chemise question

[jackrocks]

So Im working on a chemise and going by the directions on www.festiveattyre.com. The instructions state "you should come out with something that seems way too big for you."

Okay. Well, I have. Slipped it on last night, and I think I could fit my four kids, two dogs, and possibly my nephews small goat inside this thing with me.

It will be tucked into a skirt and worn under a bodice, so it won't be hanging loose and large, but I'm wondering if there is such a thing as "too fluffy" when it comes to a chemise? I don't want it all bunchy under the bodice.


should these type of tops come out really poofy like this? Im trying to decide if I should try to take the sides in a bit, or what. I can't post pics just yet, but will once I can.

[amy]

Hi there!  YES!   Mine from that same set of instructions seemed GIAGANTIC!   But for my use with no snug bodice at the waist it was perfect.     If you think that will be too much tucked in then take off one of the two sleeves and cut away a couple inches  of the front and back pieces (the long side of the rectangles) and then re-attach the sleeve.  That will reduce the volume around the body.  And since it is identical on both sides you don't need to take it both sides... just one side cut down and reassembled will leave you perfectly symetrical.   Remember you will be losing some of the volume in the gathers at front and back too but there is so much already you should be fine.      The piece comes out so perfectly with such a simple design.   I think it is just brilliant.

[isabelladangelo]

Yes, it should be fluffy.    Did you add a drawstring or bias tape for the neckline?  

[Cilean]

So Im working on a chemise and going by the directions on www.festiveattyre.com. The instructions state "you should come out with something that seems way too big for you." Okay. Well, I have. Slipped it on last night, and I think I could fit my four kids, two dogs, and possibly my nephews small goat inside this thing with me. It will be tucked into a skirt and worn under a bodice, so it won't be hanging loose and large, but I'm wondering if there is such a thing as "too fluffy" when it comes to a chemise? I don't want it all bunchy under the bodice. should these type of tops come out really poofy like this? Im trying to decide if I should try to take the sides in a bit, or what. I can't post pics just yet, but will once I can.

1. Festive Attyre is making a "Camisa" or Italian Shift, so you are supposed to have a LOT of fabric in the sleeves as that was historically correct.  This is not an English Smock or even a French Chemise. The Florentine women adored larger fluffy sleeves. I am very tall and a size 18 so my Camisas are spacious, and I have lovely fluffy sleeves so I can pull them through over sleeves.

2. How did you do your neckline?  If you gather into a piece of neckline like Twill tape it does work.  I put the twill tape around my neck and figure where I want it to lay, I sew that together and then I pin the fabric, like Jennifer states in her how to guide around the tape, and then I use a zig zag, and then I close the twill and sew that over the raw edges.

3. Perhaps you were not looking for this sort of Shift? But an English Smock Pattern? Try this pattern for making something that is more English or French for that matter!
http://www.reddawn.net/costume/shirt.htm

I hope that helped?

Cilean

[Lady Kett]

Yup. Ginormous. My daughter's fits just fine under her other pieces of garb without being too bunchy. And we have been known to use it as a portable changing room!

[operafantomet]

So Im working on a chemise and going by the directions on www.festiveattyre.com. The instructions state "you should come out with something that seems way too big for you."

Okay. Well, I have. Slipped it on last night, and I think I could fit my four kids, two dogs, and possibly my nephews small goat inside this thing with me.

It will be tucked into a skirt and worn under a bodice, so it won't be hanging loose and large, but I'm wondering if there is such a thing as "too fluffy" when it comes to a chemise? I don't want it all bunchy under the bodice.

As always, pictures would help. But your description is awesome, hahaha!

There are indeed such a thing as too big. The camicia should fit on your body - not close fitting in any way, but it should stay on on its own you despite all the width. If it falls off it's too big.

Historically Italian women loved their wide chemises. But they made it out of very fine linen, handkerchief quality, so it was shapable and soft to deal with. They also weren't strangers to shape the sleeves after the shape of the dress sleeves, and to hold in the width around their torso with stomach bands.


This Judith depiction from the 1520s, by Palma Vecchio, shows how the lower half of the sleeve has been tucked down. This to avoid too much fabric in the lower half, where the outer sleeve would be narrow. This painting shows the style of the outer sleeves:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/venezia1/vecchio1520s3.jpg


Here are some depictions of how Italian camicias typically looked in the 16th century:


Venus with a Mirror, 1514, by Titian. The neckline is gathered to a band, the sleeves are left open and wide.


