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Jul 5, 2013

Jalie 3242: Men's Boxer Briefs REVEAL



It's barely lunch time, friends, but I have already finished my second Jalie briefs.  This time I made the boxer briefs, which were so much simpler than the regular briefs, or maybe I was just more comfortable with the fabric and the process.

Also, there's a Jalie video on YouTube that walks you through the whole project, so you don't have to interpret written directions and drawings.

Like yesterday's briefs, the boxer briefs have a double-layered front pouch, but this one is slightly contoured and has two sides and a center seam.  About this pouch: it's on the narrow side.  If you or the person you're sewing these for need more roominess in front, you might want to widen the pouch piece along the inside edges.



The rest of the boxer briefs are made from one big piece and cut on the fold (I did't actually fold the fabric, I cut half, turned the pattern paper over and cut the other half, which gave me more control over the shifty, patterned knit fabric.).





Once again I traced size "Z," which corresponds to a 32" waist.  Jalie offers 29 sizes to choose from!





I used my Singer walking foot on my Bernina (with the aid of a foot adapter) so the horizontal lines of my pouch piece would line up.  It did a great job!





I used my serger on these boxer briefs a bit.  I serged the seam attaching the pouch to the main trunks.  The serged seam allowances is then topstitched down from the front.  I used a narrow zigzag stitch that looks like a straight stitch but has a bit more give.







Next, the leg seam gets stitched and then you're basically done (I serged that seam allowance too.).



There's no elastic or binding in the leg opening, it's simply turned up and stitched.  I could have serged the edge first (it's done that way in the video) but my knit is thin and prone to curling at the edges: besides, the edge is caught in the zigzag, and even if it weren't it wouldn't fray.







I did serge the top edge of the briefs before attaching the elastic waistband.  You can see how it wants to roll.



To attach the waistband, I first stitched the elastic (as a closed loop) to the top edge of the knit fabric from the inside using a narrow, long zigzag, just to anchor it in place.  Then from the outside I zigzagged along the bottom edge of the elastic with a wide, medium length zigzag.



As a result the waistband is relatively clean looking from the inside and, since there are two rows of stitching, very secure.



And here's the result.  The fit is excellent.







As you can see, this is the mirror image of yesterday's red stripe/gray briefs.



I'm not sure which I like more.  The standard briefs have a bit more going on, what with the contrasting gray leg binding, but the boxer briefs are hipper looking (or are they?).  Both are extremely comfortable.



In closing, readers, are you more a fan of a man in boxer briefs, or are you a traditionalist who goes for the skimpier look?

Oh, before I forget: I've decided to name my dress form Roy (as in "Royal" -- the brand).  Thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Have a great day, everybody!

42 comments:

  1. The briefs are much sexier. And who wants to look less! So even if you don't 'need' it, widen that front piece, especially if it's in a different fabric. You are becoming an exceptional underwear model.

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  2. You look great. I think I like the boxers a tad better, but both look terrific. Nice work for a holiday weekend!

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  3. "The fit is excellent."

    Yes, is certainly is (insert Tex Avery style wolf whistling here).

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  4. I think the trunk style is more grown-up and so much sexier than the briefs.

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  5. Love your underwear, Peter! The print is so fun. I like the look of a boxer brief, but would choose, for myself, based on comfort. Sewing underwear is satisfying.
    Your blog is the best!!

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  6. I never liked regular briefs. Men are so much sexier in boxer briefs.

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    Replies
    1. We think alike as well as named alike. I love them.

      Delete
  7. Maybe I've got July 4th on the brain, but from a distance, the briefs remind me of the American flag. I guess it's the dominant red/white stripes with the blue-toned star-like print (again, from a distance).

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  8. love the fabric and love the boxer briefs.

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  9. I don't have an opinion, personally, but I know a lot of guys who swear by boxer briefs for comfort.

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  10. Peter,
    Wonderful job on both. Personally, I prefer trunk-style briefs. The fit of a boxer-brief with a shorter inseam for movement & comfort.

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  11. I make briefs for my hubby all the time. He won't buy them anymore. I use Kwik Sew 3298 because he'a big boy and they accomodate his size with little altering. Yours look great! Luv the butt shot!

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  12. I never cared for boxer briefs. I am a briefs man all the way.

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    Replies
    1. Leg "riding up" issues?

      Part of the pro-briefs brotherhood,

      Testosterone

      Delete
  13. Peter, your tushie looks great in anything! Love these new undies. Can't decide on a favorite - they are both fab. Great fabric mix!

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  14. I almost commented on your previous post to ask if you were going to make this version, now I'm glad I didn't. They look great! I will definitely be buying this pattern for my hubby. These are the only style underwear he will wear. According to him, boxers have too much room for accidental slips. I have no idea why he doesn't like briefs.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, got an answer from him! Apparently they pull on the hair in the hip/thigh joint area. He is an extremely hairy person though.

      Delete
    2. Sarah, I would PAY to see the look on your hubby's face if he were to read your above comment! OMG, I'm laughing so hard...great mental image. Now go hug your "extremely hairy" man!

