Chemise put together

[breakinglight11]

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!

Comments

[laurion]

One common method in the garb circles is to get some relatively small ribbon, and to sew that into the hem, so you can gather the cuffs and, in this case, waist, with that and then just tie a bow in the ribbon to hold it gathered. Effective, and a nice little decorative element too.

Collars are sometimes just gathered around a loop of ribbon, and sewn shut so they are permanently gathered. And once something like that is gathered, it tends to completely hide any unevenness in the hemming.

[breakinglight11.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sounds perfect. I think I'll try that! Thanks!