How to Make a Chemise

The Handbook of Plain and Fancy Needlework, 1879

A CHEMISE (fig. 1) consists of eight parts, which are:
1. The body of the chemise.
2. The gores.
3. The sleeves.
4. The gussets.
5. The bands for the sleeves.
6. The band for the neck.
7. The shoulder straps.
8. The trimming.

Fig. 1

For cutting out and making all the varieties of chemises and shirts there are fixed rules to be followed, and when once these invariable rules are conquered, but little difficulty will be experienced in making the various kinds. This end will be attained by a careful analysis of the component parts, as these, when examined separately, will give a better understanding of the whole. We commence, then, by describing the chemise, the making of which is much less complicated than that of the shirt.

Measurement. In making a chemise it is not important to be very exact as regards measurement, as in no case does the garment fit closely to the body. Plenty of width ought always to be allowed, yet it is necessary to ascertain:
1. The measurement of the length of the chemise, taken from the shoulder to half-way down the leg.
2. The size of the top of the chemise, taken from one shoulder to another.
3. The length of the sleeves. This, in the case of a nightgown (which has much similarity to a shirt, and which will be fully treated of further on), with the sizes of the neck and wrist, are all of importance.

The length of the chemise sleeve is according to taste. These measurements are generally taken from a pattern chemise, but failing this they must be taken from the figure of the intended wearer. It will then be easy to ascertain the quantity of material required. Thus, for a person of medium height about two yards and a half of linen or calico would be necessary. The material must be at least a yard in width, but greater width than a yard and a quarter would occasion waste.

Material may be greatly economised by cutting out several garments at the same time, and this is usually done, as half-a-dozen at least are usually added at the same time to one's stock.

To begin with a simply made chemise about a yard and a half long, the sleeves four inches in length. For this it will be requisite to have three yards of material; as this is composed of tow widths of the calico, besides a quarter of a yard for the sleeves, in all about three yards and a quarter will be required. From this quantity the piece for the sleeves ought first to be taken, say a quarter of a yard. The rest of the chemise will then be formed of the remaining three yards. Divide the material into equal parts, one to form the back width, and one for the front. It will at once be perceived that in leaving the body of the chemise thus there would be too great a width at the top, and not enough at the bottom. The desired shape is, therefore, given by the gores.

Fig. 2.— Gores. These are strips of material cut from one side of the length, pointed at one end. There are different ways of preparing gores.

1st method. To cut these gores from each side of the chemise the width required for the neck ought to be marked by pins. From each pin tot he edge of the chemise there should be several inches (say five), which represent the width of the gore at its base e; from this the stuff must be cut on the cross and narrowed to a point towards the middle of the chemise that is to say, to the outside edge of the material. For a beginner it will be better, before cutting the stuff, to fold it firmly on the cross, making a mark where the scissors ought to go. After these first gores are cut (two are cut at the same time, one from the back width and one from the front), and after having cut in the same manner the gores from the other side of the chemise, let all the four gores hang by a few threads on each side of the body of the chemise. Then turning them towards the lower edge they must be sewed by the selvage tot he edge of the chemise. This method gives a pretty cut tot he top of the chemise and forms short gores, such as are now preferred.

Fig. 2

2nd Method. The gores can be placed one side only of the chemise. This plan is excellent where the material is very wide. In such a case it is only necessary to cut two gores from one side of the chemise. These (one for the back width, and one for the front) must be larger than if they were taken from both sides. These gores are sewn to the opposite sides from which they were taken. The gores in this (and in all cases) are sewn by their selvage to the selvage of the chemise, and then closed at the sides by running and felling the seam. Again, if the material be very wide, the four gores can be shaped from a straight piece taken from each width of the stuff. These long narrow pieces must be folded and cut on the cross, each straight piece then making two gores. These gores are first fixed and tacked tot he chemise by the selvage or straight sides, and are afterwards neatly seamed. [See Plain Needlework - A Guide to Nineteenth century Hand Sewing for information on seaming.]

Fig. 3. Second Method. This is useful to know, as it is very quick and simple, and requires no preparation for the gores. After having cut off the material required for the sleeves, &c., that intended for the chemise is folded into three parts, a, b, c, so that tow ends meet in the middle of the material, then the sides are sewn together; this forms a bag, or rather a double bag having tow ends d, e. It is from each side of the bag, near to the sewing, that the gores are to be cut, so that the straight ends of each of them meet in the middle of the under portion of the bag.

Fig. 3

The edges of the opening of the bag are the lower ends of the chemise, which lie exactly in the centre of the material; that centre is the top of the chemise, which lie exactly on the centre of the material; that centre is the top of the chemise.

It is from the lower portion of the chemise that the gores are cut, taken, as usual, form the width remaining after the size of the shoulders has been arranged. Illustration 3 allows one gore to be seen, after noticing which the method will be easily understood. When al the gores are cut the bag is unfolded, and the gores will be found to be sewn up. (Illustration 3.) It only remains to finish the chemise according to one of the ways described further on. When the chemise has been closed at teach side by a seam run and felled form the slope, and when the hem, of about one inch and a quarter in width, has been made, the neck must be finished off.

Neck. General Rule. (Fig. 4.) Whatever form may be chosen, whether square or oval, the front is cut deeper than the back. This understood, the manner of proceeding is first by cutting one half of the neck; snipping with the scissors the centre of the front breadth a of the chemise at the depth arranged for the slope, and then cutting on one side only to a certain distance to the edge b, which reserves about three inches and a half for the shoulder-strap or uncut piece. Cut straight on to c, and down towards the back, d, to the intended depth of the slope, then cutting through the back width to the center. The part which has now been cut out from the neck, and which forms the first half, ought to be pinned on to the other side, in order that the second half may be cut exactly like the first. The part that has been cut away will serve for gussets, &c. These gussets, large or small according to their destination, are simply square pieces of material folded into a double triangle. Their form may, on occasion, be slightly altered, whether by cutting off the top of one of the corners or rounding off the square, &c. One half is sewn on the article in the slit made to receive it, and the other half is turned over the back and sewn over the stitches. The neck is then folded down to be hemmed to the depth of an inch; a hem thus made would have some gathers, and would not set well at the corners.

