Quote Originally Posted by tulip
Mary, you've inpired me to get out my sewing machine. I love to sew, but somehow other things have taken over. My trusty 1952 Singer still rocks!

I have not worked with lycra and other stretchy materials. What stitch have you found best that minimizes puckering and pulling? I don't have a fancy sewing machine, but I can pull a zigzag.

Yes, shorts are expensive, but once you find ones that fit and are comfortable, it's worth it. I only buy Pearl Izumi Attack shorts (Ultrasensor are just too expensive), and I buy one pair per year. As they wear out, I can still wear them under hiking shorts because the chamois is still good but the lycra is a bit too transparent.
I use a standard stitch, just use a quality thread and try not to PULL the fabric as it will cause the fabric to pucker. I recently purchased a stretch needle but haven't had the opportunity to see if it helps keep some of the pulling of the threads later. I've been told it's best to use this needle for lycra etc.

I recommend taking a couple pieces of the scrap lycra and practice sewing with it to experiment with which stitch will work best for you. I also sew a double seam stitch one butted against the other especially in areas that might get extra pull and possibly pop a seam.

The pattern I use doesn't include a chamois so I ride without a chamois basically. It helps that I have a comfort seat, but I've ridden over 5000 miles (indoor and out) 4000+ outdoors in the past year without a chamois and have survived. One thing I do though especially for the crotch area is cut out a second layer of those pattern pieces then when I assemble the shorts, I lay those pieces with the inner crotch seams facing each other. That keeps me from having seam allowances in sensitive areas AND gives an extra layer of protection from fabric that may end up being too transparent AND if I end up with a seam that blows on me then I'm still covered.

I'm in no way a professional. I'm still working out the bugs and finding better ways to do things each time I sew a new pair of shorts or jersey. One thing I will suggest if you purchase ANY pattern, trace it onto freezer paper then you have a the original to continue to retrace when needed. Most patterns are printed with ALL the sizes on them and you'd need to cut some of the pattern off to get the size you need. You iron the pattern that you've traced onto your fabric then peel it off once you have cut the pattern from the fabric. You can reuse this pattern many times without damaging the original.

The Jalie pattern I purchased I got through patternreview.com
Mary