As soon as I saw the first pictures of the It’s not me, it’s you collection from The Lingerie Formula, I was thrilled. I do not remember how long I stalked the website until I hit the “buy” button. But finally, I did. And here is my finished collection.
The collection consists of 4 pantie patterns, the G-String panty, the Brazilian cut panty, the Bikini cut panty, and the Thong cut panty. Each back and front are interchangeable between each of the styles. All views can also be bought as a single pattern. Here are the 4 different front views:
And here are the back views:
General Comments
I tried to keep the choice and combination of fabric and lace as close to the pattern images as possible, just because. As I did not have suitable black lace in my stash, I did need to order some. The supply list of the pattern gives only one length of fabric, I assume for the biggest size, and not for every size separately. As I fell in the second smallest size, I ended up with way too much lace.
The sizing was quite good. According to my measurements, I am size “beautiful”, and all panties fit very well in that size.
The leg opening is cut very high, higher than I am used to. I will see how I will like this.
The crotch is narrower than I would like it to be. This is something I will definitively alter if making these panties again. In none of the patterns, the crotch back seam is enclosed between the fabric layers. I think this would be possible and is in my opinion a much neater look.
As all panties consist of rather a lot of pattern pieces, they are not a quick sew. You should take your time, but I think the end result is worth it.
The instructions are ok. The format is a bit different than what I am used to and sometimes I was a bit confused.
Bikini cut
This was the first one I made.
Not much to say about this one. The only issue I have is that the back lace wings are not laying flat against the skin. Maybe I need to shorten the outer edge a bit next time.
Brazilian cut
Second in the row was the Brazilian cut.
I do not remember having any issues with this one. This was a rather quick sew (compared to the other styles).
Thong cut
The Thong cut is a cute style with a strappy detail. The folding of the elastic through the ring and making sure that the side wings are at the right angle is a bit fiddly. Before adding the side wings I secured the front fold-over elastics with a zig-zag. The instructions tell you to pin them in place only, but I found this made too much bulk while trying to place the side wings properly.
In the overall instruction file, two rings are mentioned in the supply list, whereas in the instructions for the thong no ring at all is mentioned. One ring is needed for this style.
G-String
This is the one that I do have the most issues with. Somehow the waist opening is very tight and I am barely able to pull the panties over my hips. I guess the nearly horizontal seams on both front and back pieces got too rigid (despite using a zig-zag in combination with my serger). In the pdf pages 30 and 31 are interchanged, so be aware of that. It took me a moment to realize this and I wondered how I was supposed to attach the G-string before the back was completed.
This is not a style I would usually wear, so I think I won’t use the back view at all again, and probably also not the front view.
Material used
All lace is from Wien2002, mesh fabric is from The Fabric Sales. All other fabrics and elastics were from my stash. With all those delicate lace and mesh, sewing was quite challenging. I sometimes used tissue paper that I laid under my pieces so that the fabric was not pulled into the sewing machine. This worked really well. Especially when you have the feeling you are just sewing holes together. With these lightweight fabrics, you really can forget that you are wearing underwear at all. Perfect for the summer.
