104

patterns for
Historical
clothing

Men’s and Women’s 1600s Shirts and Shifts

 Men’s and Women’s 17th century Shirts and Shifts
Shirts
In the 17th century, basic male undergarments consisted of a knee- to calf-length,
voluminous shirt made of white or off-white linen that acted as a barrier between
expensive outer garments and bodily oils and sweat. These linen shirts were easy to
keep clean because of their superior washability and the fact that they would bleach in
the sun. When body linens were too far gone to launder, they were sold to a rag seller
and recycled into paper.
A man’s shirt from 16th century Italy (shown in Dorothy Burnham’s Cut My Cote) is
made from a 27” wide length of linen folded in the middle and slashed for the head. A
simple stand collar and tapering sleeves with long triangular underarm gores complete
the garment. A shirt from the end of the 16th century and now housed in the Museum
of Costume in Bath, England, is constructed similarly but the body is a whopping 38”
wide and the stand collar is reinforced with triangular gussets at either side of the
neck. The sleeves are simple rectangles 17½” wide by 24” long and gathered at the
wrist into cuffs that match the collar. The shirt is embroidered with black silks in bands
on the chest and sleeves. Men’s shirts of the 17th century appear very similar to 18th
century extant shirts, but they are generally wider and longer than the 18th century
specimens and have slightly longer sleeves and comparable gussets. This size
difference may be attributable to class difference rather than time period. In fact most
17th century shirts that survive did so in upper class families’ private collections. In
contrast, the 18th century extant shirts are of more common manufacture. So it is
distinctly possible that common men’s shirts in the 17th century were no wider than
those of the later periods.
Shifts
Shirts or shifts, smocks or chemises? In her article on Elizabethan and Jacobean
Smocks and Shirts, Janet Arnold tells us that the word “shirt” is often used
interchangeably for men’s and women’s undergarments. But “smock” is the word most
commonly used in the 16th century to describe shirts for women. The word “shift”
comes into use in 1598, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, meaning “a body-
garment of linen, cotton, or the like; in early use applied indifferently to men's and
women's underclothing; subsequently, a woman's “smock” or chemise. In the 17th
century “smock” began to be displaced by “shift” as a more delicate expression; in the
19th c. the latter, from the same motive, gave place to chemise.”1
Many women’s shirts or shifts in this period don’t seem to differ
significantly from men’s shirts. In the pictorial record, we see
collars, sometimes edged with lace, or bound, high necklines
and vertical front openings that disappear inside the bodice.
Some, as worn by the old woman in Van Ostade’s “Peasants in
an Interior” (1661) [right] and the mother in Pieter de Hooch’s
“Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle” (1659-60) [below
right], are worn modestly closed. Others, like “Bathsheba” by

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 Willem Drost (1654) [left] and van
Honthorst’s “Granida and Daifilo” (1625)
[below left], are scandalously open,
exposing the breasts. In either case, it’s
easy to see that the shift of this period
wasn’t of the heavily-pleated, low-necked
chemise type popular in Italy, but rather a
simple collared shirt. Extant shifts in the
Museum of London, Museum of Costume in Bath, and the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London support this.
It’s not surprising that this slit front shift was popular particularly
among common women. As we see in the pictures of nursing
mothers, the low front opening made it easy to breastfeed without
removing any garments or exposing oneself to the cold. Erotic
art like van Honthorst’s “Granida and Daifilo”, left, Knüpfer’s
“Brothel Scene” (c1630), Rubens’ “Simon and Pero” (1625), and
Moreelse’s “Vertumnus And Pomona” (c1625-30) show other
benefits of such an opening.
Another element in the pictorial record that is missing in the
extant upper class garments is the lack of cuffs. When the
sleeve ends of commoners’ shirts are visible, they are almost
never gathered into cuffs. The more common representation is
finished sleeve ends, as in Cuyp’s “Dairymaid” (c1650) shown at
right. These uncuffed, ungathered sleeve ends appear in
pictures of men as well as women.
The few 17th century women’s shirts in the Victorian and Albert Museum in London are
identical to the men’s shirts except for two elements. They are longer in the body than
the men’s shirts and they have triangular gores set in each side seam below the
underarm gussets. This added piece creates the width necessary to be able to walk
unhindered in the longer version.
Undoubtedly there were other styles of shift worn in the 17th century. But this
construction seems to have been the most popular among common women and
nobles alike for the better part of the century.
Surviving Shirts and Shifts
Most of the shirts and shifts that have come down to us are the elaborately embroidered
linen undergarments of the early part of the 17th century. It’s no surprise that such
costly and heavily-decorated items would be the ones to survive. Plain linen shirts and
shifts would quickly wear out and the linen fragments would be sold to the rag-buyer
for use in paper production. However, many museums in the UK preserve collections
of gorgeously embellished shirts.

