The chemise is the forerunner of today's slip, a simple garment, usually made of linen, which was worn underneath all of a woman's other clothes. In this article we will look at the uses and construction of a basic chemise.
The chemise dates back to the beginning of womens clothing made of woven cloth. In its simplest form the chemise is a straight cylinder of fabric for the body with an opening for the head and two cylinders of fabric for the sleeves. A more intricate design might include the addition of lace trim, at the hem and cuffs, with embroidery at the neck. The difference between basic and fancy was an indication of class and finance.
Basic or fancy, the chemise served many purposes. First and foremost, it was an undergarment, the first layer of clothing a woman wore against her skin. This meant that comfort was a primary concern, the more well to do a woman was, the finer and softer the fabric was used to make her chemise. A good choice to make one today would be soft cotton, linen or silk.
Warmth was another reason for wearing a chemise under a gown, extra layers helped a woman keep warm, whether in a drafty, stone castle or a cottage heated only with a peat fire. Another important reason to wear a chemise is that a linen chemise is much easier to wash than an intricately decorated and costly gown.
Occasionally, if the chemise had beautiful embroidery, or other decorations on the lower skirt, the upper layers might be raised or left partly open, but generally the chemise was kept covered.
The neck opening was usually quite large, so it didn't show above the neckline of the gown, but closed with a drawstring and could be pulled up tighter if desired. Sometimes the sleeves had a drawstring at the bottom, or a few inches up from the bottom, so that they could be kept out of the way during work.
If you'd like to make a chemise for yourself, maybe to wear to a Renaissance Fair, only basic sewing skills and supplies are needed. Commercial patterns are available for period costumes, but also a simple slip pattern would work.
To make a chemise without a pattern, measure yourself from the shoulders to the floor and multiply by 2. To this number add 4 inches for hems. This will give you the length of fabric you will need for the body of the chemise. Then measure around the widest part of your arm and multiply this by 2, for the sleeves. Add these 2 numbers together and this is how much fabric you need to buy.
The drawing to the right will show you how to cut the fabric.
With right sides together stitch the shoulders. Gather the top (curved) end of the sleeves and stitch them to the body of the chemise, with right sides facing each other. Sew the side seams from hem to wrist with right sides facing. Hem the chemise and sleeves. Finish the neck edge with a 1 inch hem and thread a drawstring or elastic through the hem. Enjoy!
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