Period European Renaissance Chemise

Woman's 17th-18th century undergarment
Hand sewn and elastic/button/zipper free with bust and sleeve smocking.

Cut a piece of material twice the length of your torso height and two and a half times the width. (NOT your waist, just one side)

Cut two strips from a different piece of material the length of your shoulder to your finger tips, two hand lengths wide. These are your sleeve pieces.

Take the torso piece and cut a neck hole in the center of the fabric.

Put the torso piece on and mark your under bust with chalk or a pencil.

Smock two rows on the under bust in .5 inch increments. Do the same pattern on the back.

Running stitch the sides of the torso piece from the bottom to the under bust.

Take the sleeve pieces and running stitch the sides together, so you get a long cylinder.

Running stitch the sleeves into the armholes.

Hem the wrist of both sleeves by smocking one row, to finish the seam and create stretch.

Finish the collar by folding over the material 3/8 of an inch and triangle gathering it. You may need to cut the neck opening wider because this will NOT stretch.

Finish the hem on the bottom with a running stitch.