Sorry upfront for the bad pictures, my camera kind of sucks and I had to take them myslef but I did have dd take a couple later when I was sewing on a different pair of undies.
ELASTIC:
Half inch Fold Over elastic, shiny or matte, whichever.
FOOT:
Regular ole presser foot that came on the machine. I set it to 2 for pressure.
STITCHES:
3 step zigzag aka tricot stitch--width 3 and length 1.5
OR
Regular zig-zag stitch width 2.5-3, length 3 or 4
Set your needle thread tension a bit lower if using a reg. zig-zag, like if it is normally a 4 set it to 3.5 or 3
FABRIC USED HERE:
Cotton Jersey
Okay, to begin, your undies should be sewn and look like this:
We begin with the legs of the undies.
Now put the FOE on your undies at your starting point, it's tricky, just get the fabric situated in the FOE as best you can and tack it down with some straght stitching across it then turn it and situate it all under your foot and get it right into position and grab the thread tail.
Another picture a bit clearer showing the above from a different view:
http://www.crunchybaby.com/sewalong/undies20.jpg
Now as far as how much to stretch it--I stretch it a lot on the waist and the bum area of mine for both me and dd BUT my pattern is cut larger on purpose so I have to so they stay up. It all depends on the cut of your pattern on your body and how much gather you need for them to stay on and be comfy. That is why I hold it the way I do when I sew, I hold it tight and steady.
This is how I hold it when I sew, I stop as needed to reposition fabric into the fold and right up against the center of the FOE:
Positioning fabric into elastic:
Begin sewing with your 3 step or regular zig-zag stitch. You want to make sure that you are close to the edge of the FOE where it meets the fabric ESPECIALLY if you are using a regular zig-zag or it will cause the fabric to pull out of the FOE later on. Here is a pic of what I mean about position with both a 3 step and reg. zig zag (i did one leg regular and one 3 step for y'all to see)
3 step zig zag--look at them more towards the bottom of the pic, see how I sewed closer to the undies rather than the outside? KWIM?
Regular zig-zag--see how for the most part it is close to the fabric?:
Now we have this:
Grab em, match up the foe on one leg seam and sew it up and get this:
Now apply your FOE to the waist and get this:
Then sew up the remaining side seam and you have a finished pair of undies
I hope this helps, i do sometimes have difficulty explaining things without jumbling them up. Please ask any questions or tell me if something is not clear, i confuse myself at times, lol!
Thanks Mamas!
but, i think your pics and explainations are great and easy to follow. thanks so much! 
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