Ooh la lingerie

Last week was my first adventure in making lingerie.  I am not a big lingerie-wearer (sorry to disappoint) but I do have a special affection for vintage peignoir sets, nighties and chiffon.  A friend gave me a sweet blue nightgown she uncovered at the thrift store.  Someone had perhaps tried to tea-stain the lace, giving it a great vintage look.  While it was lovely to look at, the gown wasn't very practical.  It was long and flowy, so of course I immediately went at it with my rotary cutter and scissors, and thusly transformed it into a lacy little tank and shorts and this very flirtatious (ahem) chemise.

Making the chemise was very easy.  I cut across the width of the nightgown, and then marked a point along the cut 3 inches in from the side seam, and another 7 inches down from the top on the side seam on either side.  From that point I cut diagonally from the points at the side seam to the points at the top.  I finished the seams, and then folded the top seam over to create a casing at the top for the adjustable drawstring straps.  Lucky for me, I had some blue seam binding left over from another project, so I closed it up with a simple seam and ran it through the casing for straps.

The lace top was finished with a seam at the bottom edge of the lining.  Modifying a pattern I already had for pajama bottoms seemed to work just fine.  Thankfully the stretchy fabric was somewhat forgiving - I didn't make a practice pair before cutting, and I had very little fabric to work with!  Somewhat cavalier of me considering I've never made anything close to pants or shorts before, but it all worked out in the end.  :)

Tomorrow I'll share another creation made from an old tablecloth!  Sounds not so great, but trust me, it's lovely.  ;)