1750's Chemise

Here is the first post of my 1750's dress!

Well, to be precise, I'm starting with the underpinnings. 

I'm always saying, "If the underpinnings are not right, the dress will not look right." And so I finally took my own advice and made her the right chemise.

 via

This is not the exact pattern I used, but very similar. As you can see, it is mostly square pieces. So it was very easy to figure out without an actual pattern. I did not, however, use any drawstrings or gathers as this pattern suggests. This is the basic idea below.

 Under arm gussets...

 Side gores and crocheted edge around sleeves...

 ...crocheted edge around hem...

  ...and neckline.

And here it is under her corset.

Here is an interesting article (and some lovely pictures) about corsets in the 18th century.

Hope you've enjoyed these pictures. 

Coming up next... More 18th century underpinnings!

Love, Emaline