#sewalong chatter

[badassindistress]

Interest check

I'm probably going to be running a little low stakes sewalong again at the end of this January ('25).

Should we do the Italian chemise or the simplified shirtsleeves? This remains subject to my whims, but:

[badassindistress]

That is wonderful news!

Just found my fabric for @badassindistress’ new year chemise sewalong! I actually got enough for two chemises, and very cheaply—I found a couple of lovely 100% cotton bedsheets, one white and one a pretty dusty pink! Now n thé thé washing and (ugh) ironing

[badassindistress]

How are you doing today Talia?

Well, this morning I painstakingly cut every handsewn stitch out of my chemise to sew it all up again in a different way, so make of that what you will

[badassindistress]

Sewalong update:

Gathering up the neckline finely takes such a long time that I've attempted Morgan Donner's two needles gathering technique. Tricky, but it is faster!

How are you all doing? Ready for the next step?

[badassindistress]

what kind of fabric would you recommend for the sew along

Whoops, I see a bit of the post didn't copy over. I've added it back in now, but here it is too:

What kind of fabric?

For the type of fabric I’d recommend cotton or linen for the historic feeling, but go with whatever brings you joy and isn’t stretchy. It needs to be light enough you can gather it up without it getting bulky and not terribly prone to fraying so you won’t go insane while sewing

Go with what is available and sparks joy as long as it’s a light fabric that gathers down nicely. (Thin sheets or table cloths can definitely be used for this). I’m going to use a fuchsia silk I’ve been saving for the airiest dress in existence.

[badassindistress]

Another sewalong question!

What's your opinion on back stitching vs running back stitches? Especially regarding structural integrity

(If I have to back stitch the entire chemise I may go insane)

Also, I was thinking about black work embroidery (since I have some of @thehaberdasheress 's wash away stick ons), on maybe the cuffs?

We are of one mind in this! For the gussets, you're gonna want to backstitch because those seams will strain everytime you lift your arms when you have a belt on. But the long seams? That's running backstitch all the way!

As for embroidery, I envy you immensely! I've been eyeing the haberdasheress' embroidery patches for ages, but can't justify the Canada to Europe shipping (also i get bored of embroidering quickly :/)

That would be absolutely gorgeous around the cuffs or even around the neckline! The festive attyre explanation has a section on decorative ruffles and embroidery I'm not going into to keep my explanation simple for beginners. Here it is again, shows you some of your options!

[badassindistress]

Tragically I will have to postpone the sewalong. I measured my fabric and I don't have enough length :( I'll try to find some other fabric, but most I have in the stash are knits, not wovens. Or they are too thick linen canvas. This is like having 200 channels on tv but it's nothing on lol. I'll still follow along in spirit tho, I can't wait to see the finished results of other people!

Oooh nooooo, that's so frustrating!

You could consider making a shirt version of the chemise, but I can also understand waiting until you can go for the full chemise

[badassindistress]

I would love to learn how to sew. For an (over)confident beginner would you recommend your current chemise sew-along, or the older shirt sleeve one? I have a background in embroidery so I'm not too worried by the prospect of hand-sewing, I can make nice, neat, even stitches. I am a bit scared of measurements and cutting parts out properly and things like that.

Definitely the chemise!

With the shirt I will one day also do an absolute beginners sewalong but for now it still assumes a little bit more sewing experience.

The chemise has much fewer fiddly bits, so with your embroidery knowledge you'll be fine. And it's quite forgiving, if your squares aren't all perfectly straight it won't be ruined.

[badassindistress]

Oh a petticoat or chemise sewalong sounds fantastic! Please do!

One more vote for underpinnings, thank you very much!

[badassindistress]

Chemise sewalong question! I’ve fallen in love with a fabric that I want to use for this but it’s only about 110 cm wide. I know this will lead to less floof, but could it still work?

I know that feeling! It will work, but less floofy as you've said. The bare minimum is for the two body blocks to be at least twice the circumference of the wildest part of your body.

So, for me that would be;

My hips are 114cm, so my fabric needs to be at least 114 wide. (But more is better).

If you're generously built in the chest department, you can make your gusset squares 20x20 instead of 18 to create a little more space.

Hope this helps!

[badassindistress]

January Chemise Sewalong Step Zero: Completed!

Happy New Year!✨

I have washed and ironed my fabric, so step zero is done!

Now I've put it all aside until Saturday the 25th of January, when the sewalong will start for real 😊

[badassindistress]

Question regarding the cutting:

Is this circled part meant to be more binding?

Good question! That circled unlabelled part is all that that's leftover of the fabric.

It may be used for more binding for the sleeves or the neck depending on the size of your sleeves/ how long you want the neck to be, but for now you can set it aside.

[badassindistress]

My chemise belt is done!

I forgot to take pictures of the boned interlining, but there's some light canvas and bones at the center front and center back.

I did a tambour embroidery design that I then satin stitched over by hand.

[badassindistress]

Chemise Question: I am not one into things in My Armpit, do you know how you would alter it to make it not as tight in that area? Is it larger gusset squares or moving the sleeves further in on the front/back squares? (or further out?)

Good question!

The gussets should definitely keep this nice and loose, but you can also control this by how tightly you gather the neckline and shoulder pieces. The tighter you gather the shoulder bit, the higher the underarm will sit.

Hold on, I may need to put on my chemise to double check.

Yeah, a larger gusset is step 1. Overlapping the sleeve and body less will lower it as well (beware this will also have lowered neckline consequences).

At this point, gathering a little less will keep it loose as well (assuming you've cut a wide sleeve).

[badassindistress]

So I'm seeing an influx of new followers I can only ascribe to folks recognising the importance of petticoats and waistcoats... Welcome!

You'll find all my original posts tagged with #a talia original

For all my dramatic pictures you can go to #talia is a drama queen

For the sewing projects, visit #talia's adventures in dressmaking

Most importantly of course, there is the #waistcoat spam

The dnd chatter is all at #no vampires allowed, or #no vamps allowed chatter and #thylead (or just #dnd)

My lacemaking adventures are all under #talia learns bobbin lace

For the shirtsleeve sew-along, you want #floofy shirt sewalong

January 2025 chemise sewalong starting the 25th

Have a lovely time!

[badassindistress]

Okay, it took all day, but I'm back where I was yesterday but now with short floofy sleeves instead of long and slim

How are you doing today Talia?

Well, this morning I painstakingly cut every handsewn stitch out of my chemise to sew it all up again in a different way, so make of that what you will