Chemisette with box pleated collar

On Thursday night I ran a chemisette sewing class and showed two methods of putting together a chemisette.

This is my handsewn version featuring a box-pleated collar and it is now for sale in the Jane Austen Festival Australia dress store. You can make your own using this pattern.

Regency Undergarments

Most regency women wore a set of stays underneath their gowns. They were either short stays or a fuller body stay with cording for strength. They supported the body and lifted the bust but did not bring in the waist - that was to come during the Victorian period.

Stays were worn over a short-sleeved chemise made of either cotton or linen depending on the district/town/country you lived in, the crops that were grown or where your fabric was imported from. Over the stays was worn a bodiced petticoat, followed by a chemisette and day dress for daytime wear and by a gown for balls. Chemisettes were not worn with ballgowns and often a short or sleeveless chemise was used with short sleeved ballgowns. Regency women valued their fair skin and took particular care to keep their skin from burning.
Below are some examples of extant undergarments.

Chemisette, c.1800-25 Snowshill Collection, Gloucestershire UK
http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1349950

Chemisette, c.1800 Killerton House UK
http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1360127

Early 19C Linen Chemise
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/shift-118902

French, worn in America, about 1821
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/woman-s-shift-49989

Early 19C Stays
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/stays-50004

Early 19th Century Petticoat, sold several years ago on ebay by Time Travellers

Early 19C Bodiced Petticoat
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/woman-s-underdress-49958

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Early 19C Pocket
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/woman-s-pocket-324224

Early 19C Drawers 1810-20, image courtesy http://regencysa.proboards.com/

If you want to make your own undergarments there is an excellent pattern for Regency Undergarments that you can purchase or download as an e-pattern from Sensibility Patterns that includes chemise, short stays and chemisettes. 

Country Wives have a chemise pattern.

Mantua Maker have an excellent long stays and pantalettes pattern.

Laughing Moon have just released a beautiful new regency long stays pattern.

Busk pocket on the inside of a set of regency stays owned by Aylwen Gardiner-Garden

Regency Chemisette

Today I started on the underpinnings for a new project for a client - a full regency wardrobe. It includes a chemise, pantalettes, stays, petticoat, chemisette, day dress, spencer, open robe, ball gown, reticule and bonnet. Yes, this is the project with the KCI-inspired ball gown.
I'm rather pleased with the chemisette. It is mostly hand stitched - a necessity with the very sheer linen as it kept wanting to move around. I had more control over it by hand stitching. When I finished I couldn't see the stitches!

You can make your own copy of this chemisette by using the Sensibility Undergarments Pattern.

Chemisette, c.1800 Killerton House UK
http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1360127