I’m making new samples for the studio this week, to add to the Camisoles that I have there at present.
My originals were all made with 6-ply Silks, a beautiful, very luxurious, and impossible-to-source fabric at the moment. Covid has definitely created supply issues, and cost increases.
With that in mind, I bought a selection of silks that are available at present from Promenade Fabrics and set out to make four completely different examples.
I draped my patterns, and cut them all on grain, as I really don’t like wearing bias….definitely a personal preference but I always feel very uncomfortable with anything that is too form-fitting.
And, I designed them to be worn both ways - I can have the V at the front OR I can turn it around and have the straight finish, which skims along the top of the bust for a simpler, cleaner look, but both ways are high enough to cover the top of a strapless bra if I don’t want to show straps.
The first Camilsole is a stunnng electric blue Charmeuse that is lightweight and drapey with a sheen on the right side and a textured grained finish on the wrong side.
The finish makes working with a charmeuse so easy, as the textured side clings to the feed dogs and helps ease it through the machine with little effort.
The lace started life as a bright white bridal Chantilly that I have had In my stash forever, but ten black tea bags and a long soak later and I’m thrilled with the result, and that it’s finally being used….
And while I’ll admit that the lace is generally the most time-consuming part of these projects, I always find it the most fun too.
It is incredibly satisfying to deconstruct a lace, starting with big pieces and then whittle them down as you discover more and more tiny details you can use.
I like to play around with the pieces until I find a design before pinning them loosely while I sew.
If I am using a machine stitch, I always reduce it to 1.5 and try to use a single back stitch at the beginning and end. You can hand knot but it’s always a risk that the tails will get caught up in the cording of the lace.
I did not need to use any stabilizer with these silks; the texture was sufficient, but freezer paper pinned under the fabric so that it lays on top of the feed dogs is always a good tip if your lace won’t feed through cleanly, and it rips away easily.
When the lace is sewn, I like to follow the lines of the stitch and cut the excess fabric almost up to the line. This stops the silk from fraying and makes for a very neat finish.
The second Camisole is made in a bone charmeuse which is more ethereal than the blue, floaty with drape and very lightweight so the lace had to be very light and fine as well.
This Chantilly is part of my hoard from Sophie Hallett, a Lyon lace that I loved for the color.
To keep the integrity of the lace intact, I used the selvedge scallops and eyelash lace along the hemline.
And hand-sewed it, picking my way slowly around the corded areas where there is already strength. A handsewn stitch is far more flexible, with no rigidity in a lightweight fabric. It also allows the silk to continue to do its own thing - by working with the fabric and not against it, BUT if you prefer a very neat and precise finish, this is probably not the best option!
I’ve not cut away the excess silk fabric around the lace becuase I want to use it as a “before” in class….
The pink Camisole is a textured 4-ply crepe-backed satin
You do lose fluidity at this level of weight because the drape becomes similar to tropical wool; it has a dense thickness to it in the best possible way, but is quite wonderful to sew with.
The Lyon lace I used for the Cream Camisole has a double selvedged scalloped and is wide at 50”, which meant there was a lot of potential waste after I had finished - but a heavy silk and a lightweight lace are perfect together - (and I have scraps still saved for some bra’s)
I pieced all the middle sections of the leftover lace together, and then machine sewed, using a 1.5 stitch length and outlining as much as I could of the thicker sections without tearing the lace as I worked…
In areas of the hem, I trimmed away the excess silk, and then added back an additional piece of lace for a more interesting look.
I think the pink is my favorite 😍
The black is the hardest to photograph, the Silk is a matt 4-ply, and heavy. The stability gave me the chance to use a gorgeous Alecon corded lace that I have been hoarding…..the scallops fitted perfectly along the hem and I placed the leftover sections along the top.
I did decide to handsew this, purely because there was just so much piecing to do - the tiny sections can get caught in the machine and I like the control of a needle and double thread.
I’ve finally got the comments and DM’s working on my phone for the blog again, so send me any questions you have… they have done some impressive upgrades since the last time I regularly used the blog!
And I am working on a free step by step sew along for a Camisole as well as a Video because I know travel is still tough. They should be ready to roll in the next two weeks or so.
Have a great week everyone!
Leisa x