Hands-On History: Sew a Shift
In this full-day workshop, you will draft and sew a simple linen garment.
A shift is a simple, unfitted foundational garment worn from the early medieval period through the 19th century. This is the perfect project for a first foray into historical sewing, because the pattern consists entirely of simple rectangles and triangles. (Guys are welcome too! It's easy to adapt the pattern for a man's Viking-era tunic with long sleeves and a keyhole neckline.)
In this workshop, you will construct your own simple and historically accurate shift. We will draft and cut the pieces to measure and assemble them with a sewing machine. Then we will fell the seams by hand so that no machine stitching will be visible from the outside of the finished garment. If you prefer to sew the entire garment by hand, you can do that too—you just won't get it quite as finished while you're here. Either way, you will leave with your own shift and all of the knowledge and materials you’ll need to complete the seams and hems at home.
The price for this class includes a $25 materials fee. Your shift will be lightweight linen (3.5oz/yard) of a medium grade, suitable for everyday attire. We will use all-cotton thread to sew it together.
In this full-day workshop, you will draft and sew a simple linen garment.
A shift is a simple, unfitted foundational garment worn from the early medieval period through the 19th century. This is the perfect project for a first foray into historical sewing, because the pattern consists entirely of simple rectangles and triangles. (Guys are welcome too! It's easy to adapt the pattern for a man's Viking-era tunic with long sleeves and a keyhole neckline.)
In this workshop, you will construct your own simple and historically accurate shift. We will draft and cut the pieces to measure and assemble them with a sewing machine. Then we will fell the seams by hand so that no machine stitching will be visible from the outside of the finished garment. If you prefer to sew the entire garment by hand, you can do that too—you just won't get it quite as finished while you're here. Either way, you will leave with your own shift and all of the knowledge and materials you’ll need to complete the seams and hems at home.
The price for this class includes a $25 materials fee. Your shift will be lightweight linen (3.5oz/yard) of a medium grade, suitable for everyday attire. We will use all-cotton thread to sew it together.
The 18th-century-style shift modeled above follows the basic pattern that we'll use in this workshop. Alterations can be made to suit different historical eras.
A proper shift has finished seams inside and out, for durability. Pictured above are the outside (left) and the inside (right) of a finished sleeve.