      Delete
  15. OK, now I may have to buy this pattern. This is EXACTLY the style my husband loves.

    Now if only I could find skull jersey around here...

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  16. Lovely. Very sexy! Hey, have you met the twin needle? It's awesome! It makes two rows on the front and zigzags sort of across the back, so it's perfect for finishing off most of the edges on a garment like this.

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  17. SeamsterEast@aol.comJuly 6, 2013 at 8:19 AM

    I prefer a bit more "contour" when I do briefs. I add a half inch or so each side center of the pouch, in the lower center and up a couple inches, and reduce the pouch a similar amount from lower center down. This gives a bit of an accent to the briefs which can work well with certain types of blue jeans. I find this more comfortable, too.

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  18. Peter, you have the best blog! I think you look aces in both styles, and maybe it is convenient to have both styles in your wardrobe. Do men wear certain kinds of underwear based on the outerwear they have on? I know women do, but I have no knowledge of men's fashion. My partner is not at all interested in fashion in any way, so I can't ask him. Anyway, these are both terrific, and you make it look so easy!

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  19. Peter,

    You're no pouch slouch.

    LUV the serging and stitching combination.

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  20. When I made their boxer briefs, I had to add a little more curve to the front crotch

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  21. Sexay! The briefs are definitely better. Love the fabric.

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  22. I love them! The stripes are very fun. I'll definitely be buying this pattern, since after all the boxers I've sewn my man he would like more variety in the me-made underwear department.

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  23. Wow, there both great,i now know what i will stitch up this afternoon,will use an old pair as the pattern and upcycle an old t shirt or two.

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  24. I love the look of both briefs. The shorter one has got more going on, but both look super. I think you're going from 'sewist' to designer. That fabric choice is genius.

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  25. OMG... Peter, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm IN LOVE with that first pair of briefs!! My dad is a hippie and spent quite a bit of time walking around the house in the nude or in his tighty-whities as I was growing up (this got somewhat awkward when I became a teen, as you can imagine), and that pretty much ruined traditional briefs for me FOREVER. To this day, all I ever associate traditional briefs with is my dad, and feeling supremely uncomfortable.

    My husband is a boxers guy... not even boxer-briefs... just boring old boxers... usually some crappy plaid pattern made out of low-quality fabric (I swear, some of his underwear is so scratchy I don't know how he stands it... I try and buy him more luxurious boxers, but he complains the softer ones bunch up under his pants. What's a gal to do? Oh... SEW HIM SOME. Obviously!)

    But you have managed to get me to look at a pic of a guy in traditional briefs and LOVE THE LOOK, which is pretty damn amazing because I'm usually repulsed just looking at the pics of the models on the fronts of the packs of briefs! My body goes into fight-or-flight mode and my brain says, "Oh, no, here come the briefs... look away, look away..."

    Peter, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those briefs. The boxer-briefs are nice, too, but the traditional briefs have WAY more attitude and are totally hip! And you look awesome in them!

    WAY TO GO!!

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  26. Aw, hell, I can mess with your ego, too. Both are very, very, very, very good, and look really, really, really great on you!

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  27. Usually i would go for the boxer briefs, but somehow you regular briefs are much more sexier. The contrasting grey binding at the legopenings are super fun. Also maybe I like the fabric combination better.red/white and just a touch of grey instead of the other way around.
    Looking forward to seeing more of your underwear, LOL!

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  28. Ahh! I love them both! Miss Celie recommended I check out this post of yours and I'm soooo glad I did! I'm definitely going to get this pattern. I love the matching yet contrasting fabrics. I'm going to have to copycat that one. :)

    Most men I know prefer boxer briefs.

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  29. Hi there, I just made my son a pair of these today and I had a really difficult time trying to topstitch the crotch area. It just seemed to want to stretch the knit area and the stitch length although long, didn't want to sew that way. Can you tell me if you used wooly nylon in your bobbin or just regular thread. I wonder if that was causing my problems. My machine is a good machine, but it just seemed to have a problem with sewing thru the thickness there.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Shirley Ann. I just used regular thread. Two ideas: 1) Shorten your stitch length and reduce your presser foot pressure, or 2) Do a narrow zigzag that will "read" as a straight stitch.

      Or try all of the above at once! Good luck with it.

      If I remember correctly, the topstitching is just for show, so it shouldn't matter too much.

      Delete
    2. Peter, I just finished another go at this underwear for my son and they turned out fantastic!!

      Delete
  30. Hi - I realize this post is old, but I figure it won't hurt to ask. :) Have you ever tried these with a functioning fly (a feature my husband requires)? Is the fit still as nice? Thanks!

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  31. Hi,
    Thanks for the wonderful post, i really liked your blog. Its contains
    in-dept information about clothing items like menswear, underwear, trunks, briefs, etc.

    Mens Trunks Underwear

    ReplyDelete
  32. I looking for man boxer brief tutorial and I saw this. tq so much for sharing I like to try make one for my hubby and little son. 😍😍

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