Lingerie: white silk half slips and lace top

One of the things on my to-sew list, is a wrap drape top that I'm planning on making in a semi-sheer fabric that my husband bought in Vietnam a few years ago. I haven't used much of the fabric that he bought for me, it feels too special to use for just anything. Another issue, is the see through factor. It's not the sort of thing that I really want to line. That would make it bulkier, and hotter to wear in summer, which would probably mean that anything I made from these wouldn't get much wear.

To rectify this problem, I have been meaning to make a camisole (Excuse the terminology in the title, my brain was thinking that since this is a shortened slip, it should be called a half slip, but of course it is actually called a camisole). I still have some off white silk left in my stash, and lucky for me there was enough for some experimenting.

I have two silk camisoles to show you, and a stretch lace top.

The first is the Ruby Slip from Pattern Scissors Cloth. As I wanted a shorter version, I cut the pattern down so that the skirt section of the pattern is only 20cm long. As I was finishing it I worried that this was perhaps too short, and so decided to make a second camisole by shortening my self drafted bias slip pattern. No dramas there, and it takes less than an hour to make, start to finish.

Self drafted bias silk half slip

Back to the Ruby Slip though. As this will be visible through my new top, I made the bodice pieces from the same silk as the skirt section. The section of the pieces that ended up on the bias do stretch a bit much and sit a little wonky, and as a result don't sit as well as they should. I used self binding that I had leftover from something else, and it looks a little wide and unbalanced on this, and I'm also not sold on the length.

Ruby silk half slip

I will try them both out when I have something to wear them with, so I'll let you know how they go then.

While I was on a roll sewing white undergarments, I also made a white lace top. I had been planning this top since my foray into making a couple of Sierra bras last year. I initially had 3 metres of this white lace, despite only wanting 1 metre, so I've been trying to think of ways to use it all up. First there was the Sierra with a matching pair of undies, and then I used it as an overlay on blue jersey undies. I have one more thing to blog from this lace, and even then still have 1 metre left.

Stretch lace top

(Previously made) matching lace undies

Onto the lace top now. This matches the undies that I made with the Sierra, and the idea was to wear it with the matching undies as pyjamas (as long as I get dressed quickly in the morning so that the kids don't freak out when they see what I'm wearing.) I made the pattern from my fitted stretch bodice pattern, adding a piece of white jersey to sit under the bust line. I added an allowance for elastic to the bottom of this piece. I used the same elastic that I use on the bottom edge of my bras, but cut the elastic to a longer length, as it doesn't have to stand up to the stress of holding a bra together. The top, bottom and straps are from fold over elastic finished with a three step zig zag.

Just in case you're wondering, no, after sleeping in it I don't wake up covered with a lace pattern imprint all over my body. Well, maybe just a little bit.