On Making Shirts & Night-Shirts

Manuel des demoiselles ou arts et métiers, 1830

Sew this fabric firmly by seaming, leaving at the top, on each side, an opening to sew in the sleeves, and leave a quarter [12 inches] approximately from the bottom, unsewn (measured by the longer piece).

Then slit the top of the shirt at the fold, in the form of a T, or a cross lacking the top part (fig. 25), i.e. make a slit longitudinally in the middle of the front (of a quarter [12 inches] approximately), and a slit along the fold, on the right and on the left of the slit of the middle: these slits must be a half-quarter [6 inches] each; this is where you will attach the collar, for which you will cut a band a third [16 inches] in length, i, and a quarter [12 inches] in width; it must be folded over on itself and sloped twice; first on the two ends of the front, so as to produce a kind of point at the top, then on the bottom, to facilitate the joining of the collar to the shirt.

In order to round the ends of the slit for the collar, it is necessary to insert two gussets (fig. 26), square pieces that you will fold over in the middle, after having sewn them to the shoulder-pieces. The shoulder-pieces are two pieces from three to four inches wide, which one places from the end of the collar slit, to the edge; you will then cut out the sleeves the length of the arms, and about a half-ell [24 inches] in width. As one must cut them on the cross, the bottom will be about half the width; you will double this bottom of a high piece of fabric a half-third [8 inches]; you will cut then two gussets for the sleeves (gussets that one places on the upper part of the sleeve before sewing it in), and two others, half smaller [4 inches], to sew in the openings on the bottom of the shirt, take care that they do not tear transversely at the end of the seaming; finally you will cut a small band approximately three inches in length and a half-inch wide: This band is to fix the front slit and the folds corresponding to two of the collar, it is placed across the bottom of the slit , h.

Foot-note. Your shoulder-pieces must be cut in one piece, then you will split them a little on the end closest to the shoulder slit; that will make two small pieces to be extended along the gusset which is folded into a heart and is placed in between them; one of them can extend behind shirt, and the other along the front. Place on the armhole, from the back, a small band to support the folds of the assembled sleeve.

I add here a process little known, but quite useful to prevent the front of the shirt from coming up and to fold or open on the chest. It consists of sloping the part of the shirt which one sews on each side to the front of the collar. To this end, measure from the top of the longitudinal front slit, and from there to the transverse slit, the height of an inch. There cut off on each side a small triangular part this height, an inch wide at this place, but lengthened much more, it will end at an acute point towards the shoulder pieces. Having done this on each side, it is with this higher edge thus sloped that one sews the two fore parts of the collar.

The nightshirts are simpler. Cut two fronts J.J. (fig.27), similar to the back; the figure K. shows half on paper patterns. Then cut out the sleeves the length of the arm, in accordance with the figure, a wide strip from five to six inches, and a third long, which you will fold up on itself by rounding it by the two ends, it will be the collar. Now all that there is to do is to cut this kind of garment, is to sew the fronts to the backs by felling them. (See "to assemble the sleeves," which we explained for the sleeves of dresses.)

To ornament the nightshirts, you recall the process indicated for trimming; fold the edges to the back and sew a wide tape, through which you will pass the cords.