Vernet 1814: Ruff and Chemisette - Side Trip...Sort Of

Another hint about my Vernet fashion plate... the top of my gown is covered by...something.  So, and here's the fun part, I get to imagine what it would look like without that something!!!

I've actually decided to make the top of my gown very simple to make it more versatile later on, and I'll get more into that in a later post.  But I am going to decorate the gown by covering it with a gauzy, frilly chemisette (or in this case it can also be called a canezou.)  

When looking through some fashion plates I found this one from the 1811 edition of Costume Parisian, and fell in love with the shoulder ruffles.  It will compliment the hem line of my Vernet gown.  *wink*wink*

I recently went on a vacation with my daughter and parents to the beach.  The long road trip, in which I didn't have to drive, proved itself the perfect opportunity to sew what seemed like miles of rolled hems, pleats and gathers.  I used a soft cotton voile fabric, and it feels like air on your skin.

I left off the ruffle at the waistline simply because I didn't want to add extra bulk to the outfit.  It's light, airy, frilly...like whipped cream on top of a cake...very Vernet.  It can be worn with many different dresses, but I think it will work perfectly with the Vernet outfit

So that was the "side trip...sort of" part of this post.  This next part is an accessory that you will actually see a bit of in my Vernet fashion plate...the neck ruff!

Check out this fashionable beauty from 1808 and her collar!  Definitely my neck ruff inspirational goddess!!

I used a heavily starched cotton organdy for the ruff. Pleating it with my fingers was all it took.  No iron needed. 

I started by it folding according style into three long sections, and then I attached each section with a simple stitch...it isn't noticed when all is done.

Scrunched up, it really holds the folds.  I laid it out on a template I had cut previously, to make sure I got the shape and length I wanted.  I ended up trimming it down a couple of times to get the right height at various places in the collar.

Once the shape was figured out, I whip-stitched it onto a small band of fabric.  This serves two purposes, it holds the shape together, but I have very sensitive skin and it also prevents the scratchy organdy from making an itchy mess of my neck.

Now, all that's left to do is to tack it onto the neckline of my chemisette when I'm ready to wear it!