My Favorite 1920s Step-In Teddies & a Free Sewing Pattern
The late 1910s to 1920s brought us some truly wonderful fashion revelations, one of my favorites being the loose-fitting dress and less constricting undergarments to accompany them.
Lingerie also gradually became much easier to sew with little to no boning, often fewer seams, and much simpler design lines that saved a lot of stitching time.
The best part of this lingerie evolution in my humble opinion, was the advent of the step-in chemise that developed around this time (with a few early exceptions, of course).
Below you can see the chemise and step-ins as separates circa 1924 before the two garments became one.
McCall 3741 Ladies' and Misses' Chemise and Step-Ins.
This undergarment, a hybrid between a camisole and bloomers connected at the waist either with or without a seam, was known by many names depending on your country of origin. It went by the name envelope chemise, combination suit, cami-knickers, and sometimes Union suit. Later it would also fall under the names teddy, one-piece, and even romper depending on your decade.
In its early form, it could often be sewn from two simple rectangles of fabric and was an economical way to use fabric scraps or remnants to make dainty under-things.
Original 1920s lingerie patterns are quite hard to find. When they do surface, they are often prohibitively expensive (and rightfully so with their scarcity considered!)
1925 August McCall Magazine.
Step-in patterns from the 1920s are the rarest of all. If you do a Google search you'll find very few original patterns for these available.
Lucky for me, I've been on the hunt for them for years and have managed to collect and preserve a small number of them. I thought I would share a few images of my originals for your enjoyment.
McCall 5124 Ladies' and Misses' Step-in Combination circa 1928.
This image comes from one of my pattern catalogs, as the original came to me in a damaged envelope that was completely missing the illustration. Yet another good reason to hoard vintage sewing pattern catalogs!
McCall 4487 Ladies' and Misses' Step-In Chemise circa 1926.
Could you see yourself wearing any of these or do you prefer more modern lingerie?
In lieu of hunting down one of these rare beauties, many often turn to reproduction sewing pattern companies like mine to find a more budget-friendly sewing pattern option.
But today, I thought I would skip that part and jump straight to giving you a free pattern!
1920s Easy Step - In Chemise Depew 1030.
This is a PDF copy of a truly easy-to-make set of step-in combination teddies from 1926. The pattern for two different versions was originally published for the newspaper column of a "Fashion Expert". This pattern would also make an amazing little neglige for when you need one in a hurry.
This pattern is free when you use code "LINGERIEFORDAYS" but be sure to grab your copy soon! This coupon code will expire on October 4th, 2023.
A fun note about this pattern: I have digitally enhanced the images but the instructions are the exact wording used by the original designer in 1926. The grammar and writing style tells me that the "Fashion Expert" was most likely a French woman writing in English and the way she expresses herself is so charming!
It is not necessary to print this pattern if you don't want to. The "Pattern" given is a very easy-to-follow set of instructions for cutting and draping a certain measurement of fabric with several drawings and diagrams. This was a VERY common sewing pattern format in the 1920s that has mostly fallen out of use today.
This is a great way to use up some of those vintage scarves hiding in your closet, or a nice length of silk you haven't found a purpose for yet.
Happy sewing!
Comments (2)
Very nice, thank you!
Thank you!