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 In the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, accession number T.49-1934 is the
designation for a boy’s white linen shirt of outstanding craftsmanship. This beautiful
shirt is decorated with white silk cutwork and linen drawnwork along the seams, front
opening, and shoulders. The shoulder pieces are the most impressive: a rectangular
piece of linen is decorated with buttonhole insertion stitch, pulled threadwork,
buttonhole eyelets, French knots and bullions in white silk thread. Every pattern piece
is surrounded with pulled threadwork and attached to its neighbours with decorative
insertion stitch. A 3/8” wide strip of linen reinforces the neckline and is adorned with
French knots, bullions and picot-stitch edging. The front opening is similarly edged and
the bottom reinforced with more insertion stitch. The sleeves are exceedingly wide
and pleated across the top of the shoulder. The linen is fine enough to be called
transparent. Although believed to be of Italian manufacture, this type of shirt and its
embellishment are seen all over Europe in the late 16th century to mid-17th century.
Pictures of this marvelous work of art can be seen in Hart and North’s Fashion in Detail.
Another V&A specimen (T.243-1959) is a woman’s smock that dates to the 1620s or
30s. Cut simply like the other shifts and smocks described, this shirt has one
difference -- it is partially constructed of bobbin lace. Two alternating patterns of wide
insertion bobbin lace adorn the shift in diagonal strips along the chest and fronts and
backs of the sleeves. Three vertical insertions descend from the back of the neck on
the reverse. Deep edging lace provides the front edge and collar. The inspiration of
this pattern of bobbin lace from reticello and antique cutwork can plainly be seen. This
particular shirt was probably a night smock (indicated by the longer length). It’s good
condition indicates that it was hardly ever worn.
The Museum of Costume in Bath houses a lovely shirt embroidered with black silk. It
dates to 1585-1600. Although blackwork embroidery is often associated with the time
of Elizabeth I, the shape and construction of this shirt does not differ materially from
17th century examples. The small stand collar and cuffs are covered in blackwork and
close with ties. The seams are sewn so finely that they can hardly be seen.
An item believed to be a sailor’s shirt is at the Museum of London. This brownish linen
shirt is certainly the garment of a common man, yet it is similar in construction to the
noble shirts of the era. It has an attached collar which is slit at the back. It also has
cuffs and shoulder reinforcement. It is heavily patched.
An early shirt in the V&A is accession number T.112.72. Dating from1540-50, it is
embroidered in blue silk in cross and double running stitches with overcast edges and
seams worked in knotted and buttonholed insertion stitch. It also has a very narrow
silk cord stitched to the top of the frill on the collar, making it curl like an early ruff.
The 16th century specimen already mentioned that is described in Burnham’s Cut My
Cote was housed at People’s Museum of Zadar, Yugoslavia when her book was
written in 1973.
A smock in a private collection, dating to circa 1600 and embroidered with pink silk, is
described in Arnolds’ smocks and shirts article. This smock has a short stand collar,

