- Cutting tool like scissors or rotary cutter
- Loop turner
- Pins or sewing clips
- Overlock machine OR zig-zag stitch on a regular sewing machine
These instructions are for both View A and View B. The directions are the same, but the difference will be the number of straps and where they go.
First you will need to decide which view you will make, and cut the appropriate pieces. For View A you'll cut Piece 1 & 2, and for View B you'll use Piece 3 & 4.
Cut 2 in each of your pattern pieces, regardless of which view you're making.
If you'd like yours to be made reversible, pick out two different fabrics and cut one in each pattern piece in each fabric
At this step you'll also be cutting your straps. Inside the pattern there are exact measurements and a cut list for how many straps you'll need to cut, depending on which view you're making.
Now we have all our pieces and all of our straps, and we’re first going to sew things up and attach our elastic
For the straps you’re going to treat them all the same and fold them in half lengthwise, and sew and attach elastic to the raw edges.
For the front and back pieces, match them with right sides together and sew and attach elastic to each of the following areas
You will use either an overlock stitch or a zig zag stitch for this, attaching elastic at this step. For more information on how to sew elastic, click here.
Take out the loop turner or safety pin and and turn every strap to the right side.
Bring your back piece back into the picture and we’re next going to insert in our straps.
First, separate the straps out into groups to stay organized. For both views, the side straps are the shorter ones and the top straps are the longer ones.
The shorter straps will go into the sides, then the two longer ones will come out the top.
Once you know where everything is going you can start inserting the straps into their appropriate areas. Your back piece should still be inside out for this!
Here you really can get creative with how you want the straps to be placed. You can even do things like add more straps or make thinner ones or braid them or something cute like that, but if you plan on doing that just be aware you might need to tweak the given strap lengths in the pattern
Use as many pins or clips as you need, and don’t be afraid to break this up and just focus on one strap at a time. You can also pre-mark where you want your straps to go if that’s helpful. And another tip is instead of using pins or clips you can work one at a time and sew a tacking stitch to get each of your straps into place. Overall this is tricky to do so break up the process as much as you need to!
Once you’re happy with where your straps are going, switch on over to the sewing machine and sew every strap down. Use a straight stitch for this, because later we’ll go back and be able to trim the excess. This is going to make our sides come out a lot cleaner and help us avoid any of the bulkiness that can happen if you don’t trim up the side seams. Just make sure you’re using a straight stitch you trust, because these straps will have plenty of tension pulling on them.
Once your straps are securely all sewn in, you can take your scissors and trim the excess.
Then, take the entire back piece to the right side, double check to make sure you like where your straps are placed, and then you can sew the gusset closed with another basting stitch. This is going to help us in the next step when we attach the front and back together.
Now insert the back piece inside of the front piece, and at the same time align each of the straps where they need to go, and also align the gussets. Before you start, make sure right sides are together
This can be really tricky, so take your time but also don’t be afraid to use pins or clips to help you keep everything in order
Pin or clip, and then again we’re going to use a straight stitch and sew in the sides once more and this time we’re going to sew across the gusset too
Once you’re done, make sure to trim the excess again/
Then, take your seam ripper and rip about a 1-2” hole somewhere along an existing seam. Through this hole take everything to the right side, and the final step is finishing off that hole either by top stitching it or using an invisible stitch by hand
That completes the Presley Bottoms!
