Silks and satins, hoops and bustles—these are the favorites of collectors and costume historians of the era. But not all fine hand sewing was so glamorous. Humble garments such as chemises and shirts often displayed a delicacy of style and quality of execution that surpassed the fine gowns and suits. Young ladies were taught the basic stitches at home and at school, and unless they went into dressmaking as a form of paid employment, they might spend more time sewing family linen than anything else. This type of needlework, worked by hand on washable materials and not requiring complicated cutting and fitting, was called plain sewing.

There were a dozen or so fundamental stitches used in plain sewing, and as many basic construction techniques. Simple ornamental stitches, such as featherstitching, were also used in plain work. Some had names that are familiar to us today, while others were peculiar to the nineteenth century. Instruction books were rare, particularly for the early years of the century. However, those books that have survived, along with many lovely examples of plain work, give us a clear idea of how plain needlework was taught and used, as well as tremendous respect and admiration for the women who spent so many hours with needle and thread.

Formal training in plain sewing was available early in the century. Here you see a “specimen” from an 1821 sewing instruction book, which illustrates the tiny hemming & whipping stitches expected by the time girls were in the Ninth Class.
These same techniques were still being taught a century later, as seen in this “model” of an apron from a sewing instruction book containing almost 50 exquisitely worked samples.
This chemise was entered in the Plain Sewing category of a New York Agricultural Society Fair in 1860. The backstitches are worked 16 per inch on thick muslin, and the others, hemming, seaming, etc., are similarly fine.
This tag was attached to the chemise, identifying it as a "specimen of plain hand sewing on a garment."

Hemming is a woefully unappreciated technique in hand sewing now. When describing antique garments today, many simply say a fold has been "whipped down," when in fact they are describing hemming.
Whipping referred to a different technique altogether, often called "rolling and whipping" today.
In the nineteenth century, hemming was considered a fundamental stitch, and quality work was essential to sturdiness in finished garments or linens. There was a proper way to hold the needle, thimble, and material which made for rapid progress. Hemming wasn't reserved for the bottom of a skirt, but was incorporated into other construction techniques such as felling. Delicate baby clothing and fine lingerie (collars, caps, chemisettes, etc.) had very narrow hems which could be as small as one-sixteenth of an inch.

Two techniques that are often confused are stroking and gauging. Stroking is a method of arranging gathers before inserting them into a band in order to give a neat appearance.

Stroked gathers are seen here on a man's heavy linen shirt cuff (top left), and on the waist of an infant's three-quarter frock of very fine mull muslin (left).

Gauging, a dressmaking technique, was used to attach a large amount of fabric onto a smaller length of fabric. It is seen here at the back of a heavy silk skirt (left); inside view of the same skirt (right).