The Workwoman's Guide: Shirts for the Laboring Class page 137

Does anyone even read blogs anymore? I really haven't read them in years, but I've also moved to a new city and had another child and now have five kids from age 15 down to 3, so maybe the lack of reading blogs is just me? I also haven't done any Pioneer sewing since trek, except for some aprons to use up some scraps and to teach my 9-year old how to sew a little. Anyway, now dear little son

has become a dear big son 

and needs clothes for trek this summer. He will be such a good age to go: almost 16 and strong! He's not the biggest kid but he will be an asset to his "family." Just when we thought we were out of the woods for going on trek, too, this time around, we got asked. Luckily we can just use our old clothes, provided we haven't gotten too fat. I would still love to make me a corset/stay and a new dress, but time won't permit.

I asked Eli (son) if he would like to go on trek more authentically or like the other kids. He said he would like an authentic shirt but maybe not pants. He said he'd even wear a vest, but I don't know if they'll require it, so I might not make one. My husband's didn't turn out perfectly last time, so I do want to redeem myself there with another attempt. 

I've wanted to figure out the Workwoman's Guide Laboring Class Shirt page 137 so I gave it a go. I was very confused with some of the directions but found this lovely post by Andrew which helped a lot. Andrew's work is just beautiful! I was mostly confused with the neck gussets and how to gather them. This adding fabric to make curves is just so weird compared to just cutting fabric away like we do now.

Despite my best efforts, when Eli tried the shirt on the first time, the neck and wristbands were both about an inch too tight! What?! I'd used the size for ages 15-18, and since he's a smaller 15-year old, I thought that size would be just right. It said the collar was 15.75", and his Sunday shirt is a 15.5", so I should have worked, right? Maybe my seams were too big? I took off the collar and the one wristband that was sewn on and cut bigger ones. He tried it on again just the other day and this:

The arms are way too short! The Workwoman suggested to even add a couple inches to the fabric, which I did. I need between 2 and 4 more inches!

Oh! And when I put in the arms, the armscye was just not deep enough! Look at how it scrunches up in his armpit! I had to take out both arms, release my gathers and insert the arms again deeper. What a nuisance. The second time, I made sure the gusset went down to the bottom of the lining, not the 9" down as suggested in the instructions.

His Sunday shirt is behind and it's significantly bigger; it is a little big on him though.

I was also disappointed with the gathers in the back. Having no great example to go by, I wasn't sure how to spread them, and I don't love it. Eli also said that the shirt feels like it's pulling his harms back which isn't good. It might be a little reflection on his posture, though.

Anyhow, I made a conversion chart with "translated" modern measurements for the shirt pieces:

And for future reference, here's a visual of where the measurements go:

And here's kind of a key for the Workwoman's abbreviations:

There's so much info out there now, that I won't go into all the little details about construction anymore. In fact, I was looking in Liz Clark's stuff tonight and saw some great links. 

I might make the next size up next, or make the same size with longer arms, or just try the pattern I used for my husband which I know works. I guess I could also take out the sleeves of this shirt again, make them longer, then re-attach. I could take off the collar, re-gather so the shoulders feel better, then re-attach again, too. On the next one I'll try to make a more closed front since we are not used to open shirts like these were. I wish this had worked better, but you never know unless you try.

Loving the Horseshoe Cap!

Recently I posted a pattern for the Horseshoe Cap from The Workwoman's Guide, 1840, along with a trial run.  Well, I've finished my real version!  I made it with lawn and hand stitched the entire thing, if you can believe it!  It took around 5? hours?  I think it's really cute.  The weird thing is, she keeps it on??  I was able to use one of the new sewing techniques I learned from Liz Clark's day cap class and loved it.

On the ruffle on the back, I used a piece of fabric just the width of the cap as I knew I'd be drawing it in.  I didn't want it ending up really bunchy back there.  For the front ruffle, I used a strip twice as long as the front length and gathered it down.  I noticed in period pictures from the Wisconsin Historical Society, that the neck tie looked like twill tape.  I only had really wide twill tape, so I just made some ties with my lawn.

I'll have to remember to pull it just a little tighter around her head.

Infant's Horseshoe Cap

I had even more fun today trying out the Child's Horse-Shoe Cap from The Workwoman's Guide on page 21.  I've changed the name here to Infant's Horseshoe Cap because the size is more for a baby, rather than a child.  Again, I've used contrasting thread so it's easy to see my stitching.

