When I was approached about writing a tutorial on circular drawers, I had no idea that I was embarking on such a scandalous assignment! Circular drawers, or tap pants as some people call them, seemed pretty tame, simple and straightforward in both their construction and useful purpose.

I am quite tickled to have in my personal possession the complete collection of Isabel DeNyse Conover’s “A Complete Course in Dressmaking in Twelve Lessons” (scroll down to "Conover" to find some of the books at that link). My version was published in 1922 and is now out of copyright and in the public domain. Ms. Conover offers an entire lesson on constructing proper 1922 undergarments, circular drawers being one of these.

I was somewhat shocked when I started working my way through Ms. Conover’s pattern to discover that in 1922 circular drawers were still “open” drawers. Honestly, I have never studied the undergarments of the 1920s, and I was slightly shocked that open drawers were still recommended and preferred over the closed drawers that we are familiar with today. While it was still scandalous for women to wear pants or knickerbockers on an everyday basis in 1922, I had assumed that the transition had already been made to standard modern panties in the underwear department.

My sewing background originates in costume design but the greater part of my practical experience is in modern dressmaking and alterations. I have tried to stay true to Ms. Conover’s instructions and have approached this project as if I were the young girl who mail ordered this dressmaking series to advance her skills and further her education.

From Ms. Conover’s introduction to underwear:

How to Make Underwear

It is a short step from aprons to underwear. Many of the things you have learned about aprons you can start right in and apply in making nightgowns, chemises, camisoles, and bloomers.

You will need to pick up practice, too, in working on undermuslins. You won’t be afraid to test the pattern which you have made yourself in inexpensive muslin. You won’t hesitate to turn the seam a new way, or apply a new hand touch or finish the edge differently, if the cost of the material is only a few cents. Underwear offers one of the best opportunities to become and efficient sewer.

Then, too, you will probably enjoy having a few new pieces of underwear. Every woman always has room for one more dainty chemise or nightdress.

As I jumped in to the construction of these circular drawers I found myself needing and appreciating Ms. Conover’s words of encouragement and practical sensibilities. I hope you find encouragement from them as well. I will now take you through the process of making two pair of circular drawers: one pair of plain, white muslin constructed in the still-prevailing open drawer format, and the second pair more delicate and fancy, made of a light cotton/silk blend and constructed in the modern, closed drawer format.

Items you will need:

• Tape measure
• Drafting paper
• Ruler/straight edge
• French curve (nice but not necessary)
• Muslin or other inexpensive cotton for your mock up

Sharpen your pencil and keep your eraser handy. First we will draft out our basic pattern.

Making a Pattern for Circular Drawers from pages 58-61 of A Complete Course in Dressmaking: Lesson III How to Make Underwear
(See Fig. 84)

Draw the line AB the approximate width you want one drawer leg when finished. Draw lines AC and BD parallel to it and three inches deeper than you want the length of the drawers at the sides.

Mark point E halfway between A and B, and point F halfway between C and D, and draw a line. This gives you the side of the drawers. Measure one-quarter inch less than one-quarter of the waist measure in front of point E and mark point G. Also measure one-quarter inch less than one quarter of the waist measure in back of point E and mark point L.
Measure down three inches on line EF and mark a point. Swing a curved line from G to L, touching this point. Measure along the curved line and see if it is not exactly the waist measure. You see, a curved line is always longer than a straight line between the same two points. If it is a trifle short, spread points G and L until it is exactly the right measure.

Measure on the person from the center-front at the waistline between the legs to the center-back at the waistline. Let the tape measure or cord hang loosely enough so that the person can bend and sit down comfortably. Subtract seven inches from this measure. Measure one inch less than half this amount, and apply it along line AC measuring from A down and marking point I. Mark point N one inch more than half the remaining amount from B.

Draw a line at right angles from line AC at point I and draw a line at right angles from line BD at N. Measure in on line I an inch and a half and mark point J. Measure beyond point J three inches and mark another point. Draw a line from this last point to G which is line GH on the diagram. Curve the front edge of the drawers out to point J as indicated by the solid line on the diagra,

On line N measure in one and one-half inches and mark point O. Measure beyond point O four inches and mark a point. Dra a line from this last point to L which is the line LM on the diagram. Curve the back edge of the drawers to point O, as indicated by the solid line on the diagram.

Mark point K three and one-half inches below point I and point P the same distance below N and swing the lower edge line through these points touching point F.

If you want the drawers to lap at the center-front and center-back, add extensions at the waistline beyond point G in front running into the line GJ. In the back, allow the extension beyond point L running into the line LO.

 

 

As I struggled with the fit of my first mock up I went back to Ms. Conover’s introductory words. That is when it dawned on me that it was perfectly o.k., and even expected, to encounter imperfections in these first drafts. What Ms. Conover provides as a basic pattern draft is not meant to be the pattern for an exact finished garment. What she provides is the starting point and expects her students to have the skills (basic skills from her previous lessons), confidence, and common sense to take the project the rest of the way. Can I just say I love this lady?!

