If you’ve ever received your handmade briefs and held them up thinking “but these look massive!” You’re definitely not alone.

But don’t despair – you haven’t ordered the wrong size. Handmade underwear is designed differently on purpose and its largely down to the fabrics being used for them.

If you’ve chosen your size using my size guide and body measurements, trust the process! They may look larger than you’re used to when laid flat, but they are designed to fit the body comfortably rather than rely on stretch.

High street underwear often looks smaller because the fabric is different.

They are all made using cotton or cotton blends so they must all be the same right?

Sadly not! Fabrics come in different compositions and weights (Its in gsm, so kind of like paper thickness).

Highstreet and mass produced underwear is often made with thinner jersey blends and these fabrics can stretch aggressively! It means when they are being made they can be cut smaller (so taking up less material) but they then rely on the stretch of the fabric to fit.

Which would be fine, but over time the fibres lose their ability to recover back to their original unstretched state. So those briefs you’ve had in the drawer for longer than you care to remember? They are looking thinner and “baggy” because the fibres have been stretched and then don’t go back to normal. Think about hair bands or hair ties that are used regularly – they eventually go baggy and don’t hold their shape very well.

This is nothing to do with you or your body shape or size. So do not feel like you are “stretching out” your underwear – it’s not you, its them!

Thinner cotton jersey blends can be cut with more negative ease (more on this in a minute) because the fabric stretches significantly during wear. That’s great for an initial close fit but over time these fabrics can sometimes lose their ability to fully recover.

What really matters though isn’t how much a fabric stretches, but how will it returns to its original shape afterwards. This is known as stretch recovery.

When its lost its ability to recover well, you might hear it being called fabric fatigue or elastic breakdown; but all I know is - its gutting when you have your favourite go to comfort pants and they start to betray you with their rippled waistbands or baggy fit!

So other than looking bigger… whats different with Mumma & Cubs handmade cotton jersey briefs?

When you buy Mumma & Cubs briefs you are buying comfortable underwear that is made with a 95% cotton and 5% elastane blend. Its still lovely and breathable with the natural cotton and has stretch with its elastane, but crucially it is a 240gsm weight which is thicker than flimsy cottons you may find elsewhere and it is more stable with much better recovery.

All this means that the Okeo-Tex certified cotton jersey that I use keeps it’s shape better and with better fibre recovery.

Better recovery doesn’t just improve comfort though. It helps underwear maintain its original, straight out the packet, shape even through repeated wearing and washing. So there will be fewer stretched waistbands, baggy leg openings and an overall longer lifespan. Even with them being the ones you’ll be reaching for time and time again – we all have our favourite pairs right?!

Designed for comfort

Mumma & Cubs cotton jersey underwear is designed and made for comfort – not compression. By using the size guide and actual body measurements you should find the perfect size for you. Always check that your tape measure hasn’t stretched (you can find out how in my other blog post measuring tips) and you don’t pull it too tight.

The waistbands and leg holes are also made from cotton jersey bands which mean they are soft and comfortable – no annoying elastic that can dig in and leave marks.

Why Handmade Cotton Jersey Underwear Looks Bigger But Fits Correctly.

As the design of the handmade underwear doesn’t rely on dramatic stretch of the fabric to ensure a good fit they are cut slightly larger than others you may have in your drawer.  

Mass-produced briefs tend to have a high level of “negative ease”. This is a fancy way of saying that when the items are made, the finished garment is smaller than the body measurements. For example if you held up a tight fitting top in front of you it would look like it was too small. This has a high level of negative ease as it relies on the stretch of the fabric to get that “close fit” look.

While my handmade underwear also has negative ease (they will stretch a little to give all day comfort) it isn’t as dramatic. No over stretching means they’ll stay looking great for longer!

A great example is to think of it like leggings. A cheaper thin pair may look smaller and ok when hanging up but put them on and they stretch to fit and this makes then much thinner and see-through! Better quality leggings tend to look a little larger on the hanger but they hold their shape better and you don’t get the “see-throughness”

So if your handmade pants look bigger than the supermarket multipack – don’t panic! Quality cotton jersey is designed to hold its shape better, recover properly and stay comfortable wash after wash. This is why handmade underwear often lasts longer!

If you’d like to own your own pair of super comfortable Mumma & Cubs underwear you can find them here or if you'd like to give your little ones the most comfortable boxers or briefs they'll wear you can find mystery packs here.

FAQ

Do handmade briefs “run large’’?

No. Handmade briefs often look larger when laid flat because of the high quality cotton jersey that doesn’t rely on excessive stretch. If you’ve selected your size using body measurements, the fit should be correct.

Why does underwear become baggy over time?

Repeated stretching and washing can break fabric fibres and reduce the fabrics ability to recover to its original shape. How a fabric can return to its original shape is known as stretch recovery. Thinner cotton jerseys may have high levels of stretch but their recovery can be low meaning they will go baggy soon than other higher quality fabrics.

What is cotton jersey?

Cotton jersey is a soft knitted fabric (the type of weave, don’t think of knitted like your granny’s scarf!) with natural stretch that is commonly used for underwear and clothing just as T-Shirts, Leggings, Dresses etc.