Lingerie Friday: The Rosy Ladyshorts Pattern

I’m so excited I’m beside myself. My first lingerie pattern!

Get the Pattern

The Rosy Ladyshorts pattern–free to download here.

I really loved making this pattern and I foresee more in the future! But phew, even for a small pattern, there is so much work that goes into it from start to finish and I have loads of respect for those who make downloadable patterns and tutorials.

Underwear is a really fun and easy way to gain a bit of experience sewing lingerie and its sometimes delicate fabrics. I really wanted this, my first pattern, to be a beginner-friendly type of project, something to dive into to gain some confidence working with little seams, lace, elastic, etc. You could make about five of these in an afternoon!

The pattern only has text instructions but if you’ve made underwear or swimwear before, it’s fairly self-explanatory. I thought about a sew-along but I think it might be easier if I post a couple tutorials in the next week or so, with tips on fabrics and pattern adjustments, as well as a step-by-step of making these.

Sizing

For today, let’s talk the very basics! First, I wanted to make this pattern as easy as possible to fit, so there are 8 sizes. I think that allows for more refined fitting than the usual 4-sizes-fits-all undies. For this pattern, you pick a size based on your hip. I’m right in between two sizes so I went with the smaller of the two sizes but I could probably just as easily go with the larger if I wanted a slightly looser fit.

Materials

To make these, you need:

  • 1 yard/meter lightweight stretch lace fabric (45-60″ wide)
  • 1″ (1.25cm) elastic lace trim
  • little piece of light cotton knit for the liner

I originally designed the pattern around lightweight stretch lace that stretches from 60-70% comfortably. But there are tons of possibilities for fabrics–rayon or cotton jersey, stretch mesh, or lingerie lycra. Really, whatever feels comfy! The main thing is that your fabric needs to be able to stretch 60% without making it taut. That eliminates most woven fabrics so I would definitely go with lace, jersey or mesh. If you know a lace or knit has spandex/lycra, chances are it’ll have a good enough stretch. But since all fabrics behave a little differently, test! Stretch lace is very open, soft and loose and so even when it stretches as much as a jersey it often doesn’t feel as tight–this is why I like the lace boyshorts so much! I’ll share in another post how to make some educated adjustments for different stretch fabrics.

That’s it for today, short and sweet! Let me know if you have any questions about fabrics, pattern printing, whatever!

24 comments

  1. Maddie says:

    You’re absolutely amazing! You did a stupendous job creating the pattern. I downloaded it and everything looks on point. That doesn’t surprise me though

    • Amy says:

      Thanks, Maddie! That’s so good to hear from you. I would definitely appreciate your critical eye–seriously!

  2. Andrea says:

    Congratulations on your first pattern!
    The Ladyshorts are the cut I love, so I look forward to making them. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

  3. Sallie says:

    Thank you SO MUCH Amy!!! I’m so excited to try this!! I love love LOVE this pattern – it looks like my favorite pair of undies! I’ll have to make an extra special trip into town this weekend to see if I can dig up some appropriate fabric and notions! Thanks again for all your hard work getting this together!

  4. joelle says:

    oh! these are wonderful!!! I just had a look at the pattern and it looks amazing, with all that information about the stretch fabric. THANK YOU!!! i cannot wait to try these! i have been ehhh trying to make lingerie, and so far no great succes with bras, mostly due to sizing. but these ladyshort… they look so comfy and sexy at the same time, whats not to love? and they have to be easier than bras, right?

  5. Heather Lou says:

    I. CANNOT. WAIT. TO. SINK. MY. TEETH. INTO. THESE. PANTIES. Wait, that sounded way more lewd than I intended, ha ha. Thank you so much for making these! As soon as this damn Halloween costume is done and I can go get some stretch lace I am going to be all over these! And then in them! They look like they’re gonna fit amazing. I’m definitely curious about trying a pair in a stretch cotton also….

  6. Amanda says:

    I am SO excited to try these!!! Just gotta get out and get some elastic and I think I have everything else I need…. you are awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us all!!

  7. Charlene says:

    I has a kwesh’tun:
    So, I have a fairly… um, perky derriere, and generally have trouble getting boy shorts to fit me without riding up. But I love the look of them. So I’ve often thought of making them myself and adding a bit more length to the back pattern piece! But then if I do that, will I throw the whole thing outta whack?

    • Amy says:

      Hi Charlene, I’m glad you like the pattern. Let’s see if I can help! The only way to know is to make up a quick pair to see if you like the cut. There are many cuts of underwear, even among boyshorts. If you like full bottom coverage, then these will probably not be the kind you are looking for. The Ladyshorts pattern is cut to show a little “cheek”. (Check out this cool graphic to see what I mean–the pattern is cut somewhere between “hint of cheek” and “1/4 cheek”.)

      However, if you mean “riding up” as in bunching in between the cheeks, then you could try a size down. Probably a bit more tension will help them not do that. You could try pulling the leg line downward but do it in little amounts–too much downward in front and you will end up cutting into your leg tendon and get some bunching in front crotch. Another way to pull them down is to shorten the crotch extension (and the crotch liner). If you want full bottom boyshorts, the pattern usually looks a little more like really short leggings and are drafted a little differently. I hope this helps!

      • Sip says:

        Yeah I have a boom going on back there mine fit more like the 3/4 of a cheek lol I prefer hint or 1/4 I cut a 12 how much do suggest I add to the back? I’m sure I would need to grade out and in. The front n back rise are perfect! Btw I have this issue with pants too

  8. Cheryl says:

    Thank you so much for your pattern. I can’t even begin to comprehend all the intricate ins and outs of design but I very much appreciate your sharing. Now all I have to do is figure out how to open it. I’m getting this pattern to sew for my daughter. She has such a cute shape so this should be fun. I wish I could make some for myself, but that is definitely not in the cards. After having so many procedures for bladder cancer over the last 30 years, I’m afraid I’m stuck with diapers, and I just know that they would detract from the whole idea of sexy lingerie. lol. Well, now I get to go look for some fabric. What fun I’m going to be having. Thank you again for the pattern. I’m looking forward to hearing from you in your newsletter.

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