path: root/source/historical_womenswear/underwear/1904_combination_suit/index.rst

1904 Combination Suit
=====================

.. figure:: combinations_front.jpg
   :align: center

.. only:: html

   .. contents::

This is a combination suit (chemise and drawers) based on
:cite:`1904:blair`, or the previous edition :cite:`1897:blair`, with
knee-length split drawers, no sleeves (but armhole flaps) and a round neck.

It should be suitable for the whole period when combinations were in
use, in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Materials
---------

Fabric
^^^^^^

* About 2-3 m of lightweight cotton or linen.

Notions
^^^^^^^

* sewing thread to match the fabric;
* buttonhole thread to match the fabric;
* small buttons;
* optional but recommended lace.

Pattern
-------

This pattern is based on the :doc:`../../drafting_methods/blair/index`;
see that page for the required measurements.

the file :download:`../../drafting_methods/blair/blair.vit` is
used by default by the pattern file and has the list of needed
measurements.

Pattern
^^^^^^^

Get the valentina file for the pattern,
:download:`combination_suit.val`.

You also need to decide the following measurements and set them in the
table of variables in Valentina; most defaults in the file are sensible.

``dart_distance``
   2 cm up to a waist circumference of 65 cm, then add 1/8 of the
   difference.
``dart_waist_down``
   length of the lower part of the darts.
``bust_ease``
   how much ease to leave at the bust: no more than 2 cm.
``front_facing``
   width of the facing on the front and crotch opening; enough to add
   buttons and buttonholes, but note that it will have to go around a
   tight curve, where a narrower facing will work easily.
``front_added_depth``
   how much height to add to the crotch seam compared to the side in the front.
``back_added_depth``
   how much height to add to the crotch seam compared to the side in the back.
``shoulder_overlap``
   how much the sleevelet should overlap at the shoulder: 1 cm for a
   shoulder strap with buttons, a bit more if the shoulder strap is
   closed.
``sleevelet_depth``
   widest part of the sleevelet.
``seam_allowance``
   e.g. 2 cm, to allow for french or flat-felled seams.

Instructions
------------

Cutting
^^^^^^^

Cut 2 fronts; if your fabric isn't especially wide you may need to cut
each individual front in the full width of the fabric, rather than
cutting two at a time on folded fabric; make sure to cut them so that
they are symmetrical.
Cut the back on the fold of the fabric.
Cut two of the sleevelets.

.. note::
   The length of the legs on the pattern is the length of plain legs,
   finished just with a hem.

   To add a ruffle or lace at the bottom, remove its height from the
   bottom of the leg, to add pintucks add twice their depth to the
   bottom of the leg.

   Or keep the leg as is, and make enough pintucks to precisely match
   the height of the ruffle.

Mark all darts.

From the remaining fabric also cut enough bias strips, about 4 cm wide,
to face the neck and enough cross-grain strips, 3 times the width set in
the pattern as ``front_facing`` to face the front and the crotch
opening.

.. note::
   It is important that the facing on the front is on the grain or
   cross-grain, but not on the bias, as it will have to stabilize the
   bias cut front for the buttons and buttonholes.

   If you want to make a shaped facing instead of a straight one, cut it
   with the front part on the (cross-)grain.

Assembly
^^^^^^^^

.. figure:: 01-darts.jpg
   :align: center

Sew the darts in the front, press them towards the side.

.. figure:: 02-sewn_legs.jpg
   :align: center

.. figure:: 03-hemstitching_legs.jpg
   :align: center

Right sides together sew the legs, press the seam open, trim the front
allowance, press the allowances towards the front, folding the back to
cover the raw edges and hemstitch it down to flat fell the seam.

.. figure:: 04-sewn_front_facing.jpg
   :align: center

Right sides together, sew the cross-grain facing to the front and
crotch, using the ``front_facing`` measurement for the allowance
(default is 1 cm).

.. warning::
   The line on the pattern is not the seam line, but the *center line*,
   and will have to lie halfway through the facing where the buttons
   will be, allowing for the overlapping.


.. figure:: 05-hemstitched_front_facing.jpg
   :align: center

Fold it towards the inside, fold again to cover all raw edges, hemstitch
it down.

.. figure:: 06-basted_gathering.jpg
   :align: center

Baste two lines of gathering stitches between the marks of the drawers'
back, at 18 and 22 mm from the edge.

.. figure:: 07-sewing_back.jpg
   :align: center

Press the bottom edge of the back towards the wrong side, pin it to the
fronts in such a way that the side seam aligns with back seam of the
side dart and the two fronts overlap in the middle up to the mark
closest to the center back (between points C8 and A10).

