Martha West, one of our seasoned instructors, gives a shout-out about “Whisper Boyshorts” by Sinclair Patterns.
“I’ve had a few students ask me if I would teach a boyshort class, but I never found a pattern I liked until now. A few months ago, Sinclair Patterns released the Whisper Boyshort pattern, and it is a winner!
It’s a pattern with so many options: Low/Medium/High rise and leg lengths of briefs, 3”, 5”, and 7.5”. It also allows many finishing options such as bands, elastic lace, or picot elastic at the waist and/or legs. This pattern is true to size, and it comes in a huge size range from 34” -63” hip.
As far as styling options, I’ve mostly made the brief version and 5” leg. The briefs are great for everyday wear. These have become popular in my family as sleep shorts! I’ve made several pairs for my sister and myself with the 5” leg as sleep shorts– both of us are sleep short fans, and our Whispers have become our faves.
I sew mine completely on my regular sewing machine using a narrow zigzag stitch. You can use a serger if you prefer. Personally, I find serged seams a bit scratchy, so I prefer using a regular machine.
This pattern is designed for fabrics with a 4-way stretch. This means the fabric must stretch on both the straight grain and the cross grain. Look for fabrics with spandex, such as cotton/spandex or rayon/bamboo with spandex. (NOTE: I have made these with 2-way stretch 100% cotton fabric, but I sized up two sizes).
The pattern comes with the layers feature, which I highly recommend. You can print out the size (or sizes) corresponding to your measurements. I started by printing all sizes, and it’s pretty much impossible to distinguish between all the overlapping lines. But, with layers printing, you only have a couple of sizes on one pattern piece, and it is all very clear and accurate.
Lastly, the instructions that come with the pattern are VERY thorough! There’s even a lot of good information about how to alter the pattern to fit your particular shape.
I’ve added this pattern as an option for the “Sew Your Own Underwear” class we offer at The Sewing Hive. Register for private or semi-private with your friends! We’ll set up a date and time that works for you and the instructor.