To avoid this little inconvenience, four little gussets ought to be cut and fixed in the four corners of the neck, where the hem ought to be snipped to receive them. They must be made of the same depth as the hem. There should be tow gussets at the back and two at the front. It is to be observed that by the aid of these gussets the neck can be made either round or square, according to whether the top of the gusset is turned towards the top or the bottom of the places made to receive it. In the former the neck becomes square, in the latter round. The hem made, it will serve as a running. For this two holes must be pierced in the center to pass a string through. We have described this simple and primitive mode of finishing the top as many persons still practise it, and we shall afterwards revert to other and prettier methods.

Fig. 4

Cut of the sleeves for nightdresses and shirts. A sleeve is not made by sewing up a piece of calico at the sides, longer or shorter as the case may be, and intended merely to cover the arm. As it is to be larger at the shoulder than at the wrist, it is necessary that the make of the sleeve be in accordance.

General Rule. The length of the sleeve on the outer side of the arm ought to be more by some inches than that on the inner part, which ought to be sloped. There are many ways for cutting sleeves. (Fig. 5) Formerly a gusset was always added to the top of the sleeve, in order to enlarge it. As this fashion is not totally abandoned, it is as well to explain it. The material intended for the sleeves is cut into two halves equal in breadth; each piece will form a sleeve after adding a gusset, a, which (taken from the cutting of the neck) will be smaller or larger according to the size required for the sleeve to fit into the armhole.

Fig. 5 and 6

The old-fashioned plan is replaced by a pattern at once prettier and more suitable to the arm, allowing the sleeves to be cut from the material reserved for them without resorting to the aid of further calico for the gusset.

This is obtained by cutting a pair of sleeves so as to add to the top of one sleeve what has been taken from the other. This plan is followed for sleeves of a certain length in chemises, and for all shirt-sleeves.

Fig. 6. —The stuff for the sleeves is so folded that the two selvages meet, not at the side, but in the centre of the material at the line e f, which thus divides two straight sleeves. Care must be taken not to separate them; it is best carefully to tack the selvages together.

Fig. 7

Fig. 7. —Thus prepared the cloth is again folded as shown in Fig.7. The fold is now the cross, and passes through the centre of the selvage. The respective ends of the fold are shown as g h. This proceeding arranges the width of the wrists. It is therefore to be understood that it is through the fold shown at the letters g b that the sleeve is to be cut.

By noticing the letters a, b, c, d on Fig.7, and referring to the same letters on Fig. 7, it will be seen that the intersection or gore is placed exactly where it ought to be.

Making a sleeve for a nightdress or shirt. The gore is sewn to the edge to which it has been tacked; the sleeve is run and felled in a neat hem. The shape is given to the top of the sleeve by rounding the part a, and by sloping the underpart b, which is near to the seam. The wrist is hemmed or stitched to the depth of nearly an inch. After having shaped the armholes, the sleeves are fixed in by running and felling. Care must be taken that the armhole is not larger than the sleeve; it is better that the sleeve should be the fuller of the two.

Different patterns of chemise. Differences are found in the sleeves and neck of chemises. Thus the neck, instead of being finished with a simple hem, can be made with a little band; the top of the chemise can be gathered at the back and front, leaving the apart for the shoulders quite plain. For this it is necessary that the body of the chemise should be larger than the exact size round the shoulders, to allow for the gathers being made. These are drawn together, leaving the piece quite plain on the shoulders, and thus made to fit comfortably. The neckband must be made of a strip of double calico half an inch wide. This is laid upon the neck in the front of the chemise, to be hemmed upon the gathers and stitched upon the shoulders; the reverse side of the band is hemmed entirely round the top of the chemise. With these neck pieces there is generally a slit made in the front of the chemise to the depth of some inches. Ordinarily these slits have simply a narrow hem, but frequently a false hem is placed on the reverse side and stitched. This stitching is made sometimes to resemble a hem about three-quarters of an inch in breadth, which passes over to the other side and is fixed at the bottom of the slit by one or tow rows of stitching. Sometimes the false hem is sewn so as to necessitate a little gathering at the bottom of the slit; these gathers are then concealed by a small gusset.

Sleeves. Puffed sleeves. For this style they are increased in their intended breadth to about one-third, as of course the puffing lessens the size; the sleeve, when finished, ought not to exceed four inches. After having sloped the top and the bottom of the sleeves the two ends are gathered, the top of the gathered sleeve being fixed into the armhole, and the gathers at the bottom are put into a band (see fig. 1).

Short Crossed Sleeves. These sleeves are cut in a form resembling a fichu; the point is placed, according to fancy, above or below the arm, and the two ends cross each other.

Buttoned Sleeves. This sleeve, cut in the same manner as that described above, is furnished with a button and buttonhole, and fastens near the shoulder-strap. This style is useful for full dress.

Trimmings. The trimming is always placed on the sleeves and neck of a chemise; these can be trimmed with lace, crochet, or embroidery or Valenciennes lace. A very pretty style is that which consists in embroidering the slope of the neck instead of putting a band or neck piece.

If desired, the part in front of the neck could be cut out in any form for example, in a fan shape, and placing in the hollow thus made a species of breast-plate, which could be made of embroidered linen or a mass of lace arranged or crossed in almost any manner. In fact, no rule except a feeling of good taste can be given for trimming.