MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along!

Hold on to your hats, friends, and don't catch a chill -- it's time for another sew-along!

Everybody loves boxer shorts and they're not hard to make.  In fact, boxers are an excellent beginner-level sewing project for someone just starting out.  Are you a beginner or do you know someone who is?  Sew along with us this October!

The MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along will begin on Monday, October 3 and will run for approximately two weeks.     

If you're unable to join us at that time, no worries: the posts will remain accessible on the blog.

For this sew-along, I invite you to use any men's boxers pattern you wish; they're generally very similar to each other, and I'll be using a few different ones to point out various design elements and methods of construction.  We'll even discuss how to draft your own boxers pattern!

Here are a few commercial patterns I found for sale online.  I recommend looking on Etsy, eBay, and Amazon, and you can also do a Google Shopping search.  (Sometimes a search under "men's boxers sewing pattern" will yield different results than "boxer shorts sewing pattern."  You can also try "men's underwear sewing.")   Boxer shorts patterns can also be found new on sites like Pattern Review and Fabric.com.

Patterns from the Sixties and earlier were usually sized for a specific waist measurement (usually within two inches, e.g., 28-30).  More modern patterns tend to include S-M-L-XL and you cut the size you need.

Kwik Sew 1672 is an easy-to-find pattern (Pattern Review sells it) and Kwik Sew instructions are excellent.

McCalls 8934 dates from 1997 and is no longer in print, but it's not hard to find online.  I found a few for sale on Etsy.

Simplicity 9958 is in print and can also be purchased on Pattern Review, among other places.

You can also pick up a vintage boxers pattern if you choose.  They may require a little more pattern tweaking, but usually not much. (Towel and razor not included.)   NOTE: The French boxer style with front-button yoke will not be the focus of this sew along, though I welcome more intrepid sewers to give it a try for an extra challenge.

 

Boxer shorts generally require no more than two yards of fabric (cotton shirting or cotton flannel are ideal choices) and roughly one yard of elastic for the waistband.  We'll be talking more about boxer shorts sewing supplies in the days ahead.

As in the past, I have created a Flickr group for participants to join.  You can join here (if you're already a member of Flickr) or by emailing me at peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com.

Friends, please remember that boxers also make an ideal holiday gift for that certain someone.

Could you or someone you know use some fresh underwear?

I hope you'll be joining us!