Jalie 4344 Sarah Period Underwear

I have faced some scary health challenges this last month that have forced me to completely change some of my sewing plans. One project that was particularly urgent was making some overnight period underwear. The pattern that came to mind was Jalie 4344 Sarah since it offered a ton of protection.

Analyzing Style and Fit

The pattern is for both period underwear and reusable pads. For the underwear, you can choose a high or lower waist and protection (day/night). Otherwise, the fit of the underwear looks moderately generous for the butt and has a high cut for the front.

Materials and Notions

You need lots of different fabrics for this project and I got all my supplies at Bra Builders:

• Crotch lining: https://www.brabuilders.com/collections/period-panties/products/stay-dry-wicking-crotch-fabric
• Absorbent layers: https://www.brabuilders.com/collections/period-panties/products/natural-fiber-absorbent-fabric
• Waterproof knit layer: https://www.brabuilders.com/collections/period-panties/products/waterproof-fabric-polyurethane-laminate-pul
• Main fabric: https://www.brabuilders.com/collections/panty-and-cami-fabrics/products/microfiber-stretch-fabric
• 3/4 inch fold over elastic: https://www.brabuilders.com/collections/fold-over-elastic/products/foldover-elastic-5-8

I ordered 1/2 yard of crotch lining, absorbent fabric, and PUL, 1 yard of main fabric, and 10 yards of fold-over elastic. I was able to make exactly 4 pairs of overnight underwear with nothing leftover.

If you need to purchase cheap knit fabric in bulk to test the pattern, I highly recommend the spandex bolts from CV Linens.

Sizing and Body Measurements

Sizing

The pattern ranges from 20-7/8 to 46-1/8 inch waist and 20-7/8 to 53-7/8 inch hips. The sizes are from F-GG. If you need a more size-inclusive pattern with similar styling, I recommend Kapunda Undies from Muna and Broad. Unfortunately, you would have to draft your own absorbency layers, and you might have to tweak the pattern pieces a bit.

Body Measurements

Size	Y	Z	AA	BB	CC	DD
Waist	33-7/8	35-3/8	36-7/8	38-3/8	40	41-1/2
Hip	42-7/8	44-1/4	45-5/8	47	48-3/8	49-3/4

I highly recommend making a muslin of this pattern. My body measurements during my period are 38 inches in the waist (due to bloating) and 44 inches in the hips. However, when I measure the widest part of my hips using a measuring band, I measure 46.5 inches. I am pretty close to size BB, but based on my experience, I know that the fabric and all the extra materials stiffen the underwear, so going up one size is not a bad idea. Therefore, I ended up making a size CC.

Pattern Adjustments

Let’s start out with the pattern pieces that got altered. I wanted to finish all my edges with fold-over elastic, so I needed to adjust the rise first. I raised the center front 1-1/4 inches and left the center back as-is. The other adjustment was to provide a bit more coverage around my butt. I added 1/2 inch to the bottom of the back side seam.

Because I wanted to finish all my edges with fold-over elastic, I needed to ensure my side front and back seams matched. The original pattern they are 1/8 different because of how the underwear is constructed.

The pieces I adjusted are A and B. I also changed piece G, the overnight absorbant layer.

Finally, instead of Piece I for the PUL layer, I used Piece A to cut out the crotch lining, PUL layer, and main fabric. Piece I is nearly identical to Piece A except that 1/4 inch is removed around the inner leg.

Final Underwear

Conclusions

I like this pattern because of the unique approach to making absorbent period underwear. It is super easy to sew, and you don’t have to deal with matching curves like you do with the Sophie Hines period panties pattern. I always get puckers in my curves because of the multiple layers.

I also love this pattern because you can adjust the absorbency to what you need. The overnight version protects you from front to back, plus you add two strips of extra absorbent fabric. You could always add more or fewer of the absorbent strips down the center of the underwear.

My quick tip for this pattern is to consider using a three-step or triple zigzag stitch instead of just a regular zigzag stitch. I skipped stitches occasionally because of the bulky fabric with the regular zigzag, but when I moved to the triple zigzag, I had no problem sewing through multiple layers.

Happy sewing!