Jester's Chemise: Tutorial

Art by Ariana Orner

Hi guys! In this tutorial I'm going to be guiding you through how I made my chemise for Jester. It's a very standard chemise pattern with some small modifications to make those beautiful sleeves.

Just as a note: I'm not going to be using the lower half as the final skirt but will be layering a couple of petticoats over the top to create a smoother circle skirt effect. As such, length measurements can be a little more casual; just make sure it doesn't poke out the bottom!

Materials:

3.5 metres of white linen, silk, or cotton fabric (I used a cotton sateen)

White thread

Scissors, tape measure, iron etc.

Optional: sewing machine (it wouldn't be FUN to do by hand but it's totally possible)

Pattern:

(All measurements are provided in inches)

Note on sizing:

These are the measurements I used. If you'd like more or less gathering or are markedly broader or narrower than me then you can play around with the inches. It's in no way an exact science so don't be afraid to alter.

Method:

1. Sew gussets to sleeves

Sew the gusset to the sleeve panels as pictured. I like to use French seams for all the construction to keep the inside of the chemise looking neat.
Press all seams.

My gussets are 7inches wide which fits my narrow shoulders but if you'd like extra room then feel free to increase the size.

2. Sew sleeves to body

Align the front and back panels so they sit about 2 inches above the sleeve gusset, sew together and then press the seams. Your chemise should look like this diagram at this point, resembling a (very) large cross.

Note: Double check that the widest and narrowest sides of your front and back pieces are orientated as shown above.- even though it's a little counter intuitive. 

3. Sew the sides

Fold your chemise in half so it forms a T shape.
You then want to stitch each side together from cuff to bottom hem.
When using a French seam on this step, be careful to sew it the right way round! (It's a mistake I made a lot when I was starting out.)
Press seams open.

4. Adjust the sleeves

While the chemise is still folded, cut and tear down the centre of each sleeve.
Turn hem each half of the sleeve.
Sew a plain seam to about 7 inches down the sleeve and press open.
I like to then invisible hem the seams open down the length of the sleeve; this can be done on the machine but will result in a visible topstitch.

5. Gather the neckline

Run two lines of stitching, at your sewing machine's longest stitch length, close to the edge of the neckline opening. (You want to use two just to reduce the stress on the thread. You don't want it to snap mid-gather!)
After tying off one end of the threads, grab the two at the other end of your stitching and carefully pull them whilst pushing the fabric back to gather it.
Keep gathering the fabric until the neckline opening matches the measurements of where you want your chemise to sit across your shoulders and then tie off the other end of your gathering threads.

Secure your gathering by bias binding the neckline of your chemise. I like to make my own using the same fabric but any cotton bias tape will work.
I hand sewed my bias tape to avoid visible stitching but feel free to use whatever method suits you best!

6. Hem

Once you've tried on your chemise, check the lengths of the sleeves and body of the garment. You don't want the hem to poke our from the bottom of your skirt! Jester has very long sleeves but feel free to adjust to whatever length suits you best - the pattern length provided suits my 5"6 height.

7. Enjoy!

Hope this quick tutorial has been helpful. I found it a fun, fast project so hopefully this can dispel some fear for people! Next up will be the dip dying and flower application which I shall document to the best of my abilities.

If you use this tutorial, please give me a tag so I can admire your handiwork :D
As always, happy sewing!