This post is long overdue-not just because I made these back in October, but also because I have not made new underpinnings since I began the hobby 8 years ago. With how often I used to dress up at the Bell County Museum (almost daily at one point), that's quite a while for 2 chemises and 2 drawers to be in commission! They've seen their fair share of action and have the battle scars (patches) to prove it! Especially since I didn't exactly use top of the line materials and tend to sleep in my chemises in the summer.
Every year around the time Welbourne comes around, I go through my wardrobe and decide what I need to update/fix. Let's just say underpinnings have been on that list since I started going to Welbourne 3 years ago. And they just finally got done.
I decided to make 4 sets. The longest consecutive events I attend are 3 days long-that gives me a set per day plus an extra just in case. Each set contains a matching chemise, drawers, petticoat, and corset cover. I used 200 thread count cotton-it's not quite as thick as Pima but isn't semi-sheer like regular muslin fabric. I ordered a whole 25 yard bolt and ended up ordering a second 25 yard bolt to make a new nightgown and a few petticoats.
For all four sets, I used Simplicity 9769 for the chemise, making my own sleeve patterns. I used this chemise the very first time I made a chemise and I have never had a chemise fit as nice as that one, but the sleeves went all the way to my elbow! I used Elizabeth Stewart Clark's instructions for drafting your own drawers pattern that can be found on
The Sewing Academy. I highly recommend Mrs. Clark's directions for drafting drawers-super easy and they fit so nicely! I have never liked drawers-mostly because I can't stand fabric between my legs AT ALL but these I can tolerate. Doesn't mean I'll wear them all the time, but at least I can tolerate them if I ever NEED to wear them (warmth, doing a talk on historic underpinnings, etc.) Of course, I just drafted my own petticoat pattern (it's just rectangles!). I believe I used 3 panels of 45" fabric for each petti. And the corset covers are just my bodice pattern.
Enjoy!
Set 1: Wavy Braid
Original Inspirations
 |
| Original chemise in in the MET |
 |
| Original Chemise in the collection of Carolann Schmitt. |
 |
| Original drawers in the MET |
 |
| Original petticoat in the MET |
 |
| Corset cover illustration from 1868. I don't think original trim was wavy braid, but it is very similar. |
My reproductions:
 |
| Chemise back |
 |
| Chemise front |
 |
| Chemise close up |
 |
| Drawers detail |
 |
| Drawers front |
 |
| Drawers back |
 |
| Petticoat back |
 |
| Petticoat front |
 |
| Corset cover close up |
 |
| Petticoat detail |
Notes on construction: This set is stitched completely by hand. I melded the two original chemises together-using the plain wavy braid as in Mrs. Schmitt's chemise but also adding a section of it in the middle of the yoke like the MET one. I have had the privilege of handling an original chemise/drawers set in the Bell County Museum that was made just like the MET's. That's a lot of handwork and a lot of time, so I opted for simple. For the petticoat, I used less wavy braid in my petticoat for the same reason-you have to tack each point of the wavy braid (both top and bottom) to the fabric and that was going to take forever. Right now I have some china buttons on the set, but I love the look of the thread covered on in Mrs. Schmitt's collection and may have to attempt something like that in the future.
Set 2: Tucked
Original Inspirations
 |
Lady's Handbook showing
tucked chemise |
 |
| MET tucked drawers |
 |
| MET tucked petticoat |
 |
| Corset cover from 1868 showing a tucked corset cover. |
My reproductions:
 |
| Drawers front |
 |
| Drawers back |
 |
| Chemise back |
 |
| Chemise front |
 |
| Chemise close up |
 |
| Drawers detail |
 |
| Petticoat front |
 |
| Petticoat back |
 |
| Petticoat detail |
 |
| Corset cover close up |
Notes on construction: This set is stitched by machine and finished by hand. I meant to add ruffles on both the petticoat and the drawers, to be more like the MET petticoat, but I ran out of time before Welbourne and have left them as is. No one really sees them anyway (haha!).
Set 3: Plain
Original Inspirations
 |
| MET drawers |
 |
Chemise from an
Auction site |
 |
| MET petticoat |
 |
| Private collection of Anton Priymak, ca. 1860. |
My reproductions:
 |
| Chemise front |
 |
| Chemise back |
 |
| Drawers front |
 |
| Drawers back |
 |
| Petticoat front |
 |
| Petticoat back |
Notes on construction: This set is stitched by machine and finished by hand. If I ever end up doing working class events again, these will be my go-to. They're really versatile which is why I made a plain set. They're basically an exact replication of my original set of underpinnings I made 8 years ago, since I used those so often!
Set 4: Embroidered
Original Inspirations
 |
| Original chemise in a private collection |
 |
| Original petticoat off Ebay |
 |
| Original drawers in private collection |
 |
| Embroidered corset cover from the MET. |
My reproductions:
 |
| Drawers front |
 |
| Drawers back |
 |
| Drawers detail |
 |
| Chemise close up |
 |
| Chemise front |
 |
| Chemise back |
 |
| Petticoat front |
 |
| Petticoat back |
Notes on construction: This set is stitched completely by hand. I picked up the Swiss insertion and edging off
Farmhouse Fabrics. I was going to do this set by machine but then realized that to get the embroideries straight, it would be easier by hand so that's what I did. I've worn this set several times already and love it!
Enjoy!
