No-Pattern Wing-it Chemise Tutorial Part 3

Continuing from last time, it's time to tackle the front facing! I learned this technique from the same place I learned about the sleeve gussets and Elizabethan seams. It was used to completely finish a neckline on the surviving 16th century smock, but I'm pretty sure I can wing it and and use the same method to finish the front slit.  

Pin the front facing to the outside of your chemise, right sides together.

Line up the bottom of the slit of your front facing piece to the outside of your front slit, right sides together. If you measured with me, you should have about 2.5 inches to the top of the chemise after the edge of the front facing. Fold over the top edge a half inch or so towards you, so there are 3 inches on the front piece with no front facing. This fold will create a bit of a hem, which will help in later steps, and still give you 3 inches of fabric to work with when it's time to tackle the neckline. [IMPORTANT NOTE! If you extended your front facing piece to 15 inches long to avoid the extra step later, line it up with the top of the slit and don't fold over a seam allowance at the top. Continue below as usual!]

All pinned and folded over.

Work carefully, line up those cut edges as evenly as you can; this is going to be very important for the next step. 
 

Sew! Stay very close to the edge here, but take care not to go off.

Time to sew! Sew very close to the edge around the cut slit, keeping the fold you made when you pinned, and reinforcing as you round the bottom. Work slow, you want to be very close to the cut edge without going off, and you want to be sure to get both layers together. You might miss small bits here and there, and that's fine, we'll account for them in the next step.

Reinforce this part (sew back and forth a few times). It will take a lot of pressure and we don't want it to tear.

Work slowly as you go - I seem to be saying that a lot!- there is a lot of fabric to manipulate around as you turn corners on that edge. We'll end up making two more passes around the slit when all is done. In hindsight, I might have done the front facing before shoulders and sleeve gussets because of this. I'll remember that for next time.

Up the other side, be careful going over the fold at the top.

 

Finished seam around the edges. Remember, we're still looking at the outside of the chemise.

Turn the front facing to the inside, now wrong sides together, and press. Carefully press around the bottom of the slit. You will probably get a few little darts and that's okay. If you missed any little bits, just turn them in and press them down. Turn under the raw edges all the way to the seam you just created and press again. [If you want to add interfacing for stiffness, do it here. Cut two strips less than 1 inch by 10 inches and fuse to the inside, very close to the seam. I did not add interfacing.]

Turn the facing inside and press.

 

I have one dart from turning. This is fine. Try to keep the front looking flat if you can.

 

Turn under raw edges all around and press again, just like we did when finishing the shoulder seams.

Go back to your machine and top stitch around the seam you just created, all around the slit. Sew very close to the fold all around. You can see I pinned the outer fold from the back. If you pinned like I did, just be mindful of where they are as you're working with the front. [If you want to add a thin boning, unfold that outer fold before you top stitch.]

Top stitch over the folded edge down one side...

 

...around the bottom and back up the other side.

[If you're adding boning, you only have about an inch to work with for bones and grommets. Place your bones (10 inches long) very close to the seam, refold the outer fold, and stitch your channel. I did not add boning.]

Next, we're going to sew the outer fold. Start at the edge of the slit and sew across the top, down the side, around the bottom, back up the other side, and across the other top. Sew very close to the fold again.

Sewing the outer fold, where we turned under the raw edges.

The addition of the front facing here not only allows you to hem that center slit, but also gives a more sturdy, multi-fabric layer area for grommets. You should have about one inch from seam to seam here. We'll take care of the grommets later.

The finished slit from the front.

Now all the pieces we cut in step one are sewn together! Coming up: sleeve cuffs, side seams, neckline, hem, grommets, done!

No-Pattern Wing-it Chemise Tutorial Part 2

If you followed along with me last time, you should have nine pieces that don't resemble a chemise: a front piece and a back piece, two identical sleeves, four identical sleeve gussets, and a front facing. Now it's time to sew everything together! I'm calling this my Wing-it Chemise because I really am just guessing at the whole thing. While I can follow a sewing pattern, I feel like I sew better this way.

