I am thrilled to introduce you to our new Silk Essentials sewing patterns! Each of these classic pieces can be worn on its own or underneath clothing, as traditional lingerie. Either way these two beautiful garments will make great additions to your wardrobe.
Bellevue Camisole
Camisoles are one of the classic lingerie essentials. They can add modesty to a sheer garment, add some lace to your look underneath a shirt or just provide the luxury of something silky between you and your sweater. They can also be worn alone as a top and serve as a great base for layering.
I have been working on what I called “the one camisole pattern to rule them all” since I started Orange Lingerie and I am incredibly proud to release the Bellevue Camisole pattern today.
Over the years I tested several camisole designs; a dart-less bias-cut version, an on-grain version with darts, an on-grain version with darts and a facing and more! I made and remade each version as I refined the fit and styling but none of them had the beautiful body skimming look that I wanted.
Finally, last year I discovered my dream camisole, “the one to rule them all” when I first tested the armscye dart bias-cut version that evolved into what you see here today. After experimenting with so many camisole styles, the figure flattering beautifully draping Bellevue was exactly what I was looking for!
This design also allows for a wide variety of laces to be used for the neckline, one of my requirements, since selecting lace and determining motif placement is one of my favorite parts of the camisole making process. The neckline can also easily be adjusted higher or lower depending on the look you would like and the straps, which lie mostly to the back, can be made to match the width of your bra straps.
Newell Slip Skirt
I think slips are also a lingerie essential. They allow you to do things like wear tights under a denim skirt or sweater dress without the garment sticking to your legs and they give you the option to omit lining from a skirt or dress and still get a nice smooth looking outer garment. Slips can also provide a fun flash of lace peeking out from underneath a skirt or dress.
The Newell slip skirt came about two summers ago when I was wearing this style of midi skirt on repeat all summer long. It occurred to me it would make a great slip since it fits smoothly from waist to hip and skims the body so nicely. I love how the concealed elastic waist band paired with the bias cut allows the garment to slide over the hips to allow for easy sewing as well as maximum wearing comfort.
Like the Bellevue, the Newell is also very versatile. Whether you choose to wear it alone or under a garment, you can easily add lace at the hem for more of a lingerie look and change the length to suit your preferences. In this post, the floral version is the midi length and the turquoise version was shortened to be more of a slip length.
Right now my favorite way to wear these essentials is together on their own. It makes staying in feel a little more luxurious. Also, as the temperatures warm up in New England, I find myself reaching for a camisole to wear with jeans and a cardigan.
In terms of construction, these new patterns will help you use and develop skills such as bias cutting and sewing, sewing French seams, sewing baby hems, applying bias binding (I have an easy technique for this!), working with and applying lace (the Bellevue Camisole) and of course, sewing with silk.
Since these techniques may be new to some of you, I spent a lot of time testing and selecting the best construction methods so you can easily get beautiful and professional looking results when you sew your own versions of these essential garments.
As always, the material for each pattern includes the clear, fully illustrated instructions you have come to expect from Orange Lingerie and as with all of our patterns, each size pattern is presented separately with its seam lines.
For these patterns, which are larger than our usual bra and underwear offerings, we provide both “Print at Home” and “Copy Shop” layered PDF files. The layered PDF format allows for efficient printing and tracing since you select the size you want to print and that is all that shows up on the printout.
I hope you enjoy our new patterns as much as I do! Be sure to tag your makes with #BellevueCamisole #NewellSlipSkirt and #OrangeLingerie so I can find them all. I love seeing everyone’s unique version of our sewing patterns!
