I decided to make myself a proper 18th century outfit but I need to make all the underpinnings first which includes a shift, stays, and panniers or bump pad. For my shift, I found this site online here that gives you instructions on how to construct one.
It's always recommended to use period fabrics and linen was the common fabric used back then. I live in Southern California and it's always hot, even on the coast, and most of the linen fabrics are too scratchy for me. The real soft linen fabrics are hard to find or very expensive to buy. Since this garment will be worn underneath and nobody will see it, I decided to construct mine out of 100% cotton which looks period and is durable and light.
The pattern I will be doing is model B except I would like to be able to cinch or loosen the top of the shift. Therefore, I will be adding a channel for my ribbon and eyelets on the inside for the opening and closure.
I want my shift to go just below my knee. Since I'm only 5' 2", I wanted my length at 45" inches which is enough to hem a 1 1/2" french seam, and have it 25" inches wide. I cut one long fabric at 90" for my front and back body. I have it folded in half so it would fit in the photo. I also cut two 16x12 squares for my arms and two 5x5 squares for the arm gores then cut 4 triangular gores 28"x8". Note: Before cutting your side gores, measure 1/2" below the armpit and measure from that point to the length of your shift. I cut mine too short the first time and ended up with an undesirable shape.
After cutting my pieces, I pinned each one in place, starting with the side arm gores and sewed them in place. To make sure I was pinning the arm gores correctly to the main garment, I folded my front/back fabric in half so I could easily find the center. I then pinned the sides in place, sewed it down 1/4" inch and did the same with the side gores. After sewing it all in place, I decided to serge them for neatness but sewed the hems with a french seam.
For the neck opening, I used an old t-shirt as a pattern and it worked out real well. I first measured the length from my shoulder blade to my neck so I would know how many inches apart to start cutting for each side. I tried it on and the arm was too loose on me. I know it's suppose to be a little loose but I felt it was just too big on me so I cut the width down by 2 1/2" inches.
I had a bit of a hard time sewing the channel around the collar. It's those corners that gave me problems but it's definitely easier if you are sewing it by hand which I didn't do. I ended up sewing the corners by hand and the rest by machine. I sewed two eyelets on the front for the ribbon to go through as my opening and closure. I then used a standard safety pin to run in through. You can tuck the ribbon and it won't show or just let it hang out. I like having ribbons as opposed to rope because they are very light and comfortable. You just can't wash it in the washing machine or they will get wrecked.
Ta-dah! This took me less than a day to make and I like the fact that you can make it any width or length. This is a picture of my shift laying flat on the bed (shows the shape better) and on my mannequin.
Next project will be the stays and bump pad or panniers, to complete my underpinnings.
Hope you enjoyed this short tutorial!
