I’ve been getting a lot of requests lately to make a shift video, and I was not planning
on doing one because there are so many out there I just didn’t think I had anything
new to add to the subject.
However I noticed a lot of the questions have been about what pattern
did I use, how did I draft my patterns, and specifically concerning sleeves.
So, since patterning seems to be the most troubling topic for people, I decided to focus
on that.
Now a little disclaimer: I’ve only sewn two shifts, and only to my own measurements.
So I’ll explain the formulas I used, but I do not recommend that anyone take them and plug
in your measurements, cut out your linen, and then spend a week doing tiny backstitches
just based purely off of my word.
You should still make a mockup, even if it’s only the top third of the shift.
At least make sure the shoulders and sleeves are right, especially if you’ve never drafted
a shift pattern before.
There, you have been warned.
To start, we need to make our front and back panel.
Let’s start with the length, huh?
That’s easiest.
Hold your tape measure up to your shoulder and drop it down in front of a mirror.
Stand up straight and look down.
Don’t stoop, or you’ll throw it off.
Most historical shifts ended a few inches below the knee, but if you’re historybounding,
you can make it as short as you need for it to be practical.
So we have our first vertical line.
Now we need a matching horizontal axis.
One rule of thumb I’ve heard is to double your shoulder width.
But you can multiply it by 1.5, for a less bulky fit.
Now that measurement forms the bottom edge, and we come to our first real choice.
How wide do you want the top edge to be?
This decision will have the greatest effect on the end result.
If you are making an earlier shift, or if you want a great deal of fullness in the gathers at
the neckline, perhaps if you are making a shift that will show such as in Outlander.
In this case, for maximum fullness, you'll bring the sides straight up to form a perfect
rectangle.
However if you are making a later shift, such as for Regency costuming, or perhaps for historybounding,
and you would like to minimize the bulk of the shift, in this case you will want a slimmer
fit.
To do this you need to angle in the sides of your pattern.
The narrowest you can go is right down to your shoulder width.
This will give you the slimmest fit, with the least amount of
bulk under your clothes, and few gathers at the neckline.
However, it does not have to be one extreme or the other.
You have a range of measurements to choose from that
will give it moderate sliminess or fullness, to whatever degree you want.
Now for the shoulders, there seem to be two common options employed.
A) you cut the front and back panels as one piece, in which case a small piece of linen
reinforcement, one or two inches wide, is sewn across the top of the shoulder.
Or B) you cut the front and back as separate pieces and stitch them together at the shoulders.
In this case, the shoulder seams were overlapped and given the same measure of reinforcement.
I actually used both of these routs, one for each of my shifts.
And there's really no difference in the end results, it just comes down to
your fabric availability and what's easiest for you.
However, if you are cutting them separate and overlapping the seams, you will need to
factor that extra into your pattern.
Now we need to figure out the neckline.
Take your tape measure once more, and measure in from the very edge of your shoulder.
Decide how wide you want the shoulder strap to be, keeping in mind the width of your stay’s
strap, if you have one.
Mark the pattern and take a vertical line down from that point.
Now measure from the top of your shoulder down to the top of your bust.
It’s ok to go a little lower than you really want, because the gathering will raise the finished
neckline.
Then measure from your shoulder down your back to decide how low you want the gathers
to sit, which for me is a couple inches higher than the front neckline.
Mark that line on your pattern as well.
Now we have a giant rectangle, so we need to determine the curve.
For this you need a round thing.
Any round thing will do.
I like to use embroidery hoops, but you can also use pan lids, bowls, candles, lampshades…
Anyways, the size is what’s important.
The larger your round thing is, the more rounded your neckline will be.
The smaller it is, the more squared.
If you want a really squared neckline, however, like for those perfectly squared Regency dresses,
in that case you need to cut separate straps and it’s a whole different patterning
process.
Anyways, just choose your round thing, then line it up in the corners, tracing your edge.
There you go, finished neckline.
Let’s tackle the side gussets, while everything is fresh.
I don’t usually pattern gussets, I just base them off of whatever fabric is left by
the time I get to them.