.. tip::
   In the overlap I'd put the left leg on top, closest to the fabric of
   the back, and the right leg on the bottom, closest to the body,
   unless making the combinations for somebody who is left-handed.

Gather the excess of the fabric and hemstitch the back over them,
catching each gather with a stitch.

.. figure:: 08-finishing_back_seam.jpg
   :align: center

Trim the allowance on the back, fold the allowance from the drawers over
it and hemstitch it down to flat fell the seam.

.. tip::
   To reduce bulk, you can also trim both allowances and cover
   everything with a band of fabric hemstitched to the inside to cover
   them.

.. figure:: 09-side_seams.jpg
   :align: center

Right sides together, sew the side seams continuing down into the side
darts, and the shoulder seams.

Press open and then towards the back, trim the allowances of the back
until you reach the dart, flat fell the seam with a hemstitch.

.. figure:: 12-sleevelet_hem.jpg
   :align: center

Hem the straight edge of the sleevelets with a narrow hem.

.. figure:: 13-sleevelet_attached.jpg
   :align: center

   This picture and the next have been taken on the variant with
   buttoned shoulders; with sewn shoulders it should be similar, but the
   ends of the sleevelet would overlap by a few cm.

Put the sleevelet over the armhole, right sides together, such that the
curved edge follows the line of the armhole, extending by 1 cm from the
allowance of the armhole, and in such a way that the ends overlap a bit
close to the shoulder seam and any fullness is gathered around the side
seam. Sew with 1 cm allowance.

.. figure:: 14-sleevelet_finishing.jpg
   :align: center

Press the allowances open and then towards the body, fold the allowance
of the sleevelet to cover all raw edges and hemstitch down to fell the
seam.

.. figure:: 15-neck_facing.jpg
   :align: center

Right sides together, sew the facing to the neck, press towards the
inside, fold to cover the raw edges and hemstitch down.

.. figure:: 16-receiving_tuck_hem.jpg
   :align: center

   Here instead of a simple hem the edge has been folded up by 3 cm,
   sewn at 1 cm from the fold, and then the raw edge has been folded
   down 1 cm twice, to hide the raw edge and make a receiving tuck for
   lace.

Fold the leg hem up twice by 2 cm towards the wrong side, hemstitch it down for a plain finish, or add pintucks, ruffles and lace as desired.

Starting from the top and going down to about the end of the darts or a
bit above it, make buttonholes every 4 cm on the right front and attach
corresponding buttons to the left front.

Variants
--------

Buttoned shoulders
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To be able to wear these combinations under an evening dress it is
useful to be able to open the shoulder strap to move them out of the
way.

To do so, add 5 mm to the allowances at the shoulder seams and instead
of sewing the fronts to the back finish each allowance by folding it
twice towards the wrong side 1 cm after the sleevelets have been added.

Make two buttonholes on each front and add the corresponding buttons to
the back.

Fullness instead of darts
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Instead of a fitted front with darts, the combination suit can be made
with fullness in the front, controlled with e.g. a drawstring or a
ribbon passed through beading lace at the waist.

In that case, print piece C ``front_with_fullness`` instead of piece B
``front_with_gathers``, avoid sewing the darts (of course) and add a
mean to control the fullness to the waistline.

Drawers
^^^^^^^

To make just a pair of drawers print piece C ``front_with_fullness``,
cut the drawers part 5 cm under the waistline, add a 5 cm waistband and
gather the legs to it.

Knit fabric combinations
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. figure:: knit_combinations_front.jpg
   :align: center

To make this a combination suit in knit fabric you can use the pattern piece
with darts, without sewing them, and sew the center front down to the
end of the darts rather than make buttons.

Before finishing the neckhole check that it is wide enough to enter the
suit: if it isn't you may have to lower it, or to open a small length of
the center front and make buttons and buttonholes.

Also make sure that the neckhole finishing maintains the required
elasticity.

To give any kind of longevity to the garment you will have to use an
elastic stitch: since sewing it from flat knit fabric is not a common
historical construction method anyway I'd use modern stitches such as a
narrow zig-zag.

You can also avoid the facings and simply fold the raw edges towards the
wrong side once and topstitch them down (a 3-steps zig zag stitch would
work nicely): the raw edge will remain visible, but protected.

Gallery
-------

.. figure:: combinations_back.jpg
   :align: center

See also
--------

* `Fediverse thread on whether people would have sewn knit underwear at
  home
  <https://social.gl-como.it/display/3e3ce0df-2464-65d0-644b-412075423818>`_
  (I suspect not).