1.  Cut out your pieces.  It's easiest with a pattern.  I tried drawing a pattern on line, but it just didn't work as well as I would have liked, so I drew one up and scanned it.  The only problem is that no matter what I do, it prints about 3/8" too small. So, when you cut, just make everything 3/8" bigger!  I've marked how big everything should be, so you can compare how yours prints out to a ruler.  Luckily, though, it doesn't have to be exactly perfect (you can see my curves aren't even exactly like the Plate, but it still turns out cute).

2.  Add your runners (small casings for string to run trough to be tied and adjusted), "The cap is made up with two or three runners in front."  Hem the front edge.  (Don't you love that my iron leaked rusty water on my fabric?  So glad I was just testing in muslin!)

3.  Gather the back, mark the center.

4.  Sew the back and the brim right sides together, matching centers.

5.  Hem the bottom.  Allow for a string to be run through.  Add a 1" ruffle all the way around ("the frilling is one inch deep").

From the side:

The first size is little!  Maybe 0-3 months?

Here is my 14-month old in the second size.  Once I add the 1" ruffle and a neck tie I think it will be just right.  I only ran the string through the back bottom, but will along the top front runners, too, in the final product.

The difference between the first and second sizes:

Poor Infant's Cap: Easy Make, Easy Wash

I've been wanting to make a new cap for the baby out of better fabric (lawn instead of muslin).  I even learned some new hand-sewing techniques at Liz Clark's day cap class that I've been wanting to try out.      So, I went to the Workwoman's Guide and found this Poor Infant's Cap.  Actually, I gave it that name; it doesn't even have a name in the book.  It was really easy, but it is REALLY small---probably for a teeny-tiny baby!  So, I'm really glad I did a muslin test run first because it definitely won't fit my 14-month old.  As a larger size was not given, I'm not sure that this kind of cap would be used for an older baby.

In my test-run, I used contrasting thread so you can see where I ran my stitches.  Here's how I did it, with both the original instructions and my interpretation.

Original: PLATE 2 FIG 12 13 This is much used by the poor, and is easily made and as easily washed. 

Original: Take of the material a piece 6 nails down the selvage and 3 1/2 nails wide. 
Translation: Cut a piece along the selvage 13.5" by about 8" (my picture does not follow the selvage; it should be cut the other direction).

Original:

Double it, letting D be the doubled part.

Translation: Fold it in half.

Original: Sew up the back from A to C leaving a small hole or button-hole at the top C;
Translation: With right sides together and your fold at the top, stich down one side to form the back of the cap leaving a small gap at the very top (next to the fold) and another small gap half way down.  

Original: make a runner all round the front and behind, at half a nail's distance from the edge, which is hemmed with a very narrow hem to form a frill; also lay in a runner from E to F;
Translation: About 1" in from the edge on the right side of the fabric, sew a small casing along the bottom and front edges of the cap. Sew another casing along the front edge of the cap about about 1 1/4" in from the first casing, stopping a little over an inch above the bottom edge of the cap on either side. Sew a narrow hem along the front and bottom edges of the cap to form a frill. (The frill is very minor. If you cinch up your strings to make more frill, the cap is even tinier!)

Using a blunt needle, run 6 strings through your casings securing one end (see top drawing and below picture for placement). If you are hand sewing, I'd just hand sew my strings into my casings as I go.

Original: next, sew a bobbin at B, letting one end of the string hang outside and the other being pulled through the seam, remains inside the cap. This end is carried up and brought out through the hole at C (see the dotted line in the Plate which represents the top inside); when worn, the tapes, on being tied together at B, draw up the cap into shape, and if neatly arranged and pulled out with the fingers, it looks very neat and pretty. (See Fig 13) Some put a loop of bobbin inside at B, which on being brought out through C, fastens to a button at B, on the outside.

Translation: Run a tape (I used a ribbon) through the little holes you left in the back of the cap. Secure one end at the back center; pull the other end to tighten up the back. Tie the ties together to keep the shape. You can also put a button on the outside of the cap where you can secure your long tie. For ease, I just left two long ties and tied a bow.

Add chin ties.

A Day Cap in "a Pretty Shape for Almost Any Purpose" Tutorial

 
I had yet another fun sewing adventure yesterday.  Today was our volunteer day at TITP, and since my hair is so short, I really needed a day cap.  As you know, I've made a few out of muslin, but that is just too hot.  At the Pioneer Extravaganza the other day I saw a closeup of Dianna's which inspired me.

I thought I'd better get to work.  I went to the fabric store and apparently they don't have lawn or batiste, so cotton-poly voile was the closest I could get.  Luckily, I'd already done some of my research in The Workwoman's Guide, so once I got started it only took about 2 hours to come up with this hand-sewn day cap.  This is a really easy pattern -- a good one to start with.

I still need to add my ties, and I'm not sure I'll add a ruffle.  I probably should add the ruffles, but I'm just not a ruffly girl.