Part of my costume research involved learning about Elizabethan seams. Generally and in a nutshell, each separate piece would be hemmed around all edges and then the appropriate edges would be whip-stitched together. I am using a sewing machine for this as I just don't have time to do it all by hand, but we can get the basic look of Elizabethan seams (and increase the life of our garment) with a machine too. If you have an overlock machine and want to skip hemming the seams for the Elizabethan look, go for it. I'm using a half inch seam allowance unless otherwise noted. 

First and with right sides together, sew the long, straight edge of the sleeves to the 10 inch diagonal cut on the front piece. Leave about half an inch at the bottom of this seam (where the front piece turns towards the rest of the body) unsewn to make adding the gusset easier.

Pin the front piece to the sleeve, along that 10 inch triangle we cut off for shaping.

Sew! 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Pin the gusset to the base of this seam, one edge will be on the body piece and one on the sleeve piece with the point of the gusset where the shoulder seam ends. Work slowly here, and sew the gusset to the body and sleeve - take care to make sure the fabric is flat on the bottom with as few little folds or accidental darts as possible. You will probably have at least one accidental dart, but that's okay.

Pinning the sleeve gusset. The center point should be at the base of the shoulder seam.

Sewing the gusset. Work slow, make sure you don't have any wrinkles underneath.

This is what the shoulder seam and two gusset seams looks like from the front.
There is a tiny dart in there. These are bound to happen.

To achieve the Elizabethan seam look, press these seams open, turn under the raw edges and press again, then straight stitch down the folds. Work slowly here as well, making sure you are as close to the edge of the fold as possible without going off. I suggest sewing the part of the seam that faces towards the gussets and the shoulder seams at this step. Leave the rest of the gusset seams (the part that would be sewn to the sleeve piece and body piece) for later.

Open the seams and fold under the raw edge. Sew slowly on the fold.

This is about what an Elizabethan seam looks like from the front.

Finishing gusset seams. Only work in towards the gusset for now.
We'll take care of that other half of the seam later.

Repeat these steps on the other three sleeve edges. I found that completing one side at a time made it easier to fumble around with all that fabric. I sewed the sleeves onto the front piece first and then to the back one at a time, finishing seams as I went along. Be careful that your garment doesn't get all twisted up. Take your time to make sure you really do have right sides together and are matching the correct sleeve side to the correct front or back shoulder.

You now have a vaguely dress-shaped, open-sided tube. Good job!

A vaguely dress-shaped thing that is way too big!

Next, let's handle the front facing. I took a lot of pictures for this part to help you through, so I'm going to put it in its own post. Come back next time!

No-Pattern Wing-it Chemise Tutorial Part 1

Spring is fast approaching (though not fast enough!) and with it comes the start of my Renaissance Festival seasons! The first is at the end of April, the little faire my work puts on for the third year running. We have some great performers coming out this year, and I might even get a chance to train a cast! Right after that is the Virginia Renaissance Faire. I'm not actually working it this year because of Poppyseed. May-ish is the start of my third trimester, you see, and the potential for dehydration is just too great. That being said, I still plan to go once or twice. And then there is the Maryland Renaissance Festival in the fall. I'm also not working there this year, as it will be right after Poppyseed is born and I just can't promise the time. I was hoping to bring Poppyseed around, but Beloved and I discussed it and determined that it's way too dangerous for a couple-month old. That doesn't mean that I can't still visit for a bit if I get the chance.

All of this means I need some new garb! Nothing in my current faire wardrobe is going to fit in April and May and I'm probably not going to be back to my size in September or October yet either. I want an outfit that can grow with me, shrink down to a post-baby me, and maybe even open up for breast feeding. I don't have anything like that in my current closet, so I'm going to have to make it. I used what I had and what I've researched and what I've seen other people wear at historical faires to base this design: which will be a chemise and a front lace kirtle. I have a pattern that will need adapting for the kirtle, but nothing for the chemise. I'm calling this my Wing-it Chemise. Follow along with me!

Now, I have a lovely chemise in my closet that probably would fit a pregnant belly and can be pulled over the shoulders (or lower for breastfeeding), but the fabric is a little sheer and I'd definitely need a full-coverage overdress to protect my modesty. Not wanting to make a full-coverage overdress that does all the things I need maternity garb to do, I decided on just an opaque chemise, based on this sheer one I currently have. I picked this lovely teal linen blend. It may be hot in the spring, but I think I can open it up enough to get some air flow going, and I plan to make it very generous in size - probably more than I need - which will also help for the air flow.