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 square underarm gussets and narrow sleeves gathered into cuffs that match the stand
collar. The smock is embroidered in bands (vertical on the body, horizontal on the
sleeves, collar and cuffs) interspersed with flower motifs in rows.
A heavy linen shirt embroidered in black silk and housed in the Museum of Costume,
Bath is also described in the above-mentioned article. Dating circa 1610-20, this shirt
is embroidered in diagonal bands of black silk with black silk and white bobbin lace
inserted in the sleeve and body seams. The narrow stand collar and cuffs are also
elaborately embroidered and the collar and front opening are edged with narrow black
bobbin lace.
The Museum of London houses an early 17th century shift (A21968) embroidered with
rose and honeysuckle designs in pink silk and trimmed along the collar, cuffs, and front
opening with white linen and silk bobbin lace. The embroidery is confined to the top
folds of the sleeves, collar, and front opening. There are no separate cuffs but rather
heavily decorated ends of the narrow sleeves. The sleeve, gussets and side seams all
appear to be joined with insertion stitch in pink silk.
Another Museum of London shirt is of a slightly different construction but still relevant.
Accession number 28.83 is a woman’s smock from 1603-15. It is trimmed with
needlelace and adorned with wide needlelace insertions. Much like V&A T.243-1959
described above, part of this shirt is constructed with lace, but not bobbin lace this
time. The top front of the shirt contains needlelace insertions and collar. The sleeves
are strips of linen alternating with the same pattern needlelace. A few narrower rows
of insertion lace trim the bottom of the shift and the hem.
A beautiful shirt from the mid-16th century lives at the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum
under the designation “Inv.-Nr. T.4104”. It is embroidered in blue/silver and white silk
thread along the ruffled cuffs and collar. There is a fair amount of cutwork or linen
drawnwork on the cuffs and collar as well. Blue/silver embroidery and needlelace also
adorn the front opening and the same colour insertion stitches trace every seam.
Bibliography
1
Oxford English Dictionary, unabridged.
Arnold, Janet. “Elizabethan and Jacobean Smocks and Shirts” in Waffen-und
Kostumkunde, Pt. 2 (1977), pgs 89-110
Arnold, Janet. “Three Examples of Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century
Neckwear” in Waffen-und Kostumkunde, Pt. 2 (1973), pgs 109-124.
Burnham, Dorothy. Cut My Cote. 1973: The Royal Ontario Museum.
Halls, Zillah. Women’s Costumes 1600-1750. 1969: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office,
London.
Hart, Avril and Susan North. Fashion in Detail. 1998: Rizzoli International
Publications, New York.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Addendum for RH 104
Please read all instructions before beginning. Reconstructing History
Patterns are based on extant garments that often were not constructed like modern
garments or costumes. As such, some of the assembly may seem counter-intuitive to
experienced seamstresses. Therefore problems may be averted by reading the
instructions thoroughly before cutting anything.
Suggested Pattern Layouts
Below are suggestions for how to lay out this pattern on 60” wide material. In both
cases, the fabric is folded widthwise with the fold on the left side. Other fabric layouts
are, of course, possible and will work just as well.

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This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Laying Fabric Out on the Fold
The pattern calls for the Body piece to be cut on a double fold. To help you
understand this cutting arrangement better, here is how you lay out the material for this
kind of fold:
Fold your material in half lengthwise and align the selvedges (the uncut side edges of
the fabric). Now fold the material in half widthwise so that the selvedges meet. You
should now have a piece of fabric folded in fourths. Lay the Body pattern piece on the
folded fabric and align the top right corner of the pattern piece with the double-folded
corner of the fabric. Now cut. You should end up with a piece of fabric four times as
big as the pattern piece. This is correct.

If you are still finding this difficult, fold the fabric in half widthwise until the selvedges
meet and cut two Body pieces this way. You can sew them together at the top to
achieve the same effect.
Notching
It is common practice to cut notches at marks on pattern pieces to assist you in
aligning the pieces. But please don’t cut where we don’t say to cut. Some people
have made the mistake of cutting into their fabric at point A and point B, for example,
when the instructions say to *sew* from point A to point B or to cut along the fold from
point A to point B. Again, read the instructions carefully first.

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This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Shirt and Shift Instructions
If you don’t have enough linen to cut out each piece as shown, piece it. Even the most
expensive and elaborate shirts and shifts were pieced and repaired many times. You
may even want to construct your shirt or shift with different weights of linen (fine for the
parts that show; coarse for the parts that are hidden) for your impression. Look at the
sources and illustrations in the historical notes and have fun.
Shirt
Medium will fit chests up to 48”. Large will fit larger chests.
Neckline
1. Cut a horizontal slash along the top fold to the left and right of the center, stopping
at A. Trim each side of the vertical slit along the curved dotted line.
2. Make vertical slit down the front fold to point B.
3. Cut the two neck gussets in half diagonally along the dotted lines so that you now
have four smaller triangles of equal size.
4. Align the gusset corner marked “x” with a point 3/8” past the
edge of the neck slash and sew to the body piece, right side to
right side so that the raw edges of the gusset are under the
gusset. Turn the fabric and sew the other side of the triangle to
the other side of the horizontal neck slash. When finished, the
triangle will cover the edge of the horizontal slash, reinforcing it
as shown at right.
5. Do the same with the other side of the slash.
6. Turn the body piece inside-out and slip-stitch or blind-stitch
the remaining triangles to the underside of the place where
the gussets are attached, thereby sandwiching the edges of
the neck slash between two triangles each. See illustration
at left.

