How to make a pair of garter panties
I’m soooo happy with one of my latest lingerie sets: a pair of beige Courlis Stockings trimmed with this super fun black argyle trim, with a matching pair of high-waisted garter-panties! I wanted a way to show-off the argyle trim, and once I got this idea stuck in my head, I had to see it through!


I started with the Noelle Panties pattern by Madalynne Intimates. It’s a free pattern, and one that I’ve made several times before, so I already knew that I liked the fit. This method would probably fit any of your favorite panty patterns though, so feel free to adapt!
The argyle trim is exactly 57mm wide, which matches exactly with the 3×3 hook and eye closures that I carry in the shop. A lot of garter belts that I see online make use of hook and eye closures in the back, so it felt like an easy way to ensure that I could get the panties on and off. (Actually, the trim is very stretchy, so I probably could’ve skipped this!)

I didn’t want to add the height of the trim to the top of the panties, so before I cut out the main fabric for the panties, I laid the argyle trim on top of the paper pattern pieces and chopped that off the height of the front and back. (Don’t forget to add seam allowance to the top if you’re particular about that extra bit of height!)
I also wanted to make this pair a bit more interesting than a basic pair of panties, so I took my ruler and just drew a straight line at an angle from the back waistline to the CB to make a V-shaped cut-out. Not too deep that my rear would be falling out the back, but deep enough to make it count! I didn’t add any sort of seam allowance to this cut-out because I planned to cover it in foldover elastic.

For construction order, first I covered the V-shape on the back panty piece with foldover elastic. I snipped a teeny bit at the center point to make it easier to pivot the elastic, and then afterwards, I folded the back panty piece in half (right sides together) and used a straight stitch over the foldover elastic at the point to make it look nice and sharp.
Next, I attached the front, back, and gusset pieces together at the back seam, covered the legs with black foldover elastic, and then sewed the side seams together. Next, I sewed four adjustable garter straps using 50cm of 12mm strap elastic, and a matching black slider and garter clip for each one. Honestly, these could’ve been shorter, but my stockings also ended up quite tall, so your results may vary!

To determine how much argyle trim I needed for my waistband, I took some (just by itself) and fitted it around my waist where I knew the panties would hit. The argyle trim is suuuuper stretchy, and it’s a good, stable stretch, but not incredibly firm. I didn’t want it to be too loose, and I didn’t want the trim to be overstretched, so once I found the right fit for me, I added a bit to the ends for seam allowance and cut my preferred length.
I pinned my garter straps and just eye-balled the placement, trying to make sure they were as symmetrical as possible. I sewed the hook and eye closure to the ends of the trim, and then pinned the trim in place. It didn’t match evenly, which I anticipated, and I did have to stretch the trim to fit the panties. I simply overlapped the argyle trim on top of the panties, and back-tacked over the straps to make sure they were secure.

And, voila! That’s it! The whole set came out exactly how I envisioned it, and I even made a simple triangle bralette to go with it, using the argyle trim as the underband. I love that it feels secure enough to hold up the stockings, without squeezing, of course!

The materials that I used to make this set can be purchased as a kit, and you can even add the Courlis Stockings PDF sewing pattern to the kit to receive a discount on the pattern!