Start with 4 yards of 51 inch linen

Measure the existing garment.

The first step is to measure the components of the chemise I have. It has an elastic neckline which makes this a little difficult, but not too bad. Yes, I plan to use elastic for the new chemise too. No, it's not period, but it will serve my purpose. The bottom hem is 96 inches total with two side seams, so 48 inches seam to seam with a front and a back piece. Shoulder to hem is also about 48 inches (near as I can tell from the elastic). So, I need two 48 x 48 square pieces of fabric for the front and back, not accounting for seam allowance, elastic neckline, or hem. The width of my linen is 51 inches, and I cut two pieces 50 inches long.

Cut two for body, for front and back.

Next, I measured the sleeves. This was also difficult as the top of the sleeve was part of the elastic neckline, and the cuff also had elastic. The sleeve was about 24.5 inches from neckline to cuff, so I cut my linen 30 inches long to have some extra to work with for adding elastic. I made a mistake at this next part, I measured the width of the sleeve, but I didn't stretch out the gauzy material. I cut my linen 18 inches wide, which falls short of the 22 inches in the original by quite a bit. I think it will still fit around my arms, but it won't be as loose as I want it. Not perfect, but it will work. With elastic at the cuffs, I'll still be able to push the sleeves up to my elbows for air if I need it.

Cut two for sleeves, left and right.

Once I realized that the sleeves aren't the width of my original, I thought it would be best to add a gusset under the arms for some more room. This style of gusset comes from a pattern I found for a smock made from an existing 16th century garment. Cut two squares, about 6 inches, and then cut them along the diagonal, so you are left with 4 triangles.

Cut two 6x6 squares for gussets...

...and then cut those on the diagonal to make 4 triangles.

The chemise has a bit of fitting around the shoulder seams and I think that's very important for the shape. I'm not following this fitting exactly, but I'll fudge it a little bit. I cut off a triangle from all four top corners of the front and back pieces, about 9x5x10 inches (where 10 is the length of the cut) for shape.

Four cuts here, one on each top corner of the front and back pieces, for shaping around the shoulders.

Since I also want to be able to open up for breastfeeding, I knew I needed a slit and probably some lacing in the middle of the front piece. There is a small slit in my existing chemise, but it is only about 6 inches from the neckline. I think a full 10 inches will serve me better. This part took some noodling. Assuming I'll need 3 inches for the elastic neckline (folding over an inch and a half to create a small ruffle and the channel for the elastic will eat up 3 inches from the edge), I cut a 13 inch slit down the front.

A slit down the front.

In order to hem this edge, I'll need to add a small facing piece. I cut a piece 3x12 inches and 10.5 inches down the middle. I'll get to how this piece works when we start sewing. [IMPORTANT NOTE! Later, I extend this front facing because it's too short. Cut your piece 3x15 to skip the extra step!]

One small piece for the front slit.

And that's all the cutting! DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR SCRAPS! We might need some extra pieces as we work, so hold on to those bits! If you're following along, you should have nine pieces of fabric: two front and back pieces (identical except for the front slit), two identical sleeves, four identical sleeve gussets, and one small front facing. Next time, sewing it all together!

All the cut pieces!

One More Thing

I've been trying to get you, dear readers, all caught up on the past few months. Lots of exciting things have been happening and I have been busy dealing with that rather than writing. I always promise I'll do better, and usually do for a little bit. I can't promise that this time. You see...

It's true!

I'm feeling fine at the moment. I'm tired of getting up in the night every few hours to use the bathroom. I'm starting to get some heartburn. I still have bouts of nausea, but not actually vomiting. All that being said, I kinda love being pregnant! More than that, I love that it means my beloved husband and I will welcome a new little life into our family this summer. Everyone has a silly nickname for their growing baby. We call ours Poppyseed, because that's the size she was when we found out she was there. She's way bigger than a poppy seed now, but I'm not going to start calling her turnip!

