Uma: FreeSewing's Uma Undies
Designer Notes
This design is inspired by an earlier design (Ursula) which was created by my friend Natalia.
In the run-up to the v3 release, we discussed the migration of the various designs, and it became clear that for reasons (gestures vaguely towards people on the internet being rather unappreciative) the original designer was reluctant to continue maintaining their design.
Since it’s a rather nice design not to mention a popular one, we agreed that I would reincarnate the pattern. While at it, I also made some changes that people had been asking for, such as the bulge option to make it gender-neutral.
Long story short:
- Everything that is great about this design is thanks to Natalia.
- Everything that sucks about this design is on me.
joost
What You Need
To make Uma, you will need the following:
- Basic sewing supplies
- About 0.7 meters (0.8 yards) of a suitable fabric (see Fabric options)
- About 3 meters (3.3 yards) of underwear elastic, such as picot elastic or fold over elastic
Binding methods may affect the seam allowance
If using fold over elastic (FOE) or doing knit binding, you may wish to trim away the seam allowance at the legs and waist before cutting. If you keep the seam allowance, the finished product will have a slightly higher waist and slightly smaller leg openings.
A serger/overlock is nice, but optional
As with all knitwear and stretch fabrics, a serger/overlock will make your life easier. If you do not have one of those, don’t despair. You don’t really need it. You can just sew Uma with a zigzag stitch.
Fabric Options
You need a fabric with plenty of horizontal and vertical stretch (sometimes called “four-way stretch”) for this pattern. Preferably something that is comfortable, soft, and breathable.
Recommended fabrics include stretch jerseys, stretch mesh, stretch knits, or most fabrics with at least 5% spandex. For example, modal (rayon) jersey with spandex.
Cutting Instructions
Uma typically consists of a front, a back, and a lined gusset. In that constellation, this is the cut list:
- Main fabric
- Part 1: Cut 1 front
- Part 2: Cut 1 back
- Part 3: Cut 2 gusset
However, if you enable the Bulge option, the front and gusset will become 1 part. In this case, the cutlist looks like this:
- Main fabric
- Part 1: Cut 1 front
- Part 2: Cut 1 back
- Uma is a great scrap buster. If you have fabric scraps from making a Teagan t-shirt or anything from a jersey fabric that has good stretch, this is a good way to use those up.
- You can use the same fabric for the whole garment, including the gusset lining. Some people prefer to use a cotton jersey instead to line the gusset. If you want to do that, cut 1 gusset from your main fabric and 1 gusset from your lining fabric.