My Year of Weldon's: Project 12: Doll's Chemise

About Weldon's Practical Needlework

From Interweave Press:

About 1885, Weldon’s began publishing a series of fourteen-page monthly newsletters, available by subscription, each title featuring patterns and instructions for projects using a single technique.

About 1888, the company began to publish Weldon’s Practical Needlework, each volume of which consisted of twelve issues (one year) of several newsletters bound together with a cloth cover.

Each volume contains hundreds of projects, illustrations, information on little-known techniques, glimpses of fashion as it was at the turn of the twentieth century, and brief histories of needlework. Other techniques treated include making objects from crinkled paper, tatting, netting, beading, patchwork, crewelwork, appliqué, cross-stitch, canvaswork, ivory embroidery, torchon lace, and much more.

From 1999 through 2005, Interweave published facsimiles of the first twelve volumes of Weldon’s Practical Needlework.

Showing posts with label Project 12: Doll's Chemise. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Project 12: Doll's Chemise Model

American Girl Felicity models our Doll's Chemise. It fits her perfectly! So this project is a-okay for an 18" doll.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Project 12: Doll's Chemise Update

Dolly's Chemise is done and the free pattern may be downloaded here

Here's a picture of the completed Chemise:

I was surprised at how long the chemise is (12 1/2"); I had the impression that this was going to be like an undershirt, but it's actually ankle length. I've looked at some vintage ads for undergarments and the chemise is indeed a long underdress. A 1919 ad for a set of undergarments for a doll shows a chemise:

And this illustration shows a proper set of lady's undergarments from the period:

The chemise was worn next to the skin, under the corset. Dolly is not getting a corset, but there is a fetching pair of drawers I may knit next, plus a wonderful petticoat.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Project 12: Doll's Chemise

from Weldon's Practical Knitter Twenty-Fourth Series (1893) and republished in Weldon's Practical Needlework Volume 8.

I'm continuing with garments for Dolly. First the chemise. Original instructions call for " 1 oz. of white Andalusian wool and a pair of No. 12 steel knitting needles. A smaller garment can be fashioned by substituting Shetland Wool, and a larger one by using Andalusian Wool with No. 11 needles."

I'll be using some pale pink (dyed by me quite a while ago) sock weight yarn and size 2 US needles. "Andalusian wool" is defined by String or Nothing as lace weight so may need to switch to a finer yarn once I've taken some measurements.