Chemise put together

Finished the basic construction of the chemise, meaning that all the major seams are done and all the pieces are put together. It is somewhat less ugly now that it is closer to being complete, so for this picture I turned it right side out so you can roughly see what it's supposed to look like in the end.
 

Next step is the finishing up the edges, which entail sewing casings to hold pieces of elastic. I'm starting to think I bought elastic that is too think for everywhere but the hemline-- it's a full inch thick. What I want is for the fabric to gather around the hem, collar, and cuffs, and I'm getting nervous that it's not going to come out right. valleyviolet suggested I put a facing on the collar instead of trying to fold over that uneven line into a casing, which I may do if that would help it gather better. If anyone has any further suggestions, it would be much appreciated. I guess I'll just have to give it a try and see how it comes out. I don't have anything to do tonight, so I think I will see what I can accomplish with that free time. Wish me luck!

Unexpected costuming possibility

So one thing I didn't mention about my trip to the Renaissance Fair with my parents is that I found something interesting in the parking lot on our way out. On the ground in the mulch was a forgotten bodice, or possibly a vest for a young boy, reversible with red corduroy on one side and silky gray with swirls of red velour on the other. I wondered if it fell out of someone's bag, or if they took it off at the end of the day and it dropped out of the trunk of their car. I felt bad for them, as this sort of thing isn't cheap and the owner would probably kick themselves for losing it, but I had no way of figuring out who it belonged to, so I decided to just keep it. It was very small, leading my dad to speculate that it might have been sized for a child, but once we were on our way in the car I took off my coat and tried it on over my shirt. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't even come close to closing it. No manner of my trying to pull it could bring the two sides of it to meet. Still, I didn't want to give up on it yet. When I got home I tried messing with it a bit more, deciding that maybe if I laced it I could at least get it closed enough to look okay. I decided I'd buy a shoelace for the purpose and find out. I forgot about it for a while, and didn't mention it here because I was fairly certain that it wasn't going to end up being wearable. But today, looking for elastic at the drugstore but not finding any, I remembered I wanted to try lacing it.
What I found was... kind of shocking, really. With the laces I not only could make it fit but cinch it all the way closed, without an excessive amount of pulling. Wouldn't be the first time I squeezed into child-sized clothes. I took this picture to commemorate the miracle.
 

Hello, breasts. So that's where you've been hiding.

It's not really very comfortable. It's pretty damn tight this way; deep breathing is pretty much an impossibility. And I can't say I pleased with the way it pushes my fat out into bulgy love handles down below. But it pretty much fits, and it actually does for my bust what these sorts of tops are supposed to do for one's bust. Overall I wouldn't say it looks bad. A bit over-the-top, but not bad. That specific quality makes me think it might be good to incorporate into my Wrathskeller costume plans, specifically on the red corduroy side not pictured here. I think it needs something underneath it, if only to distract from the bulging. My cropped chemise would not do in that case. But it definitely has the tavern wenchy aesthetic I'd want, and I'm sure I can find larp and other costuming opportunities to make use of this. It may encourage me to drop those last five pounds. We'll see what I can put together.