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Tshirts by the Pound

A Tale of Custom Underwear: Upitees Meet Vulvodynia

Drea's first ever bespoke undies. She and I discovered that a lot of organic cotton tshirts are chocolate brown... :)

Do you have a pretty predictable fit challenge?  Like you can pretty much count on something usually being too long, too short, too anything?  For my client Drea, there was one fit challenge with underwear in particular that she could absolutely count on (until she met me :)).  Let's actually start at the end, with her delighted testimonial:

I am a very picky customer. Kori worked with me tirelessly and very graciously to create a set of undies that are absolutely perfect for me. They fit me perfectly and are perfectly comfortable. And I do mean PERFECT! I have dealt with the pain of Vulvodynia for many years and up until I found Kori, I had never worn a pair of underwear that did not cause me pain. Those days are over. It’s Kori and her bespoke undies forevermore!

-Drea

Like Drea said, she had never worn a pair of underwear before that did not cause her pain.  Never!  It totally hurts my heart. So, cautiously optimistic, we embarked together on a journey to craft the perfect pair of underwear.

She was excited about mine because the boy-cut's center panel was fully lined to the waist (no uncomfortable ridges where the lining ended in a sensitive area). We talked about fabrics, and I found some soft organic cotton tshirts (best to avoid anything that might have been treated with a harsh or unnatural pesticide). I emailed her photos of some different options, and moved forward with the one she chose. I made a pair with a little higher rise, per her specifications, and sent them her way. 

I waited anxiously. She got back to me after a few wears. They were good, but she needed to cut the lining out, and the elastic bunched uncomfortably around the front part of the legholes. Did I have any ideas? 

Drea bought another pair. This time, no lining, and with extra care paid to how the elastic was put in. Better. But something was still off. And then! (I always have my best ideas while running or in the shower.  Never running in the shower, but one or the other.  :)) I realized we could pre-shrink the elastic and then sew it in so that it didn't bunch around the front half of the leg hole. 

Drea loved the idea, so she bought another pair. And could I cut the waist a little bit lower on these? Of course. And maybe shave off a little bit of the fullness from the buns? Definitely.  And guess what? They were perfect! 

Finally! Eureka! 
Working on so many pairs, Drea and I developed some new prints for the shop, like this bumblebee!

Shortly thereafter, she mailed me back the previous pairs. This week I'm taking them apart to put the elastic back in and take the waist down just a tad. 

And with that, Drea will have a drawerful of undies that fit her perfectly and don't cause her pain. Glorious. This has meant so much more to both Drea and I than than just a few pairs of underwear. 

For her, I know, it's something she's never had. For me it's this incredible opportunity to  be a part of that joy and gratitude. To craft something special for one woman and her specific needs (no lining, higher waist, less curvaceous bottom and all).

I feel honored by her having shared such an intimate part of her life with me. And the more I learn about other fit challenges— wide hips, narrow hips, extreme petiteness, curvy girl-ness, big booty, no booty, front pouch, strong thighs— the more committed I am to providing a super high quality product, and a safe space to explore what works best for a woman's unique and beautiful-in-every-shape body.

I love the process, the relationships, and the opportunity to create underwear as unique and cheeky as the women who wear them. 

For more about what I do and why, check out my malleable manifesto.  :) 

So. If you've ever had a pair (or a drawer full) of undies that haven't fit you the way you would like, I'd love to hear from you. Comment below with a horror (or less horrific) story. Or send an email my way if you're curious about embarking on your own bespoke underwear journey :) 

xoxo

Etsy's Front Page!

Ohmygoodness!  So exciting- a pair of my undies were featured on Etsy Australia's front page on Saturday afternoon! Woot woot!

Can you spot the Upitees?

Holy Mending! (Or is it hole-y?) - Part 1

Dear readers! Week 8 and the Summer Sewing Tutorial Series is wrapping up! Thanks so much for being a part of it! 

I'm looking forward to sharing more about the day to days of business owning and growing and funning and sillying as summer turns to fall, but I'm excited for one last tutorial today (well, part 1 of 2... :)). 

About how to fix the holes that magically (or not so magically) appear in our favorite garments. There are a few different categories of holes that I've recognized (though this list certainly isn't comprehensive):

Button, Button, You've Got the Button

And after this, you'll know how to sew it on! :) 

Dear reader! The warm weather has finally come to Seattle (I know most of the U.S. has been sweltering for weeks, but I cannot tell you how happy I am to have 3 days in a row sunny and 80 degrees. I love the sun waaaay too much to be in the Pacific Northwest. :) How's a girl supposed to photosynthesize? :) 

 

 

Presto Change-o Shopping Bag! - Part 2

Continued from Part 1...On to Step 2!  Bag Bottom Corners Next you're going to fold your bag bottom so that it lays flat like a triangle on one side- see the image below, or check out this video where Zac walks you through it.

• Take a ruler and find the spot on the hypotenuse/longest leg of the triangle (hello 10th grade geometry :)) that is 4.5" long.

Presto Change-o Shopping Bag! Part 1

Before and after! :)

You made it!  Week 6 of our Summer Sewing Tutorial Series- Making our shopping bag!  

We've waited so long to get here, let's just dive in! :) Husbie Zac will be our guinea pig and model again this week. So, without further ado...

Grab your pattern pieces from week 4 when we cut our pattern out. Remember these?

Zac with his cut out pattern pieces! What do yours look like?

You want me to put that thread where?!? Or, threading your sewing machine

Oh man! The weeks march on and now here we are- how to thread your machine! Are you ready? I know you can do it! 

Hooray!  We have just put the bobbin in!  

Whoa. How does my sewing machine do that?

This sewing machine served me for nearly 30 years! (and my mom for 10+ years before I was even around :))

Hello hello!  How do you feel?  We've done a lot in the last few weeks- learned about what the marks on home sewing patterns mean, picked up some fabric basics including the ever illusive grainline, and just last week cut out pattern pieces for a supercute upcycled shopping bag with my husbie Zac. 

[Free Download] And, cut (your pattern out)!

A supersweet upcycled shopping bag!