Megan Nielsen Acacia Undies

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all well! 

Here in the state of Georgia Governor Kemp has initiated the process to move out of our homes and restart the economy.  As for me and my family, we have kept things much of the same for now.  I am still doing weekly grocery runs, schooling my kids via online, and keeping a low profile.  Thankfully, my husband is still able to work from home, and I do get some blocks of free time to sew.  So, we are hanging in there day by day.  I have even started my own personal "to do" list for things around the house that I never really get to.  I have effectively organized two closets, our laundry room, and a couple of drawers.  More Spring cleaning still needs to happen, but I am glad that I can take my time and do this at a slower pace.  Hopefully when Corona is a distant memory, I will have a tidy home with a complete Spring and Summer wardrobe too!

Today I am here to talk about a pattern I recently tried.  A couple of years ago I downloaded the Megan Nielsen Acacia Undies as a result of signing up with her newsletter.  I never used it, but had it available for the day I would.  Recently, while watching Whitney on TomKat Stitchery, she did a video on this very pattern.  In it she gave a tutorial for three types of finishing for the undergarments.  As soon as I saw the knit bands I knew I was IN.  I have LOADS of scraps from past projects, and I was curious  about whether I could achieve a proper fit with extra junk in the trunk.

This pattern did NOT disappoint!!!

The size Medium was perfect for me! I made the first pair without any modifications, and they still fit better than my own underwear.  For the rest of the undergarments I increased the sides of the back leg opening in order to add a little more butt room.  I now have a pair of undies that fits better than any I have ever bought! Probably the best perk is that this pattern requires very little fabric yardage to make.  My size required 11 inches for the front and back pieces. If you decide to create the knit band, you will require a bit more.

Pattern Specs:

• Low-rise bikini cut with a beautifully enclosed gusset on the inside.
• FREE when you join the Megan Nielsen newsletter
• Only 8 PDF pages to print
• Use elastic, lingerie elastic, foldover elastic, or knit bands (via TomKat Stitchery)
• Fabric Used: Double Brushed Poly, Cotton Spandex, Cotton/Rayon Knit, ITY, French Terry 
• *I really like the way the ones with DBP came out, and I was surprised that the French Terry and Cotton/Rayon Knit lay beautifully once finished.

Spoiler Alert! If you choose knit bands, you create your own for the waist and leg openings.  This is not included in the pattern, but are recommended specs by Tomkat Stitchery (unless you draft your own). The waistband she uses is 85% of your waist measurement x 2.5 inches.  

The leg openings are 85% of the leg opening circumference x 1 inch.  I used 1.25 inches because I found 1 inch to be a tight fit. Please refer to the video tutorial for more info and tips on elastic.  

For future versions, I will continue to use knit bands, however, some lacy or picot-edged ones are in the plans too!  I am so glad I finally printed out this pattern and gave it a go! It is stellar, and will be used for resourceful scrapbusting!

Stay sew filled!