A little 16 week bump

This is me at 16 weeks. Not much of a baby bump yet, but it's there. Still lots more growing to do. Pregnancy isn't really nine months by the way they count it, it's really more like ten months (40 weeks). We're almost halfway! Some new blood sample screening told us that we're at a low risk for chromosome disorders and we're having a girl. There is a chance this screening could be wrong on all levels, but they're usually pretty reliable. My beloved really wants a girl, so I'm very happy he'll get to experience that special bond between dads and daughters, like I have with my dad.

Live Long and Prosper

This is my very first baby picture! Lookit! I'm Vulcan! But the really special thing is that I still have that dress. I put it on my Cabbage Patch babies as a little girl until I saw this picture and realized that dress was mine. I put it on a little hanger and stashed it in the back of my closet with my Christening gown, which I also still have. No, I'm not a fan of pink and, yes, that dress is pink. I don't care. The fact that my first dress might be my daughter's first dress too is just more awesome than I have words!

So, I think that's everything. All caught up!

A Magical Honeymoon

Our honeymoon did not start off magical. We were flying out of DC on Sunday night, the day after the wedding. They had some silly mechanical problem that delayed us an hour and a half, so we were arriving in Boston while our plane to Dublin was taking off. We wandered around the airport for a good 2 hours (including waiting for shuttles to take us to other parts of the airport) trying to figure out what to do. First we went to the Aer Lingus desks, but they were all gone for the day. Then we went to information who told us to head back to baggage claim and find out where our luggage is. We found out that Aer Lingus had our luggage locked away and put us on the next flight across the pond at 6 pm the next day - 21 hours after the flight we were supposed to be on. They finally got a manager who got us a hotel room and a couple overnight packs of things like toothpaste and a toothbrush and deodorant. We had to make a 2 minute call to the hotel in Dublin to let them know we were going to be a day late and please don't give our room away. That call cost $14.

Monday morning! It's kinda sucky to be promised Dublin and get Boston. We checked out, took the free shuttle back to the airport (where the Aer Lingus people probably wouldn't be in until 3 or 4), took the free shuttle to the train station in the city, found a place in the bus terminal to check our carry ons ($20) and wandered around Boston Common in the rain. We only had a few hours to kill, so we didn't do much but walk around. We collected our bags and paid for the bus back to the airport where we were finally able to check in. It wasn't a fun day, really. I know it wasn't Boston's fault, but the experience hasn't really warmed me up to that city. We're going to take a weekend to really explore Boston someday, when we have no where else to go and hopefully when it's less wet. And now we're finally on the plane and off to Dublin!

Tuesday morning lands in Dublin! We confirmed our reservation for the car and found a bus that took us close to the hotel. The hotel was nice; it was really an apartment with a little kitchen and living room, and a separate bedroom. We napped for a couple hours and hit the streets. We wandered about a bit- found a church that was near the hotel that made a good landmark and walked pass the Christ Church Cathedral (a friendly local with an amazingly thick accent guessed that was where we were headed and pointed us that way. We were really just looking at the map to get our bearings, but it was nice someone offered to help all the same.) before making our way to the Old Jameson Distillery. As a whiskey lover, I really wanted to see that place! On the tour, the guide picked 8 people to do a comparison taste test with Jameson, Johnny Walker Black, and Jack Daniels. Jameson was definitely the best, and I say that completely independent of the fact that I was in a Jameson museum at the time (Makers Mark 64 is still my favorite whiskey, for the record). 

Illuminated Jameson

We headed to Trinity College and the Book of Kells exhibit in the Old Library after that. It was amazing, and that library seriously belongs in a fairy tale castle. We wandered after that and got thoroughly lost. We ended up in a very residential area and all the helpful tourist signs were no where to be seen! We wandered some more and realized that we were heading in the wrong direction (we had walked completely off our map!). Both of us had to pee really bad. We finally saw a church spire and headed for it, hoping it was the church near our hotel. At a glance it looked like it. We stopped in a pub for their bathroom and a pint (no restrooms without purchase!) then went out to the church and realized it wasn't the one by the hotel after all. However, we were back in the touristy area and there was a map that directed us back to the right church.

The Old Library at Trinity College

We dropped off the days purchases and the big fancy camera at the hotel and went out for dinner. We found a place in Temple Bar (big touristy place, but a lot of fun) and had an awesome dinner. According to an app on my phone, we walked 10 miles that day! Yay, adventure!

