Lookie! Undies!

I bought myself a batch of PowerDry from Ressy's Coop a few weeks back, and was looking forward to trying it.

This is the first ever pair of underwear I've ever made. I normally would not have bothered, save that I badly needed some good non-soggy underwear to wear under my shorts while in the kayak.

I spend whole days sitting and paddling in my kayak. It's sweaty, hot, wet, and I do not like my butt to marinate all day in salty water, which it does if I wear cotton "Jockey For Her" brand. And if I wear polyester instead...well, that's like a bathing suit. Yuk. OK for a few hours, if you can dry off between dips in the ocean or pool....but NOT ok to sit in all day, wet. At least, as far as I am concerned.

I have tried countless brands of wicking 'sport' underwear, and find that despite assurances in the fitting room of all the best sporting goods stores, every type of 'sport' wicking underwear I have ever bought rides up my butt creating a wedgie. I even went into one of those higher end stores that sells $50 and up underwear... the clerk told me that I need a fuller cut bottom. (Get this...my butt cheeks do not protrude a lot, so I need MORE fabric, because my butt does not hold down the undewear.) AND... she told me most women don't mind the slight 'wedgie' (and I believe her....I've tried thongs, for cryin' out loud...). But none of the the sport undies I have found have a fuller cut bottom.

Mission - make PowerDry underwear to wear kayaking that do NOT ride up.

I used the book"The Stretch and Sew Guide to Sewing on Knits", by Ann Person, 1994, which comes with ancillary patterns. A whole bunch of patterns. Slips, exercise wear, pants, and the like. If you ignore the 'late 1980s' look of the clothes, this is really a great book. Anyway, I used the 'panty' pattern. Which is the same pattern used for the bathing suit bottom. I cut the legs nice and low, and took 1 1/2 inch off the top of the pants (at waistline). Otherwise, I'd have had panty above my bellybutton! (I'm short waisted.)

I used elastic purchased from "Kathy's Lace and Elastic Outlet"; she sells on ebay. I used an 'exposed' elastic application, so that the elastic would show on the outside when wearing, but not touch my skin. I applied the elastic 'flat' this way: Sew crotch pieces to front and back. Then apply leg elastics. Then sew one outer leg seam closed. Then apply waistband elastic. Then sew the last leg seam closed. That's it! Super simple.

And I won't suffer a wedgie when I kayak.