This painting by Palma Vecchio from the 1520s shows how the chemise is pleated to a nice band, and tied together at the shoulders.


A Venetian woman bleaching her hair at the roof terrace, from Vecellio's costume book from the 1590s.


An extant camicia OR night gown, probably Venetian, 1575-1600, from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, USA.


A 17th century depiction from Santa Maria in Trivio in Rome. The lady is possibly wearing a stomach band, holding in the width of the chemise around the torso. Some also wore the stomach bands for cold winters, but that's another story alltogether...

[jackrocks]

Okay, so rolling with what most of you have said, it should be fairly roomy, so I think we're okay. I changed the sleeves a bit....it was just....too much for me.....to leave them hanging loose and so big. I slit them up about 15 inhces, then about an inch above the edge of the top of the slit, I ran elastic through to make them full and bunchy on the top and so it would gather to my arm instead of just being so loose. It feels much better to me that way....IDK, I just couldn't handle all that material swinging off my arms. Its pretty but bugged me:)
The top, I ran elastic through it. I know, I know, we arent supposed to use elastic, but I was in a hurry and elastic is what I had available to me here at home.
Faire is today, and I wasnt planning to make a new outfit, BUT THEN......I had some unexpected cash (from graduation and my birthday) that was given to me, and I found this pretttyyyy material on the clearance at Walmart for $1/yd! so I had to make a go at it. Of course, then my daughter was like "mom, I need you to make me a bodice! hurry!" so we whipped up one (totally from stash materials!) and then my oldest daughter saw it and said, "Oh, that came out much cuter than I expected! make me one, too!" and Im like, girls! girls! Mom is trying to make this enormous shirt here! lol
I am going to wear it as is today, bc once it is tucked into the skirts and with the bodice on, it looks fine. But, once I have time, I am going to narrow it down a bit just bc all that extra material bunched up on me bothers me (probably just a sensory thing). Plus, I think this particular chemise was designed for a thin, lightweight material, and this one I made is going to be my outer top, and made from a heavy, tapestry type fabric. And yes, I know thats not historically accurate, but it is pretty (I think) and the only style I could think of that I could make in a hurry.
thanks for the advice, I will hopefully get some good pics today and post them.

[gem]

You made a chemise out of tapestry?! Wow--yes, that will feel huge and uncomfortably bunchy. However, I'm kind of dying to see it! Hope you get pictures today at Fair!!

[jackrocks]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.274921639282509.61510.100002940258423&type=1&l=232c9c7fc2

My daughter helped me dress and laced my bodice for me, and after these pics I realized I needed to undo it and pull the chemise down more under the skirt, then re-laced and did it tighter. I didn't get any pics after that, but it wasn't nearly so fluffy up top after I did that. I need to shorten the hem on the overskirt, and the sleeves still need to be lined, but other than that, it worked well. Considering I spent about $8 on fabric for all of my outfit, and everything else came from my stash.
Also included are pics of my daughters first attempts at their own bodices, and they did pretty well! They need more boning, though, we ran out and will need to put some more into these once I can afford more.

Thought you guys might like the fire dancer pics:)

After Faire, we stopped at Burger King for dinner. My younger daughter (in pink) wore shorts under her outfit, and yanked off anything "embarassing" before we went in.....my youngest son walked into the restaurant and announced that she was our "slave" we had captured, that's why she wasn't dressed, lol.

I'm about to go start a thread ( or hunt for old ones!) about decorating up my new, blank tricorn hat! I'm so excted, I've been looking for a year for one I could afford, and finally found this one for $38. Can't wait to bling it up!:)

[gem]

You look great!! I think the volume looks really period and lovely, too. Well done!

[jackrocks]

Thanks, Gem.

when I look at these pics I think of all the things I need to fix. But I loved the way the colors worked.....the bodice material was free material that was given to me a few years ago and set aside for something pretty....and then it just happened to work out that the clearanced out $1/yd fabric I found was blue and burgundy, as well:)

It felt pretty, on. But I've wrecked the bottom of the overskirt with dirt and stuff, bc it was too long to wear in the forest yesterday, so Im going to shorten it.