- Preparation
- Collar
- Sleeves
- Sides
- Wristbands
Over the last 6 months or so I have made 5 linen shirts for myself – all based on instructions by incomparable Vincent Briggs. I cannot praise them enough and have learned how to make the 18 century short from their instructions.
Here I am simply documenting how I follow the process, in a way that works for me, so that I can refer to it again in the future if needed.
Preparing for the project
Before the fun part of sewing can begin, I like to make sure I have everything I need. Of course it means taking measurements, calculating the size of each piece I need, writing a checklist, washing the fabric, ironing it, and squaring off at least one edge by drawing a thread. Vincent Briggs has excellent instructions on measurements so I will not go into that here.
But here is a typical list I make for myself:
After the list is made, and fabric has been washed and ironed, I commence cutting all my pieces. To make sure everything is on grain, I draw a thread from one cut edge and square off the fabric first.
Then, I start by drawing threads and cutting all the pieces for the body.
I start with the body piece first, then the sleeves, then collar and all others in descending order based on size. As I cut each piece I fold it and pin a label to it so that I know which one is which and don’t confuse them with scraps that inevitably result.
And as I like to hand sew my shirts, it means that the process of creating each shirt takes at least a week, often two since I can only work on it in my spare time. To make sure I don’t lose any pieces and they all stay clean and out of the way when I am not working on the project, I like to keep them in a basket or a small craft crate.