A Delicious meal after a day of adventure!

Because of the lost day on Monday, we decided to make our trip out west a day trip instead of a two night trip, so we got our hotel room for two more nights and were picking up the car Wednesday morning. The hotel had a garage too, so it was very convenient to park for a day.

Wednesday! Neither of us got up before noon even though my husband was planning on picking up the car around 8 or 9. That didn't happen. He got back around 3 or so and we headed out to lunch and the Guinness Storehouse. While we were headed in what we thought was the right direction, I asked to check the map and another friendly local with a less thick accent asked if we were looking for Guinness and pointed to the sign where we needed to turn (seriously, the people in Ireland were awesome everywhere). Almost there, we ran into some people who asked us if we were from here because they were looking for something. "No, but we have a map," we say. "It wouldn't be on the map," they say, "we're looking for the oldest pub in Ireland." They meant the Brazen Head, and it was right across the road where we had lunch. Yay, I can help like a local!

The Brazen Head, Ireland's Oldest Pub

The Museum closes at 7, so we didn't have a lot of time to go through the self-guided tour. We did manage to make it for the last Guinness tasting of the night and the last 'pour the perfect pint' class. That place was pretty neat, even though we only saw half of it. It was pouring rain by the time we got out so we picked up dinner at Subway (I know, I know!) and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Pouring the Perfect Pint

Put yourself in a Guinness ad!

Thursday! Up early for a good ole Irish breakfast (Irish bacon is some serious bacon!) then we hit a convenience store for supplies and started driving. We rented a GPS with the car which ended up being awesome. We had to look up how to get the car in reverse though, because husband insisted on a manual transmission. The only problem with the drive west was the fog. It was so thick we probably only had 10 yards of visibility, if that, and that wasn't much at highway speeds. We didn't see the toll plaza until we were right up on it. Thankfully, there were not a lot of cars on the road. We got to Galway and walked for about 30 minutes (which was the length of time at the parking space we found).

Serious Fog

It was impossible to see anything with that fog that seemed to just stick to us out of Dublin. No beautiful countryside: all fog. I really wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher, though, so we started driving south from Galway, even though we probably wouldn't be able to see anything at all in this fog. I came to the conclusion along that drive that Ireland has one weather for the whole island - that day it was fog. Did I mention the fog? Fog. Really fog. Everywhere fog. We drove up this little mountain that defined hair pin turn, it was a little unnerving. Yay, adventure. At this point in the drive, I was reflecting on some of the other countries I have visited: like the moment in Paris where I put my hand on a wall of Notre Dame Cathedral and almost started crying. I was thinking about our trip to Ireland, the one place in the world I want to see more than any other, and we had seen some very fun things, but I didn't have a moment like that - where it was suddenly real and it was suddenly magical that I was actually there. Why was this place, where I most wanted to be, not like that? Then we crested a little hill and the fog was gone. GONE! Rolling hills! Mountains in the distance! Sheep! Cottages! The Atlantic Ocean! The Aran Islands! You could see the fog behind us but the way ahead was clear, clear, clear. Clear and beautiful. And I had my magical moment. 

Suddenly, no fog! Just look at that countryside!

We got to the Cliffs and the guy at the gate was all "it's a really beautiful, clear day!" and we were like, "we know, we just came out of the fog!" and he laughed and said usually it's the opposite, foggy at the cliffs and clear everywhere else. There was a little exhibit thing inside one of the buildings about the cliffs and the ecosystem there and it was all very neat, but I was worried the fog would catch up to us so we didn't spend a lot of time inside. The view over the Atlantic was awesome. We could see the fog rolling in over the Aran Islands. Ravens were flying. I'm so glad we went. I'm so glad we weren't defeated by the fog and changed our mind about trying the cliffs that day. Yay, adventure!

The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

Just as we were leaving, the fog caught up. It made for a not so fun drive back, through Shannon and Limerick, in the dark and fog and rain. We picked up a pizza (I know! But pizza with bacon on it in Ireland has Irish bacon on it! Divine!) for dinner once we got back to Dublin because we were tired and didn't want to get dolled up and go out again.

At the Cliffs of Moher, before the fog caught up to us!

