underthings

CHEMISE OR SHIFT
The chemise was the essential undergarment to be worn under the corset and was the only garment which was actually washed - urrr! The sleeves can be made of another, more expensive fabric

To make this garment measure the length of your body and multiply by two, fold in half (the fold is the shoulder). Measure the length of your arms to just below the elbow from the shoulder and approximate a width, times by two. Find the centre point of the shoulder and cut a cross in material. Make a horizontal slit large enough for the head, then cut out arc shape.To get the correct sizing you will need to try it on with the dress,make the chanel for the drawstring.

It is simply a body and sleeves with two small squares folded in half to form a triangle. These are placed under the armpits with the point at the top. The two long triangles taken from the trimmmings of the body are sewn with the point at the top to widen the sides of the chemise. Sew the sleeves to the body then put in the two. Then put in the two long triangles cut from the body.these are cut from the body from the shoulder to the hem. Put the point uppermost and the wide part at the hem. I just used an old piece of cotton sheet here. This is a simple first garment to make.

POCKET HOOPS
The pocket hoops show here areaa lot harder as it took ages to figure out how it went together. I used wide, plastic boning strips to stiffen the legs.













REGENCY UNDERSKIRT in cotton with tab fastenings at shoulder. Very simple to make.

POCKETS
Pockets that tie around waist and are accessed through slit in dress, they
have slit running vertically in the fronts which are faced with bias tape

VICTORIAN DRAWS
Cotton fabric, buttons down front and has a shaped panel at the top to fit waist.

VICTORIAN TRAINED UNDERSKIRT
Red, cotton fabric. This underskirt has a waistband, button fastening to back and overlapping frills sewn to a base of the same material.