Here's how I did it:

1.  The instructions begin on page 67-68 of The Workwoman's Guide and images are found on Plate 9, Figures 27 & 28.

2.  Once you translate the directions, you see that your fabric should be approximately 18" wide by 12.5" high.   My selvage edge was the 12.5".  Fold the fabric in half so that it is 9" wide by 12.5" high -- the fold should be on the right side.  The diagram is more square than the actual measured piece.

3.   I wish the diagram was more clear, but I'll try and tell you how much to cut out.  From the top left corner, measure down 3.5".  Then mark in 2.25".  That little rectangular piece will come out.  From the bottom right corner of that little rectangle, mark down 4.5".  From that low point draw your curved line up to the top as shown in the picture.  I could have done a little better job.

 The opened view.

 4.  Stitch, right sides together (not that I could tell which side was the right side) the two short ends as shown below.  I made about a 1/4" seam.  Depending on how frey-ey your fabric is, you'll probably want to whip stitch the raw edges together.

5.  Run a gathering stitch along the curved edge and gather evenly to fit the width of the slit/two short stumpy pieces. 

6.  With right sides together, sew the gathered edge to the smooth edge.  I again hand-stitched a 1/4" seam and whip stitched my edges together.

7.  Hem the bottom  and front -- my bottom hem was probably 3/8" - 1/2"; my front was around 1/4".

8.  Secure a string a couple inches in from the front corners of the cap (I don't tie a knot, I just sew a couple loops over each other to anchor), run the string through the hem using a long needle, and pop the thread out the center back of the cap.  I had my strings coming inward, but I think outward is good, too.  I don't know if there's a "right" way.

9.  Try on the cap, pull the strings to fit, and tie.

I suppose I could have a little more room in the back...?

Looking kinda sleepy...

1840 Girl's Chemise (Slip) Try 2

I took another try at a variation of a girl's chemise last night.  The Workwoman's Guide  (1840) mentions this technique for a lady's shift (chemise) on page 45, so I thought I'd try it for a little girl.

I cut this one out the same as the other chemise according to the child's chemise dimensions.  Well, I did steepen my slope giving me more fabric to work with at the pointy end, but that, in the end makes the back slightly bigger than the front, but still workable (that probably doesn't make sense, but I don't think I'll take the time to figure out how to explain it).

So the body (big trapezoid) is basically 18" on the top and 25" on the bottom and 21" tall.

The shoulder straps are 4" x 11".  The instructions just mention shoulder straps but never say dimensions, so I just made that up.

The sleeves are 4" x 16" with little triangles cut off the ends to mimic the shape of a gusseted sleeve.  See, here I am cutting corners again!

First, I finished the edges of the sleeves as well as the tops of the body (just folded over 1/4" twice and pressed) and straight stitched along the edge.

Then, I folded the shoulder straps in half lengthwise and pressed and attached them to the inside of the body with a straight stitch.  I made sure the folded edge was toward the center -- this makes it so you don't have any edges to finish later!

Next, I marked the centers of my shoulder straps as well as my sleeves, matched them up and stitched them together.

Then, I folded the whole thing in half, matching the side seams and the sleeves and stitched closed.  Typically I finish my seams with a second straight stitch close to the first.  If I remember correctly, that is period appropriate.  You could zig-zag, but they didn't have that back then!  I actually didn't do my second straight stitch on this garment, so I really need to go back and hand overcast my seams together.

Here's the garment right side out.  Obviously it's too wide.  If the arms were bigger, it would fit me!

A technique mentioned in the Workwoman is to run a string through the hem/casing of the neckline.  It doesn't say to do it in these instructions, but I can't imagine NOT doing it.

So, I got my super long needle, some embroidery floss, secured one end on the inside by sewing a 1/2" loop over itself a few times, fed the needle through my little hem to the other side, pulled out the needle, secured the end, then did the same to the other side of the chemise.  You can't really tell in the picture below, but I'm trying to show how I secured the ends of the floss.

It's a little big on her, so I had her hold her arms up for the picture so it wouldn't fall down too low.  I believe the Workwoman said this size should work for age 5 on up; but, my daughter is only 4, well, for a couple days anyway ;-).  It should fit next year.  Had it not been 11:00 last night when I started this project, I would have had her try it on so I'd know how long those shoulder straps should have been!  If I took about an inch off the total length of the strap (4" x 10"), it probably would have been perfect.  I'll probably just sew a 3" piece folded in half along the inside of the front just for modesty's sake and ease of wear this year!

We all think it's really cute!  How am I ever going to get her to wear the first chemise I tried yesterday that fits better?