I made the Chemise with Narrow Sleeves to wear under the Bliaut. This was very, very easy. She has you use the fabric all the way out to the selvage for the body, so be sure to wash and dry your fabric first in case there are shrinkage problems. The only odd things were: first, when I pinned the sleeves to the body, there were little extra “ears” sticking up from the body. My only suspicion is that this excess is there for the full-sleeved version. I just trimmed them off, to no ill effect. Second, the other thing that puzzled me at first was the casing for the drawstring. Once I understood that the casing was also the facing, it all became clear. Also, I knew I was making a full-length version, so I bought the full 6-1/3 yards of fabric recommended. I’m 5’6″. I have at least a yard left over. I made up another chemise using the Full Sleeve Option, and, indeed, the oddness at the neckline was not there. Also, all the extra fabric left over from making the narrow sleeve option was needed for the full sleeve option. The chemise went together quickly and looks great. Another very useful garment to have in stock. I made it the Full Sleeve Option again (in red) to wear with a black corset and skirt (the perfect ensemble for a Vampire Ball).
I’ve made both styles of the chemise, and I finally made the Outer Stays, which I thought could work as a Victorian outer-wear waist cincher. I made it on a couple of hours. It’s one pattern piece (two pieces of fabric) and there’s nothing very tricky about it. It’s not a tight cincher on me, but rather decorative (I used a remnant of some lovely green/black two-way taffeta I’d been given). Once again, the yardage requirements are off. It specifies a yard each for the fabric, lining and interface. For the stays without the shoulder straps, it took less than a 1/2 yard each.
Frannie –
I made the Chemise with Narrow Sleeves to wear under the Bliaut. This was very, very easy. She has you use the fabric all the way out to the selvage for the body, so be sure to wash and dry your fabric first in case there are shrinkage problems. The only odd things were: first, when I pinned the sleeves to the body, there were little extra “ears” sticking up from the body. My only suspicion is that this excess is there for the full-sleeved version. I just trimmed them off, to no ill effect. Second, the other thing that puzzled me at first was the casing for the drawstring. Once I understood that the casing was also the facing, it all became clear. Also, I knew I was making a full-length version, so I bought the full 6-1/3 yards of fabric recommended. I’m 5’6″. I have at least a yard left over. I made up another chemise using the Full Sleeve Option, and, indeed, the oddness at the neckline was not there. Also, all the extra fabric left over from making the narrow sleeve option was needed for the full sleeve option. The chemise went together quickly and looks great. Another very useful garment to have in stock. I made it the Full Sleeve Option again (in red) to wear with a black corset and skirt (the perfect ensemble for a Vampire Ball).
I’ve made both styles of the chemise, and I finally made the Outer Stays, which I thought could work as a Victorian outer-wear waist cincher. I made it on a couple of hours. It’s one pattern piece (two pieces of fabric) and there’s nothing very tricky about it. It’s not a tight cincher on me, but rather decorative (I used a remnant of some lovely green/black two-way taffeta I’d been given). Once again, the yardage requirements are off. It specifies a yard each for the fabric, lining and interface. For the stays without the shoulder straps, it took less than a 1/2 yard each.