Why is elastic so important in lingerie?
Elastic is an essential part of lingerie. It ensures that your lingerie fits snugly to the body, sits comfortably, and provides enough support. The right choice of elastic influences the fit, stretch, and durability of your lingerie. But which elastic do you choose for which type of lingerie? In this guide, we’ll go through the five most commonly used elastics and explain how to make the best choice.
The 5 most commonly used types of elastic in lingerie
1. Shoulder Strap Elastic
✔ Properties: sturdy, wide, and provides good support.
✔ Use: to create shoulder straps for bras, bralettes, and tops.
✔ Tips: Choose an elastic with a soft finish on the inside to prevent skin irritation. Also, avoid making it too narrow so it won’t dig into your skin. For smaller cup sizes, 1 to 1.5 cm is ideal, and for larger cup sizes, 1.5 to 2.5 cm.
2. Picot Elastic
✔ Properties: elastic with squared-off or blocked edges.
✔ Use: ideal for finishing the edges of panties and bras.
✔ Tips: This elastic offers a simple, neat finish. It’s perfect if you don’t like a lot of frills on your lingerie. For the lower edge of a bra, you can use slightly wider picot elastic—around 1.5 cm—for more support.
3. Scalloped Elastic
✔ Properties: elastic with a wavy or scalloped edge.
✔ Use: like picot elastic, this is ideal for finishing the edges of panties and bras.
✔ Tips: This elastic gives a refined, romantic finish. For panties, you can use scalloped elastic around the waistline and leg openings in widths of about 0.8 to 1 cm.
4. Fold-Over Elastic
✔ Properties: thin and flat elastic that is folded in half and stitched.
✔ Use: perfect for a sleek finish on the edges of your lingerie.
✔ Tips: Pay attention to its stretch—some fold-over elastics are firmer than others, which affects how tight your lingerie will fit. Also check the width: when opened, the elastic is twice as wide as when finished. For example, a 2 cm fold-over elastic will end up as a 1 cm finished edge.
5. Lingerie Elastic
✔ Properties: very narrow (ranging from 0.3 to 1 cm) with straight edges.
✔ Use: commonly placed behind a scalloped or decorative edge at the neckline of bra cups.
✔ Tips: The narrow version of this elastic is typically placed behind lace or a decorative edge to help it lie flat. Wider versions can be used in much the same way as picot or scalloped elastic, but they’ll provide a sleeker, less decorative style.
How to choose the right elastic?
The choice of elastic depends on several factors:
Stretch: How much stretch do you need?
Thickness: Thinner elastic looks more subtle, while thicker elastic provides more support.
Finish: Some elastics have a soft underside for extra comfort.
Always consider the type of lingerie you’re making and how you want it to feel against your skin. The right choice of elastic can make the difference between lingerie that’s comfortable and lingerie that isn’t.
Want to learn more about sewing elastic?
Check out our online course Basic Lingerie Sewing Techniques, where we teach you all about properly sewing elastic—and more!
👉 Click here to explore the course (in Dutch)
Do you have any questions or comments about elastic? Let us know in the comments! 💬
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