But here are some things to keep in mind.
You can use one rectangle and split it diagonally, giving yourself one triangle per side.
Or you can split and flip two rectangles, giving yourself double the width per side.
If you are going for a full skirt, use wider gussets.
If you are going for a slimmer skirt, use narrow gussets.
The length of the gusset is also important.
They can be short enough to only flare the skirt a little bit at the leg, or they can go all
the way up to your armpit if you'd prefer.
But here is how I like them.
If the shift is slim, I make them shorter, starting at about the base of my hips.
If the shift is full, I make them longer, starting a little bit below the waist.
I don’t make them higher than that, because if I am wearing it underneath a corset or
stays, I don’t want the extra bulk from the intersecting seams centered at my cinched
waist.
Great, we are now down to everyone’s favorite part, sleeves.
Here you have more variety to choose from depending on the style and era you want.
Sleeves can be long, short, 3/4 length.
They can be fitted or gathered or really gathered.
They can gather with a drawstring, a cuff, a ruffle, or whatever that 18th century button
thing was.
You actually don’t have to add sleeves, especially if you’re making the shift for
historybounding and you don’t want the sleeves to show.
But the reason for the sleeves is that they protect your outer-layers
from sweat, so take that into consideration when planning.
To start, we need to figure out how wide to make the sleeve.
This is probably the hardest part, and what you definitely need to mock up.
Here is the method that worked for me.
Measure around your arm pretty tightly right at the shoulder, then slide the ring down
to make sure it’s loose enough.
Don’t worry about the tightness at the shoulder, because the gusset will fill that out.
Now if you want your sleeve to be close fitting, this measurement will work fine.
If you want the sleeve to be a little fuller, you can add an inch or so to this measurement.
And if you want to sleeve to be any amount fuller than that, you can add gathers.
Just be sure you gather it up to the right amount when you attach it to the body of the
shift.
All that’s left is the underarm gusset, and I don’t have any fancy formula for that.
I always do 4x4 inches.
You can experiment in your mockup to decide if you need to add or subtract anything from
that measurement.
And that is pretty much it for patterning, except for the little pieces you may or may not need
depending on your design: shoulder reinforcements, cuffs, ruffles, etc.
However, do not forget to add about a half inch of seam allowance to your pieces, especially
if you plan on machine sewing.
If you want to hand stitch it, and use 1/4 inch seams, well, you should still add the
seam allowance but let's just say on my 18th century shift
I kind of forgot on most of the pieces and
you can’t even tell a difference. So...
Now, let us briefly discuss fabric.
Linen is the staple for shift making, for historical and scientific reasons.
If you can get a nice, lightweight linen, great.
Linen breathes beautifully, and it has natural moisture absorbing properties
which are great if you live in a humid climate.
Of if you sweat.
Burnley and Trowbridge carries a nice shift-weight linen for a pretty good price.
At least, probably better than what you’d find at Joann’s.
However, during the Regency Era cotton became more popular for everything, and during the
Victorian decades you see shifts slowly becoming chemises and linen becoming cotton.
So, that being said if you can’t get ahold of linen, cotton is ok.
And if the only linen you can get your hands on is thick and bulky, you’re probably
better off with a lightweight cotton anyways.
The weight of the fabric you choose will make a tremendous difference in the end result,
once you have everything gathered up.
Generally, you want a balance between light and fine, but sturdy.
For reference, the slim Regency shift in this video is made from cotton batiste.
The 18th century shift is a lightweight linen.
Not from Burnley and Trowbridge though.
It’s stash fabric, and I’m pretty sure I bought from Hancocks, if that indicates to
anybody else how long I’ve had it.
Alright, here is where I'll leave you for this video.
I hope that this was useful in understanding the mechanics of shift patterning.
Unfortunately I made the Regency shift before I had a YouTube, so I don’t have any footage
to give you a more in-depth tutorial, but here are the measurements of the finished piece.
However I made the 18th Century shift last August, and I still have that footage archived
away.
So I’m going to go ahead and dig that out and actually make the video tutorial about how to sew
a shift, coming soon.