This design is simple, but it is necessary to copy two patterns: that of the back and that of the front.

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Clarence Osborne
6 years ago
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1 1905 #23 Chemise Nuit -- Nightgown My nieces have informed me that their Bleuette was cold. I hope that while waiting for the design given today, they will have taken the precaution of wrapping up their daughter to go to bed. This design is simple, but it is necessary to copy two patterns: that of the back and that of the front. For the pattern of the back, copy well exactly all the lines which are at the edge, that make the circumference of the drawing, ignoring the inner lines of the armhole and of the neckline that are emphasized with small dots. With scissors, cut out your tracing and then put it aside: you have the pattern of half of the back of the gown. To have the half of the front begin a second tracing; but instead of following with your pencil the outside lines of the drawing of the armhole and of the neckline, follow the lines emphasized with small dots and cut out this second tracing; put this aside. Take now a third tracing, that of the sleeve; follow the outer lines of the drawing, first, and cut out your tracing. [Editor: This fourth tracing is unnecessary if you follow the instructions below.] Then take a fourth tracing, the one of the sleeve, at the top, while following that line which passes by the two O. Cut out; you have in hand a sort of almond shape in paper. Apply this almond shape to the tracing of the sleeve in paper which you have cut out a little while ago, and with a pencil, follow the inner line of this almond. You will have traced that which is in our illustration, emphasized with small dots. I will tell you shortly how the lines at an angle that you see on the almond shape will be useful to you. Now, let us cut out the gown. We need two pieces of fabric being 30cm high and 25cm wide. Fold both of them in the direction of their length, that is to say so that they always have 30cm in height, but are reduced to 12 ½ cm wide. On the first piece, place the pattern of the back; on the second piece, place the pattern of the front, while observing, in both cases, that it is necessary to put line AOA of the pattern along the fold of the fabric, while line BB is to be near the side of the free edges of the fabric. Cut out each piece following only three sides of the pattern. The side AOA is not cut at all for the back. And as for the front, once cut out, one splits it in the middle from the top down to point O and rounds the corner as the drawing indicates.

2 This made, you sew together the line CC of the back with that of the front, that, naturally, of each side; then you sew in the same way the line BB of the front with the line BB of the back. [ The Butterick Sewing Manual of 1905 suggests French seams for all main seams on lingerie.] You slit from O to O for the opening. On the front, you gather from X to X, and on the back you make pleats from X to X. These gathers and these pleats give you the neckline. To decorate this neckline, you prepare a small strip of fabric having 2 to 2 1/2cm in height and 50 to 52 cm in length. You embroider a small scallop (see the pattern of the sleeve) or, if you prefer a trimming of crochet, you carefully hem this strip on one side and you will edge with a chain. To place this strip of trimming, you begin by gathering it slightly; then, turn back, right side out, all around the top of your gown starting from point O (end of the slit) as far as the other front, but this time stopping at the O at the top, you place on this part turned back your small gathered flounce and you keep it in place with a small bias sewn in place with a backstitch or a very fine slip stitch. In the middle of this bias, you can make a featherstitch. [See pattern 1906 #45 School Apron for a sample diagram of featherstitch. The GL pajamas Bonne Nuit used a 3/8 braid in this way.] Let us return noting that only one of the sides of the slit is trimmed with this flounce, because when the gown is closed, this side thus furnished will fold back on the other. The other edge of the slit is doubled by a small strip on the straight grain and carries the buttons; one makes the buttonholes in the middle of the bias that serves as the base for the gathered flounce. At the bottom, one makes a hem like that on a day chemise. Let us recall in passing that our patterns are without seams; you will leave 1cm all around at the top and at the side, and 5cm at the bottom for the hem. [Editor: Seam allowances have already been included on the pattern pieces. Remove the 5cm allowed for the hem if you make a scalloped edge at the bottom of the flounce.] For each sleeve, you need a piece of fabric 14cm high by 18cm wide. You fold this in two, in order to not have more than 9cm width and cut out observing that the line OC must follow the fold of the fabric and, consequently, is not to be cut. Take your pattern of the sleeve then and gash it at the top, following the bias lines within the almond shape. Fold back inside this edge thus shredded, again place your pattern on the fabric and cut the top layer only of this fabric (without harming the bottom layer of fabric) while following the pattern, thus modified. Sew together the two edges OR. Your sleeve is ready. To place the sleeve in the armhole, you gather it from L to L.

3 You embroider the bottom of the gown with buttonhole stitch scallops or trim the bottom of the gown with crochet, then you gather a centimeter on top to form a flounce. To maintain these gathers, you place a small bias strip on top similar to that which was used at the base of the flounce around the neckline. Translation copyright 2010 Deirdre Gawne not for sale

Body of the apron. It is cut from a single piece. To make it, you need a piece of fabric having 32 centimeters square.

Body of the apron. It is cut from a single piece. To make it, you need a piece of fabric having 32 centimeters square. 1918 #1 School Apron Tablier d Ecoliere To make this apron, you will have to draw seven patterns: one for the body of the apron, three for the yoke, one for the sleeve, one for the cuff and one for the