fold the raw edge under and cover it with a tight row of zig-zag stitches. This is just a personal preference! No one way is better than the other.

Once the elastic is “basted” on, trim back any excess fabric that extends beyond the stitching line. Fold the elastic along the fold line, so that the elastic is essentially binding the waist edge, and top stitch in place using a zig-zag stitch.

For detailed step-by-step instructions, please checkout this how-to video. Otherwise, there are lots of details in the pattern instructions!

How I join my fold over elastic

Tutorial May 19, 2016
This is something I’ve been wanting to post for a while! This is how I sew my FOE into a continuous loop. I’ve posted a video on my YouTube channel, but I know it can be hard to see exactly what I am doing… so, I hope this is helpful!
First, I cut the end of my elastic so that it overlaps my start-point by about 1/2″ (keeping the same amount of tension on the elastic as you have done over the rest of your opening). I fold the raw end under by about 1/4″.

 

 

Stitch right to the edge of the fold and lower your needle into the elastic. Raise the foot and pivot your garment so that the you can now zig-zag stitch over your folded edge, creating a nicely finished join. Backtack at the end of your stitching.

After that, just trim back any excess elastic on the wrong side and away you go! This area tends to get bulky so you may need to help it through your machine a little – I know my machine sometimes gets a little caught up on the bump that the join creates.
I hope this is helpful! Pretty much all of my patterns use Fold Over Elastic for edging. I like to use it because it comes in a million different colours, so it’s easy to match with almost any fabric, but it can be tricky to finish.
Happy Sewing!