7. Roll hem the front edges of the vertical slit. To reinforce the
bottom of this slit and prevent tearing, make a large stitch at
the bottom of the slit, catching both hemmed sides as they
lay flat. Do not draw the slit closed or allow the fabric to
pucker. Make two or three more stitches in the same fashion
on top of the first stitch. Starting from where your needle
emerged from the fabric, cover this group of threads with a
buttonhole stitch (or just wind the thread around them,
wrapping them) and tie off on the opposite edge. This small
addition will help immensely. The illustration at right shows
the threads before the buttonhole stitch is started.

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This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Collar
The collar sizes in this pattern are: small =12½” medium = 14½” large = 16½”
The collar of this shirt or shift does not fit snugly so choose the collar size that will fit
your neck best. If your neck is much smaller or larger than these sizes, cut a strip as
wide as the pattern piece and as long as your neck measurement plus 2½” and use
that as your collar.
1. Fold the collar in half lengthwise and sew the short ends closed.
2. Starting at the front opening, run a basting stitch
¼” away from the edge all the way around the
neck opening (as shown by the dashed line at
right) , including the neck gussets, ending at the
front opening on the opposite side.
3. Pull this basting stitch to gather the neck opening
so that it is the same width as the collar. The
gathers can either be even all the way around the
neck or concentrated at the center back.
4. Lay the collar over the neck opening, lining up the short ends of the collar with the
edges of the front slit.
5. Sew one side of the collar to the neck opening, right sides to right sides.
6. Turn the collar right side out, roll the edges of the neck opening to the inside, tuck
the raw edges inside, and blind stitch or whipstitch closed.
7. The collar can be closed with one or two buttons or fabric ties. Fabric ties should
be sewn into the collar before the ends are closed.
Collarless Option
1. Follow the directions above, but use the collar binding pattern piece instead of the
collar piece.
Sleeves (view A)
1. Fold the sleeve pieces in half lengthwise and mark
the fold near the shoulder end.
2. Sew the underarm gusset to one of the long sides
of the sleeves (opposite the fold line).
3. Align the center of the sleeves with the top
(shoulder) fold of the body piece and pin or baste.
4. Sew the sleeve and gusset to the front of the body
piece from the fold of the sleeve to the bottom of
the sleeve gusset.

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This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 5. Turn the garment around and sew the
sleeve to the back of the body piece, from
the fold of the sleeve to the bottom of the
sleeve.
6. Fold the sleeve gusset in half diagonally
(the only way it should be possible to fold it)
and sew the gusset to one side of the
bottom of the sleeve and the side of the
back body piece where it meets.
Options
For a common impression, sew the bottom seam of the sleeve closed and roll
hem the end of the sleeve.
For a more polished impression, sew the bottom of the sleeve to within 2” to 4” of
the end and roll the edges of this opening. Gather the sleeve ends to fit into the
cuff and attach the cuff in the same manner as the collar, above. The cuff closure
should match the collar. Any detachable cuffs can be basted onto these.
The cuff sizes in this pattern are: small =10” medium = 11” large = 10”
These cuffs do not have to fit snugly so choose the size that will fit you best. If
your wrist is much smaller or larger than these sizes, cut a strip as wide as the
pattern piece and as long as your wrist measurement plus 2” and use that as your
cuff. However, you may not need to worry about this. My wrist measurement is
6¼” and yet I make the 10” cuff for my shifts.
The collar in this pattern stands a little over 2” high and the cuffs slightly over 1”.
If you wish wider or narrower cuffs and collar, change this width.
For more room across the back muscles, measure from the shoulder fold of the
body piece along the cut edge to 14” down the back side. Pin the bottom corner of
the gusset to this point. Continue pinning the gusset to the shirt, working upwards,
and continue pinning the back of the shirt to the sleeve piece to a point 2” above
the gusset. Gather the remaining part of the sleeve and sew to the body piece.
Follow the directions from #4 above.
For a more noble impression, make the body piece larger than your size. Some
extant shirts were as wide as 38” (making a total possible chest measurement of
76”!). If you go this route, use the smaller gusset pattern piece (marked “for wide
option”). Otherwise there might be too much uncomfortable fabric under your arm.
Another option for those portraying the higher echelons of society is to join your
pieces with insertion stitch. Hem the edges of each piece with as small a hem as
you can manage. Then find “insertion stitch” in your embroidery reference and
join the body, sleeve, gussets and side seams in this manner. Using coloured silk
makes a particularly beautiful effect. Echo this with insertion stitch reinforcement
at the bottom of the front opening.
© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Sleeves (view B)
1. Fold the sleeve pieces in half lengthwise and mark the fold near the shoulder end.
2. Align the center of the sleeves with the top
(shoulder) fold of the body piece and pin or
baste.
3. Sew the sleeve to the front of the body piece
from the fold of the sleeve to its bottom.
4. Turn the piece around and sew the sleeve to
the back of the body piece, from the fold of the
sleeve to the bottom.
5. Seam the sleeve closed along the lower edge. Flat-felled or French seams work
particulalry well.
Body
1. Sew the side seams of the body piece together from under the sleeves/gussets to
point C. A flat-felled seam makes a nice finish. French seams are also a
possibility. Many fancy 17th century shirts had rolled edges and embroidery or
needlelace in the seams.
2. Finish the raw edges with a rolled hem. Blind stitch the lower hem.

