Gored Chemise

Here is a gored chemise that I have been working on.

 This hem had been giving me such a problem. I took my dilemma to The Sewing Academy forum and EvaConcetta had this help for me:
"All the originals I've seen just have a very tiny hem -- turn under once about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, then again, and hem it down! It's very utilitarian looking compared to how elaborately the neck and sleeves are done, but it was never meant to be seen -- unlike the bottoms of drawers or petticoats..."

She also included this quote from The Common Things of Everyday Life, published in London in 1857:

"Pin the selvage sides of the gores to the selvage edges of the linen, lay them evenly on a bed, and slope the gores upwards at the bottom; otherwise, the lower ends will hang down in peaks. The pieces sloped off the bottoms of the gores must be kept to line the sleeve- holes."

Thanks for the great quote Eva! So here is the finished chemise.

The next time I make this type of chemise, I will try using the gores cut from the hem to add under the sleeves. I think it would be a great improvement there.

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Inspiration for the chemise came from Peterson's 1855. I will add an image when I have the time. The embroidered neck and sleeve will be added later, as time allows me to work on it.

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Inspiration for construction of the gored edge came from The Workwoman's Guide. Here is an illustration:

The author suggested folding the length and cutting so that there is no seam at the shoulder and then cutting the hole for the neck. I may try this another time as well.