The measurements marked on the diagrams (near the end of this article) are as follows:
| A-B | Length | to your own preference, plus 2 inches. |
| C-D | Chest | at least one-quarter of your relaxed chest measurement, plus 3 inches (but see diagrams). |
| E-F | Arm length | from shoulder seam to wrist bone, plus 3 inches (but see diagrams). |
The only authentic fabrics for shirts are linen and wool for early periods, silk for the very rich of all periods, and cotton for later periods. Cotton calico is a good substitute for heavier shirts - it wears well, washes well and comes in bleached and unbleached finishes; use finer cotton or lawn if you are well-to-do or a fop, or for a delicate ladies' chemise. If you want to make a woollen shirt remember to check that the wool you buy is suitable for handwashing. For real authenticity. sew your shirt by hand - it takes a lot longer but is very relaxing, and satisfying for those who like either authenticity or costume one-upmanship...
Remember not to spoil things with the wrong fastening; for early period, make ties of your shirt fabric or else add a brooch or pin at the neck, and later use metal hooks and eyes (invented in Italy and visible in paintings from the 13th century), natural buttons or, again, fabric ties and drawstrings.
To buy your fabric, see the instructions under each diagram. Authenticity strikes again - most medieval shirt-weight looms were quite narrow and this sort of garment was probably cut from fabric of width 18 inches or less, though contemporary representations do not usually show seam lines to help us determine exactly how wide each piece was cut. If you want to use narrow panels, put in an extra seam up centre front and back; if not, cut them on the fold of wider cloth.
All the shirt and smock examples I have seen have the straight grain at centre front and back; for a chemise under a very close-fitting gown, however, you might wish to cut the fabric on the true cross. You will not be even considering this unless you are an experienced cutter and so won't need my help in deciding how to do it!
| 1 | Lay out your cloth and cut all pieces as per the diagram for your chosen shirt or chemise. (Patterns are further down this page.) |
| If you feel a little nervous, cut out all the pieces in newspaper first (you can sellotape sheets together) and make sure that lengths, etc., are OK. If you feel confident of the size, draw the outlines onto the cloth in washable tailors chalk or very lightly in pencil, and cut round them. If in doubt, cut larger - you can always take off excess fabric but adding it on is more difficult! | |
| 2 | Tack all the seams and try the shirt on. If you have made several shirts for yourself or the person you are making for before, you may well feel confident enough to do without this stage. |
| 3 | It is often easier with shirts to sew the sleeves in first, and then join the underarm and side seams in one process. |
| 4 | If you want to completely enclose the seams, whether working on a machine or by hand, the best methods are as follows |
| a | Sew each seam with the wrong sides together, raw edges on the right side, first. making your sewing line 1/4 inch inside the seam allowance. Trim away as much of the bulk of the allowance as possible, then turn, press, and sew again, so that the double seam is now on the wrong side. This works best on fine fabrics. |
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| b | For any weight fabric, sew the seam nght sides together with a 5/8 inch seam allowance Trim one side of the allowance to 1/4 inch, turn in the raw edge of the bigger allowance over it, and overhand it down, thus enclosing the raw edges. |
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| c | For any weight fabric, overhand all raw edges with very small overhand stitches, placed very close together. |
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| Remember that the more securely and neatly your seams are finished off, the longer your shirt will last. | |
| 5 | Finish off your neck edge for styles A and B by rolling over the fabric to cover the raw edge and overhand down, or by binding; hem sleeve and hem edges. Sew on the band for style C. |
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| For all sleeves, and style B neckline, sew a channel of binding cut on the bias, 5/8 inch or so wide, on the wrong side about 1 inch inside the neck and sleeve edges. Thread your fastening ties through this channel. This will give you a nice little frill at neck and wrist. | |
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| You can make the wrist frill bigger by cutting the sleeves a bit longer and placing the channel further in from the hem edge, but if you want a deeper frill at the neck it is easier and produces a neater result to add the frill on to the neck edge rather than try and cut it in one. | |
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| 6 | Now sew on your neck ties or other neck fastenings if required. Your shirt is now finished. Wash and iron it after every wearing and keep it in a drawer or box, with perhaps a herb or lavender sachet or one of those little wooden balls impregnated with perfume sold by The Body Shop, to make it feel and smell pleasant every time you put it on. Remember that linen which is washed after every wear lasts far longer, because sweat contains elements which rot fabric. Remember too that your shirt protects your expensive outer garb, or for a Tudor lady your corset, both of which are far less easy to clean, from sweat and body odours. |
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Of course, one shirt or chemise is not enough unless you are of a very low social class indeed. Now you have made one and seen how easy it is, be sure and start on the next one right away. A shirt is a splendid gift from lady to gentleman, being both personal and practical, and no lady would object to being given a length of sheerest lawn or fine silk for a chemise! Remember that a man can wear just shirt and hose or braes at an informal / outdoor event in hot weather, and smocks make wonderful nightwear. A lightweight version for summer and a heavier version for winter, an everyday one and one for best - now that you've mastered shirtmaking, experiment and enjoy.
Heloisa Malett.
Figure A |
A-B : As instructions
C-D : As instructions E-F : As instructions F-G : 5 inches, and ½ inch × 2 for seams G-A : ¼ your neck measured at base, plus 2 inches F-G : Should be cut on fold E-F : Should be cut on fold F-C :14 inches unless trying on dictates otherwise |
Figure B |
A-B : As instructions
C-D : ¼ your chest, plus 6 inches E-F : Length plus 5 inches F-G : 7 inches G-A : Half your neck measurement F-G : Cut on fold E-F : Cut on Fold F-C :14 inches unless trying on dictates otherwise |
Figure C |
A-B : As instructions
C-D : As instructions E-F : As instructions F-G : 5 inches, and ½ inch × 2 for seams G-A : ¼ your neck measured at base, plus 2 inches F-G : Should be cut on fold E-F : Should be cut on fold NB : Cut a straight grain band, 4 inches wide, your neck plus 4 inches long, and use it as a collar band. It should only be stiffened if you use a very fine fabric. |
To find length : 4 × A-B (so if A-B is 27 inches, say 3 yards) plus 2 × E-F.
To find width : C-D plus 2 inches at least (for cutting).
So if your length works out to 4½ yards and your width is 20 inches, buy 2¼ yards of 40-45 inch fabric.
To convert fabric lengths to metres, either use the approximate conversion 1 yard = 1 metre, or else divide the required length (in inches) by 39. Thus, 2¼ yards is roughly 2.25 metres or, more accurately, 2.1 metres (2.25 × 36 ÷ 39).
©1988 Helen McCarthy.
Please reproduce this work if you wish, but please credit the author under both her mundane and medieval names, and please credit the Far Isles Website.
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