Good Chemise Pattern?

[Lady Neysa]

I've made several chemises using Red Dawn's pattern.  Very easy, even if you're a beginner.

[Butch]

OK, used the serger for the first time.  Serged the neckline and (SHORT) sleeves on the chemises for both the girl and her dau.  I will gather and make the necklines later, probably Wed or Thurs.  I will use narrow elastic for the sleeves on both.

Serger work is a bit different.  I found it a bit challenging to navigate the 90 deg turns in the neckline.  All in all, I did alright.  Certainly better than I expected for never having sat down before a serger until now!

[Butch]

Wow, the neckline didn't turn out AT ALL!  I gathered it up evenly around, and sewed a piece of bobbin lace about 3/4 inch down from neck line.  It completely ate up the armhole tolerance.  I think it may be that the person I'm making it for is too conservative.  She wants it to have a neckline of 25 1/2 inches; I was thinking more along the lines of 36-40.

I think I'll rip the bobbin lace back off, and sew a casing inside the neckline, right at the edge of the serging.  I'll let her decide how much neckline to give herself, and adjust it as she feels appropriate.

Man, what an unwelcome setback!

[gem]

Well, does she understand that once you gather up that fullness, the neckline will get smaller?

[Butch]

I don't think so, and unfortunately, I'm in Lees Summit (MO), and she's in Maple Grove (MN).  I'll just do the drawstring and be done with it.  It is already a bit fantasy with short sleeves.  I've gotta move on.

Never thought I'd have such trouble with a SHIRT, for Heaven's sake!

[Butch]

Done with the chemises, gotta wash them now.  Ended up sewing a casing on the insides of the necklines, with the top of the casing along the serged edge.  Did two small buttonholes on the fronts, and threaded shoestrings through them.  They look pretty nice!

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Athena sent me the pattern number for Simplicity 5582, which has a chemise, skirts, and a bodice.

Haven't done the skirts or bodice yet, but the chemise is easy enough for a non-sew-er like me.  And comes out really nice.  My friend Jeanne helped me make it to wear to Bristol this past weekend.  Photos are in the Bristol thread and the non-H/A fantasy thread, because I wore the chemise with my new Moresca frou frou garb.

[gem]

Done with the chemises, gotta wash them now.  Ended up sewing a casing on the insides of the necklines, with the top of the casing along the serged edge.  Did two small buttonholes on the fronts, and threaded shoestrings through them.  They look pretty nice!

I am fascinated by this description of the neckline. Do you have pictures? And remind me which pattern you ultimately went with?

[Butch]

I'll get some photos together.  Sorry, it's late and I'm tired.  I had no idea these things would be so challenging.  I've pretty much made the standard rectangle pattern shirts, some with banded cuffs and collars, and some with soft ruffs at either or both cuff and collar.

I used that pattern that was linked on the first page, but was unable to make the banded neckline work, so I ripped it out and put a casing on the inside.  Really nothing special, but the serged edge does give it a bit of a poor man's lace look.  Really didn't like making the short sleeves with elastic, but that's what she wanted.

Next I will be making pairs of bodies from the elizabethancostuming.net site, but will be converting the pattern to be a front break vice a rear break.

Gonna end the outfit with box pleated skirts, and possibly overskirts (depending on the time I have left).  These chemises took much longer than I expected!

OH!  Also gonna make a simple washer woman's cap out of some of that blackworked linen.  Already have a caul and forehead cloth for the little girl (IF she decides to keep it on!)

[Butch]

This pattern:
http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/chemise.html
But used 10" squares for the underarm gussets.

[Dinobabe]

I couldn't find a chemise I liked so I combined patterns.

This for the body, minus the gussets.


And this for the sleeves.


It came out very nice!  The sleeves fit the hole perfectly, no gathering, which I prefer.
I want to make that coat, it's sooooo cute!

[LadyShadow]

I agree that would make a cute coat.  Where did you find that pattern at?

[Dinobabe]

I've had it for a long while.  I bought the wrong size and didn't realize it until this week and of course Simplicity doesn't carry it any more.   You can still find it on other pattern selling websites, though.  Sometimes Hancocks will have out of print patterns because they are left over.

I love the shoulder epaulets!

[LadyShadow]

I hate when patterns go out of print