Friday! Last morning in Ireland. Very sad. It was kind of rainy, but less foggy. We had talked about walking around for one last bit, and I thought about hitting the Distillery gift shop once more, but decided against it lest we get lost again. We did walk to the convenience store by the church for travel snacks and then headed to the airport. We had to turn the car in at noon but our flight wasn't until 5. The airport in Dublin is awesome in that you can go through US Customs right there before leaving, making landing stateside way convenient. We did some duty free shopping (because what else are we going to do waiting around the airport?). The flight back was a little irritating. There were many more people than on the flight over (where there were hardly any) and this one lady who was sitting in front of me reclined her seat and then moved to the seat next to husband which was a little closer to her family - without putting her seat up! RUDE!!! Husband likes to tell people that she was coughing and hacking the whole flight and "thanks for sitting next to me with that." Yay, adventure.

So, we land back in Boston. They wouldn't let us get out of the plane for 20 minutes because of congestion in the terminal. Boston Logan, not a fun place. The way this worked, since Aer Lingus is not a US carrier, we had to leave the international area and go back in the domestic area. We were worried that security would give us trouble with our duty free purchases (whiskey!) even though they were in a sealed bag with the date of purchase on the receipt clearly visible. There was a bit of a delay there, but we got through. We checked at US Airways to make sure our luggage was going to be on our flight. The guy looked confused as to why we would bother to ask (because you loaded it on a different flight on the way out and we wanted to make sure it would go through to DC with us) but said it would be on the flight with us.

Back to DC! We head to baggage claim! Our flight was on the monitors, but it didn't list a carousel number- that was blank. So we wandered through baggage claim for a bit and see nothing coming out. Husband went to ask where our luggage was while I waited. The announcement said something about a flight coming in from Tampa would be on carousel 7, and a bunch of people gathered, then another traveler came up to them and said the bags from Tampa were coming out on 11, though everyone heard 7. This does not bode well. Husband said they told him our luggage was coming out on 12, so we waited. Luggage came and people went and there we were, waiting. Waiting, for like an hour. We suddenly realized there was like no one in the baggage claim area. There was a couple to our left and a handful of people at the end of the hall. And no luggage. So husband asked again and they said carousel 12 and he said, no, we were there and our bags were not. They scanned the tag and said our bags got loaded on the flight after ours that was just landing. *headdesk* Ours were the first two bags on carousel 12 that time. The lesson: if you ever have to fly US Airways, please for the love of all things living, do not check your luggage. Do not trust your bags with them. They don't care when they show up. Bags in hand, we met MIL who drove us to her home where we left our car and then we drove the rest of the way. Yay home!

Yay, adventure!

(For the record, I will never fly US Airways again. We lost an entire day of our honeymoon and the only thing they could think to offer us in recompense is a single $100 voucher - that we can't even share! Some prodding finally got two vouchers out of them, with a ton of conditions, but the delay still cost us more than $200 to adjust our travel plans for the lost day. Seriously, dear readers, US Airways, which is owned by American Airlines, is dreadful. They don't care if they cause you inconvenience or to lose a day of your vacation and they won't make good on it. Think twice before you book with them. And if you have to book with them, for the love of cats and little fishes, do not check your luggage. Carry everything with you. Trust me here.)

A Picture-Perfect Day

Due to my serious lack of updating, I have yet to post about my wedding! It was a rather frigid day on November 15, 2014. It wasn't so bad outside in the sun, but in the barn for the reception was downright cold. We brought everyone back to the house for crazy karaoke and celebration with actual warmth. Really, even with the cold, it was a perfect day. 

All photos below are by the lovely and talented Rachel of Patchie [Photography].

 

Yes, my dad wore his kilt. I expected nothing less!

 

We exchanged swords as part of our ceremony. It was fantastic!

My dear friend Fox was our minister.

Swords in the ceremony gave us this awesome opportunity for a sword arch!

I have nothing to say about this picture. I don't know if one of us said something funny or we just have reason to smile!

Truth be told, we have some good-looking friends!

A picture-perfect day. The swords went along with our Skyrim-esque theme.

We danced to "How Long Will I Love You," by the Waterboys, covered by by Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney, and Ben Coleman (from the About Time soundtrack).