Shift Sew Along Part One

Опубликовано: 06 Август 2026
на канале: Burnley and Trowbridge Co.
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Have you been thinking about sewing an 18th century wardrobe (or a history bounding one)? Are you getting into hand sewing? Join us for our Historical Sew Along Series!

Welcome to our fourth Sew Along, Shifts! In our first three sew alongs, we produced garments to dress your lower half in the 18th century. In this sew along we are tackling underwear! Undergarments have been worn throughout history to protect our outer clothing from body oils and scents. In the 18th century this garment, worn closest to the skin was known as a shift (sometimes know by the French term chemise). Made of bleached or sometimes unbleached linen it was constructed simply of rectangles and squares. It was sewn using the seamstress’s best stitches to withstand repeated washings. Your newly made shift will be worn under all your 18th century garments as you journey down the 18th century fashion trail!
Use our hashtag #showyourshift and tag us in social media!

Follow this link for a suggested supplies list: https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com/coll...

In Part 1 we will:
Talk about the history of shifts
Measure for our shift
Make a cutting diagram
Cut out all the pieces for our shift

07:44 Supplies
10:36 Measuring
22:54 Diagram

Want to make the gathered sleeve with cuff? Check out our sleeve hack!    • 18th Century Shift Sleeve Hack  

Much research on Shifts and their construction has been done over the years. Each year, original shifts have been discovered in private and public collections giving us a broader understanding of the variations of their construction and style. There are a number of resources online you can check out. Here are a few:
http://www.larsdatter.com/18c/shifts....
https://marariley.net/shift/shift.htm
http://www.marquise.de/en/1700/howto/...
http://www.sharonburnston.com/shifts/...

Of course we encourage you to do your own research as we have and enjoy the process!

Follow all of our Sew Alongs to get Dressed From Toe to Top!    • Sew Alongs