Quick & Dirty Chemise

There are actually two chemises that can be made using nothing but straight lines and a few measurements. Actually they're exactly the same, but with one single difference.

Chemise A:

Take a piece of paper, a pen, and a measuring tape.

1.) Measure your arm from shoulder, to wear you want your sleeve to end (usually your wrist). Add about 3” to the measurement, and write it down. (arm length)

2.) Measure from the middle of the top of your shoulder to the bottom of your arm pit (not the center, the bottom) and around again, so that the measuring tape forms a loop. Add 2-3 inches to the measurement, and write it down. (arm width)

3.) Measure across your chest, or your hips- whichever is widest. Add 3” to the measurement, and write it down. (torso width)

4.) Measure from the middle of your armpit to where you want your chemise to hang (bottom of the hip, knee, ankle, so on). Add 3” to the measurement, and write it down. (torso length)

5.) Cut out two rectangles using your arm length and arm width measurements. Cut out two rectangles using your torso width and torso length measurements.

6.) Fold the arm rectangles (sleeves) in half lengthwise. Lay the two torso pieces together, right side in. Lay each of the sleeves on either side of the torso piece/s, so that the corners are touching. Stitch the undersleeve and torso together.

7.) Make a rather large hem- half an inch to an inch deep around the wrist side of the sleeves. Hem any length on the bottom of the torso pieces.

8.) Take a piece of bias tape, or ribbon that doesn't shred easily, and stitch to the RIGHT side of the neck hole (made by the top of the torso pieces and the non-wrist side of the sleeve pieces). Turn inward, and stitch to the WRONG side of the neck hole.

9.) Make a small hole in the hem at the neck hole, as well as on the wrist end of each sleeve. Use a bit of fray check, or stitch around the hole to keep it from fraying. Thread a paper clip or safety pin with yarn or ribbon, and use it to shuttle the yarn/ribbon into the hole, through the hem, and out again. This is your draw string.

Chemise B:

Follow 1 through 5 of Chemise A.

Fold sleeves in half lengthwise. Cut an angled line from approximately 1/3 to ½ of the height of the folded sleeve to approximately the same distance on the bottom of the folded sleeve.

Make a matching cut on the upper corner of the torso pieces. Stitch the sleeve and torso pieces together, before starting the side seams (second half of #6, with matching image)

Follow the rest of the directions for Chemise A (7-9).