Completed: Fashions Revisited 015 Chemisette/HSM Feb. ’22

After making a fichu, it opened my eyes to historical neckwear. As you immerse yourself more and more in a period, you become more attuned to what pieces make an outfit look more finished and a chemisette is one of those pieces. I decided I wanted to take my white dress I made in the summer to the next level, with some new accessories and gave myself a Jane Austen tea in December as my target deadline.

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The nice thing about this project was I was able to make it completely from stash materials. They weren’t ideal. The batiste pills and is a little too drapey and the lace ruffles are quite obviously modern when you see them up close, but the overall effect is good, at least to my costume designer’s eye. Besides which, I feel it is rare for a first attempt at a new type of garment to go very well either in the making or the wearing, so I’d rather make something from stash as a test.

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Pattern: Fashions Revisited 015 Chemisette ($12)
Size: Large
Fabric: 100% cotton batiste leftover from my first chemise
Trims: Two eyelet trims from stash
Notions: Thread and ribbon from stash, homemade bias tape
Cost: $12

Notes

• I hand-sewed where stitching was visible, but otherwise I used my machine.
• There seems to be too much fullness in the back as you can see, but maybe it is for movement? I will have a better idea after I have worn it.

Photo by author.

Photo by author.

Photo by author.

I was able to wear my chemise out and about very shortly after making it-I finished it the week of the event! I got lots of photos of it and while I am pleased with the ruffle, I actually feel that I need some extra width on the side as it was popping out of my neckline sometimes. It can be hard, I find, to reconcile the necklines of different garments when they are made from patterns by different companies-hence my stays straps also being quite visible in the neckline of this gown.

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Additionally I would add just a smidge of length to the undersides of the front while taking in the length in the center. It kept collapsing/overlapping in the center where the busk is but felt a little tight over the bust itself.

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I think this last photo is my favorite because it reminds me of Fanny Dashwood’s aggressively fabulous collars and hair in the ’95 Sense &Sensibility.

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