Time for a report on the boxerbriefs project.
Truth be told, this may be a project where I have bitten off more I can chew. I’m making a total of 20 pair assembly-line style, which means a lot of repetitive work, and each step takes a long time. Plus, it’s been several months ssince I began this project, and my enthusiasm has defintely evaporated since the project began. But, I don’t like UFO projects and so finish this I will.
I decided recently I wanted to make another batch of boxer briefs, as I had done before. Making underwear is a great way to use up the scraps of knit fabric lying around in your fabric stash, and get a result that fits great and is comfortable. In my case, I had also bought yardage specifically for the project, and I got some knit fabric at swap meets that would be perfect for the project.
But, the project has turned out to be a bit of an albatross. It’s become something of a UFO (un-finished project): I started it this past winter, put it aside because other projects and teaching commitments became a priority, and now I’m not feeling the enthusisam to finish. But, finish it I will because I firmly oppose UFOs.
But first, let’s talk about boxerbrief patterns.
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Making my own boxerbriefs has been on my project backlog for a while. I’ve sewn woven boxer shorts a few times, some very recently, but woven boxers are not my favorites. For me, knit boxerbriefs are definitely more comfortable to wear and they don’t bunch up in close-fitting pants like jeans. Continue reading
The Sips N Sews studio, where I do a lot of my project work, offers several beginner’s sewing classes. One of them is a “pajama shorts” class, otherwise known as boxer shorts.
Jess, the Sips N Sews operations manager, showed me the assembly steps for the pattern used in the class. I had about a yard of spare fabric after completing the Peppermint Stick Shirt, so I made matching boxers.
I have some really wonderful friends in San Francisco, some of them part of the Maker Movement.
Several years ago, I made a simple plush toy (with light-up eyes) at a Maker Faire event with my friends Annie and Rachel. I didn’t finish my toy at the event, but they invited me to bring it to the next SCoW (Sewing and Crafts on Wednesdays) event at Rachel’s warehouse loft.
Knowing nothing at all about sewing at the time, I sat down at a sewing machine and received just enough instruction to close the final seam. All around me, people worked their own personal projects, doing incredible things like recycling fabrics and old clothing into stuff like fashionable kilts, and costumes.
Fast-forward a few years, and now I sew my own clothes as a hobby. And though SCoW is no longer held in that San Francisco warehouse loft every Wednesday, Annie has resurrected it in her home in Oakland, CA on Thursdays. Now it’s called SCoTH, or Sewing and Crafts on Thursdays.
I thought it would be nice to have my own little dedicated project for craft night, so I started one. Several shirts in my closet were starting to wear out around the collars and cuffs. The fabric is pretty sturdy, so the shirts could be recycled into something else.
