Merckwaerdigh Belly Thong

The Belly Thong by Merckwaerdigh was a really fun and fast project. In fact, it allowed me to use up scraps of lace and nylon-lycra to create a new thing of beauty. 

I departed from my normal sketching poses based on how the piece made me feel when I put it on and glanced at myself in profile in front of a mirror. More on that shortly.

In order to achieve my size, I graded up 2 sizes following the grading on the Merckwaerdigh pattern. 

It sat on my cutting table while I worked my way through several Bootstrap patterns. I dug into it this past weekend just to make sure I didn't accidentally cut the beautiful lace while cutting out another project. Stacks and stacks of projects!

It was really lovely watching the swirl of the lace evolve as the pattern was sewn together.  I felt like I was watching a roller coaster. Margreet van Dam has really done a stellar job designing lingerie to flatter the female form.

The lace is so thin, I was a little nervous my sewing machine would eat it for lunch, but alas, triple stitch zig zag at 1/4" using a walking foot was grand. Then, I top-stitched the seam to ensure it doesn't flap, twist, or generally irk me when being worn. Doesn't that bother you when you have to fuss with something like underwear? Ooo that's embarrassing. 

Aren't pink & black scrumptious together?  More top-stitching to ensure the seams don't pop. Yeah, no one wants their thong to pop off while wearing. "Uh, excuse me miss, I think something just fell out of the leg of your pants." Hello Miranda moment. 

A bit of elastic is added to help keep the lace in place when worn. Otherwise, have you ever had lace roll down your body? Maybe you've had it with panty hose... no? Not fun. 

To keep the scallops in place at the back attachment, triple stitch zig zag was again employed. That stitch is stellar.

You may also notice the upper back piece is a wee bit wrinkled. That's because I had to cut the piece about 2" too short due to lack of fabric. That's the only way I could get it out of the fabric and have scallops.  On the body - it smooths out and looks great!

Now, I'm normally not a thong girl.

Interlude: I'm feeling the "Thong Song" coming on... "thighs like what, what, what... all night long... lemme sing it again..."  No let's not and say we did.  

Really, thongs are not my thing. Typically uncomfortable and irritating. I prefer all my garments, from the base up, to be comfortable as though they are not even on. This, piece really surprised me. Really!  

Now for why my sketch is in profile. When I tried the thong on - basically ripped off all my clothes and raced to my mirror - and caught a view of myself in profile, I was stunned. 

I did not see cellulite.
I did not see stretch marks.
I did not see flabby body parts.
I did not see imperfections.
I did not see thighs too big.

I saw a beautiful woman, totally flattered, looking very much like the pattern envelope.
I saw a curvy, vivacious female figure brought to life through the magic of lace and pink nylon-lycra. 
I saw beyond the surface, yet I saw only the surface. 

Margreet, thank you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I am grateful for all the hours you have spent fiddling with, fitting, adjusting, designing, drafting, cutting, sewing, and testing your patterns. Thank you, for being brave enough to be yourself and publish your patterns. Thank you for taking the time to create PDF patterns. Thank you for sharing of yourself with the sewing world. You gave me a priceless gift today. 

All that, in this package which is not much bigger than a pair of scissors and uses probably 1 yard of lace and 1/8 yard of left over nylon-lycra scraps. Pretty amazing.