18th Century Shift Sleeve Hack

Have you been thinking about sewing an 18th century wardrobe (or a history bounding one)? Are you getting into hand sewing? Have you made a shift with us following our Sew Along and now you are feeling adventurous? Why not try your hand at a gathered shift sleeve! 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. The sleeve in our hack is made fuller, cuffed, and has open worked buttonholes ready to receive sleeve buttons or ribbon. It is found depicted in art and in surviving shifts dating up to the last quarter of the 18th century. In this video we will use the following tutorials: Back stitch https://youtu.be/l61Rxoap7S4 Felled Stitch https://youtu.be/9tFVcLnKnO0 Running Stitch https://youtu.be/Ms_JB4TeNYY Gathering Sleeve into Wristband https://youtu.be/__zWnZFta5U Open Work Buttonhole https://youtu.be/vdKyvQgytk8 Haven't heard about our Shift Sew Along? You can check it out here: Part 1 here https://youtu.be/-x98eNS23hk Part 2 here https://youtu.be/U7ds6D5ce4E Part 3 here https://youtu.be/p7lAFwvGjHY Supplies list here: https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com/collections/shift-sew-along Use our hashtag #showyour