After this revelation I went back to the scant instructions for these drawers and looked at them with a new eye and renewed confidence. I made the following determinations after my first mock up:

• Clearly mark the center front and center back – these are not clearly specified in the instructions. I chose to make the left side of the diagram the center front and the right side center back.
• There are no specific instructions for drafting the waist band or the facings; it appears that Ms. Conover expects that one should be able to figure out how to make her own facings and waistbands by this point. Leg facings are not needed for the closed drawers, but a waistband will still be needed.
• I found that I needed to lengthen the inseam by several inches to produce drawers of a similar length to those in the illustration provided.
• If you have extra “padunkadunk in the trunk” as my niece likes to say, you will probably need to adjust the curve of the center back seam. Likewise, if you carry more weight in front you may need to adjust the front crotch curve. I have the padunkadunk going on and it was obvious after my first mock up that I would need adjustments to the posterior.
• Remember! This pattern is cut on the bias!

Once I had given myself permission to make whatever adjustments I deemed necessary, things went smoothly.

In my initial mock up I added about 12" to my leg circumference for the AB line. That was OK but they didn't have that nice full, circular look. They just looked like weird shorts. So to get a more circular drape I doubled that amount to 24" plus my leg circumference on my final draft. That seems like a huge amount, but with soft, fluid fabric it really drapes much more nicely. Instead of looking like shorts, they give more of an illusion of a skirt/slip which, I think, was the intended aesthetic of the time period.

I re-drafted from my first mock up with the above mentioned adjustments and followed through to completion on my basic circular drawers, open style, with no further problems. You can see where I made adjustments in the picture.

 

The actual construction of these circular drawers is actually very quick and simple once you have developed a satisfactory pattern. This first pair of drawers are “open” drawers so the only seam to construct is the inseam. French seams are a nice, neat seam to use in lingerie and work very well for many of the finer silks that one might use.

With the inseams completed, the next step is to attach the facings. The appropriate edge finish for the facing (no sergers in 1922!) is to press the outer edge under by ¼ inch and then top stitch the facing down. In order to add a little femininity to these otherwise plain drawers, I did all of my topstitching in a lovely pink.

I love the way Ms. Conover attaches this waist band. First the center fronts are over lapped and tacked together. The waist band outer edge is pressed under ¼ of an inch in the same way as the leg facings. The waist band is then attached, right side of waistband to wrong side of the drawers.

Once the waist band is attached and flipped to the outside it is top stitched down. Everything is completely enclosed, all neat and tidy, with no bulkiness. I will be using this technique for future projects I am sure!

Ms. Conover gives two options for finishing the back waistband, either buttonhole and buttons, or a simple drawstring. I opted for the buttons. I finished off the legs with a simple rolled hem. That’s it for the open drawers!

If you prefer to make the closed drawers, the only difference in the construction method is that instead of sewing the facings to the leg seam, one simply sews the crotch seam together just as one would with any modern pants pattern. Make sure to leave the center back opening long enough (7-9” or 18-23cm) to easily get in and out of the drawers.

An overlap can be added simply by allowing extra fabric at center back when cutting, or a separate lap piece can be sewn on. No guidelines are given; this is another task that it was assumed one could figure out on one's own.

I have included some additional pictures showing the attaching of the waistband on the closed drawers because the fancy fabric shows the technique a little better. The cotton/silk has a shiny side and a dull side so it is easier to understand the process in picture. I also found that it was helpful to roll pin the waist band when preparing to do the topstitching. This helps encourage the bias cut of the fabric to cooperate. I did not roll pin with the plain cotton, but the cotton/silk had more drape to begin with and the bias cut exaggerated that.

Now the cotton/silk drawers were begging for some pretties! I always save lace and trim from gowns I alter. Last summer I had a bride who wanted a full length, tulle, lace covered wedding gown made into a knee length dress. The bride didn’t want any of the excess so I happily tucked the beautiful lace away for some future, unknown project.

I had plenty of lace to work with and I originally thought that I would trim the leg openings, the sides, and the front and back waist band. Once I started laying out the lace I decided that less is more. The lace was too heavy to keep the nice drape and flow of the fabric. The lace also has sequins and I was afraid that the sequins might catch on the inside of any garment I may be wearing over the drawers. And I actually do intend to wear these closed drawers!

So, you may be wondering where the scandal comes into this assignment. Like I said at the beginning of the segment, when I started working on this project I had not realized that the pattern was for open drawers. I totally thought I was reading the pattern wrong or missing some step in the instructions. Eventually it dawned on me that these were indeed meant to be open drawers.

While I have worked with and around historical fashion and theatrical fashion I have never had reason to dive into the study of historical undies myself. I never gave the actual functionality of the garments much thought. But I do have exposure to theater and historical costume in my background. It was a pretty quick trip for me to realize that this was a practical and necessary form of undergarment. Completely ladylike, sensible, and proper for the time period.

That was not my husband’s review of the open drawers when I was wearing them over my yoga pants to test them out! He was horrified that women would wear something so indiscreet. I guess there was just too much fabric in the wrong places?! And not enough in other places?! Granted, these were the plain cotton drawers, but somehow I am pretty certain he won’t like the closed drawers any better.

So I showed them to some of my women friends, sisters, and mom just for pure curiosity’s sake. All of them had the same horrified reaction! I am totally blown away that we live in a world where a dental floss G string is completely normal and acceptable and circular open drawers (with actual fabric yardage) are scandalous and horrifying. Talk about a twilight zone fashion moment.

I had a blast making these. Ms. Conover gave me the courage and reassurance to attempt my first undies, and blessedly, the freedom to make something less than perfect the first time. That freedom from the curse of perfectionism gives me the desire and drive to keep moving forward and expanding my underwear repertoire!

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