The Dulcie Boxer Briefs are here and they're 15% off during launch week, no code necessary!
Designed as a second-skin boxer brief which doubles as anti-chub-rub shorts, there are designed to be sewn with knit fabrics with at least 70% stretch both vertically and horizontally (4-way stretch).
Choosing fabric for your Dulcie
We've tested out the Dulcie with a variety of fabrics, and different stretch percentages! To ensure that you get the intended fit, we do recommend using fabric which has at least 70% horizontal and vertical stretch for your first pair. Sticking to the recommend fabrics to start with give you a baseline to work from if you'd like to experiment!
The grey blue Dulcie above are made from an organic bamboo elastane from Nellie Joans which has 70% stretch in both directions.You can purchase kits with this fabric and our banded elastic (plus other colourway options) directly through Nellie Joans.
The black Dulcie below are a merino elastane blend which has 70% horizontal stretch and 40% vertical stretch. The reduction in vertical stretch means that the boxers sit lower on the body, have less comfie stretchiness and are a little more likely to slowly work their way down (meaning I have to pull them back up during the day).
Performance fabrics and fabrics with different stretch could work too, but the sizing might need to be altered to compensate for the change in stretch and compression different fabrics and stretch percentages will bring.
Gusset fabric options
One place where it's possible to do a bit of low-stakes fabric substitution is in the gusset.
The Dulcie have a rectangular gusset which runs from the hem of one inner thigh, up and around, all the way to the other inner thigh hem (you can see part of it in the picture below).
Because the gusset isn't wrapping around a belly or a booty, it does a little less work down there stretching to accommodate your bit. For most comfortable results we'd still recommend a 4-way stretch, but I did make a pair with a 2-way stretch merino gusset that were still very comfortable.
We love a merino gusset for its great anti-bacterial and wicking qualities, but a bamboo or modal gusset also feels delightfully smooth and drapey!
Remember, if your gusset is less stretchy than the pattern calls for then other parts of the pattern will have to stretch more to make up the difference!
Supplies for the Dulcie
Nellie Joans has Dulcie Kits available on pre-order here which come in 4 shades, including the 2 blue shades pictured here.
Perhaps you spotted our custom M&B elastic? We're super excited about this super stretchy, super soft knitted elastic which we had made locally in New Zealand. The elastic is available through Nellie Joans!
We're both planning on making ourselves some matching Banksia Bralettes where we use this elastic for the bottom hem of the bralette! The ultimate M&B comfort set.
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