Shift
Small will fit chests up to 40”. Large will fit chests upwards
of 40”.
1. Follow the Shirt instructions through Neckline, Collar,
Sleeve (view A) assembly and Underarm Gusset
insertion. Do not sew the side seams of the body yet.
2. Cut two gores as marked.
3. If you do not have enough fabric for two gores, cut one
with the pattern piece and two right triangles seamed
along their straight sides the same size and shape as
the pattern piece.
4. Insert these gores into the side seams of the garment
under the sleeve gussets.
5. Trim the bottom level and hem with a blind stitch.

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 Options
Some shifts had multiple narrow gores rather than one large gore. If this is your
aim, just cut the gores into three and sew them back together before inserting them
into the side seam.
If using insertion stitch for a more noble impression, finish the gores with a tiny
rolled hem and join them with coloured silk in an insertion stitch too.

Embellishments
Most shirts and shifts seen in the pictorial record are plain white linen. Unbleached or
half-bleached (threads alternately bleached and unbleached) linen was also used for
common people’s shirts.
For a middle-class impression, a small amount of drawnwork or whitework at the
neckline and cuffs is appropriate, but I caution against any further embellishment
unless you intend to portray upper class.
For a common impression, wear your shirt or shift plain and unadorned. You might
also want to make it smaller so that it fits closer to your body. Also making it from
slightly heavier linen (5 oz instead of 3½ oz) will give a more common impression.
Credits
Thanks to Robert P. Davis for the illustrations and Technical Edit.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 RH 104
Men’s and Women’s 1600s Shirts and Shifts
Included in Pattern: Full size patterns for
lower and upper class versions of man’s shirt
and woman’s shift (smock, chemise) with two
collar and three sleeve variations. Detailed Suggested Fabrics: 3-5oz linen, white or
instructions. Embellishment suggestions. natural or half-bleached.
Historical notes.
Notions:
all: 40/2 linen thread or equivalent
optional for all: bobbin lace, needlelace, or
cutwork trim, silk embroidery floss

Sizing: All sizes included in envelope

Small shift fits chests up to 40”.
Medium shirt/large shift fits up to 48”.
Large shirt fits above 48”.

Yardage Requirements:
Medium shirt 2¼ yards ~57” wide
Large shirt 2¼ yards ~57” wide
Small shift 3¼ yards ~57” wide
Large shift 3½ yards ~57” wide

Kass McGann is an historical clothing researcher specializing in

Irish, Highland Scottish and Japanese medieval dress. For over a
decade, she has studied extant garments in museums worldwide
and made accurate replicas using only period-appropriate
materials and handwork. She has given lectures all over the US
and Ireland on studying and making replicas of historical clothing.
She runs the website www.reconstructinghistory.com to educate
the Internet public about historic clothing from all over the world.

She is an avid living historian and participates in reenactments of

the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th centuries. She currently lives
in Easton with her husband and two greyhounds.

© 2003 Reconstructing History All Rights Reserved. RECONSTRUCTING HISTORY Printed in USA
This pattern is to be used for non-commercial home sewing only. 2064 SOUTH DELAWARE DRIVE
Cover illustration © 2003 by Robert P. Davis EASTON, PA 18042