How to Make a Shift || Sewing Underwear From the 1600s || The 17th Century Attire Series. Pt 1.
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Welcome back to the first chapter in this new little series here on the channel where I in four parts try to sew a 17th century attire.
0:00 - Introduction - What and why the 17th century?
6:20 - The shift - A brief lecture
10:17 - Construction and pattern
11:41 - Fabric choice
15:28 - Cutting out the shift
16:09 - Sewing the main base
16:45 - Gores
19:58 - Sleeves
23:22 - Neckline
25:34 - Chaos
29:45 - Finishing
32:32 - The result
Link to Morgan Donner's video where she's sewing a similar shift:
• A much needed update t...
THANK YOU to Stephanie Claussen for letting me use your beautiful harp music in the video. Check out her youtube for more similar music:
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Pictures in thumbnail and shots on the finished kirtle in the end taken by Oskar Abrahamsson (@skardeline) skardeline...
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Hi!
I forgot to mention in the video how much I added in the end and how wide the shift became. My normal shifts are around 50-52cm wide. This I made 58cm wide in the beginning, and with the added fabric I ended up at 75cm. I am XS-S in clothing so it felt unresonable big before gathering together, but evidently it was what was needed!
Hope that helps in your sewing!
*For southern Europeans (aka country inhabited by hobbits) XS-S in Sweden corresponds to M or sometimes L sized in France/Italy
@@learikosontcuit7129 Interestingly I found in Spain and Italy that the idea of S, M, L etc was very similar to England's sizing. Maybe Sweden works differently to all these countries but from what I understand I believe Elin would wear a similar size in England, and from my experience in Spain and Italy, to her usual XS/S in Sweden. Length of garment wise I'm guessing this is a different case, but width wise I'm unsure it's so different.
Hiya! Just made this shirt and if you measure the lenght from your elbow to elbow while your arms are streched out (hope this makes sense) , you get the right width. Also it helps to first gather the neck opening and then measure the needed lenght for the sleeves.
You, your cinematography, your garments, your crasftmanship, your perspective, and even your eye for sweet little things like rain on the leaves. . . are utterly beautiful.
I wish I had looked at the comments before I started! I'm a US M and I did 28 inches/71cm. It could be fuller, but it fits well enough for a costume undergarment.
I love the make-do, reuse, piece together mentality you used, rather than going and buying new fabric. I imagine that if fashions changed, and shifts became more voluminous, as it seems like they did in this period, a working woman reusing pieces of an old shift to create a new one, or adding extra width to an existing shift, would be quite reasonable. All the added piecing does make it immediately more "everyday working person's underwear" than a recreation of a museum piece.
Right? I imagine that if we had more pieces of clothing left from the working classes, another picture could have been drawn about clothing from the past. We have a quite narrow picture of what it all looked like. Much is ideals and interpretations from above. I like to think that piecing and creative solutions was customary and that things were remade and resewn. Yes, we can see traces of it in the elite too, but how it was in other classes is in a big extent just guesses. Oh, what I wish one could time travel for a day...
Also if you started your period in the middle of the night and couldn’t get that stain out you might just replace that section (or go extra hard when cleaning it)
I read a book on a certain embroidery from western norway, with a heavy focus on shifts and shirts. It included an account from an old woman, who grew up when traditional clothing was the clothing.
According to her, women's shifts were generally made with a cheaper linen, "stry" at the bottom, and a finer linen up where it could be seen. Whilst a mans shirt was made of all fine linen.
The reason being, when there was a celebration, people would sleep over at the place of the party. In the morning, all men would get up and take a piss, wearing only their shirts. This would let everyone see their shirts, and judge their wives by them.
As no good woman would ever let herself be seen in public with only her shift, the lover half wouldn't be judged. This was also useful as women were more likely to get the lower part of their shifts dirty, causing extra wear from washing.
Poorer people, both men and women, would wear shirts and shifts of cheap linen "stry" for everyday. The good stuff was saved for finer occasions, like church and parties. In norwegian there is a saying: going back to "striskjorta og havrelefse". Meaning shirt of cheap linen and oatbread. It is used to say that one is going back to ordinary life after a long time of celebration, such as christmas.
As for the embroidery, it got moved to a new garment if the old shift or shirt was worn out. There were multiple examples of that in the book.
Very interesting information. What is the name of this book please.
@@VickieV1333 yess please
+
I'd love if you could tell us the name of that book it sounds fascinating I would love to read it.
I do not remember the name of the book. "Kvitsaum" or "Nordmøre" might have been part of the title.
If it hasn't moved, I might look for it next time I visit that place.
the narration. The cinematography. Tje research. The storytelling. The lighting. The tidyness of the seams and cuts. Even the pronunciation. I've been around since the first 2 videos and I am so proud of someone I don't know.
Really enjoy the Swedish perspective. It's so exciting to see how the clothing differs from other European countries.
I'm glad that you think so! The more one digs into fashion history, the more interesting differences between various countries and areas (and social classes, ethnic groups, religions and so on...) one can find. Much is suprisingly similar, but also has distinct differences. It would be super interesting to dive or see others dive more into this in other countries as well!
The production quality of your videos just goes up and up everytime. I really enjoy them so much!!
Truly, it is amazing! It always makes me feel good, like a Ghibli movie, about the normal everyday things.
She is an amazing cinematographer. Her walking across the battlefield at Wisby genuinely shook me, goose bumps on my arms.
@@piccalillipit9211 she's not the one doing the filming....if you have money you too can have great cinematography!
@@mysterymachine6858 - How do you know this. Cos I have been a sub since her 2nd video - the one in the misty field. And Im 99% sure she has described her film making process, buying a new camera etc in the Q&A's she did.
Thank you so much for saying that, it means alot!❤️
DEAR Mrs Abrahamsson:
I love your vlogs. I love the way you are so kind to speak English.
I love your horror stricken face when you speak of ripping out all of your previously hand sown seams to remake your shift. The thing is THAT was absolutely historically accurate. 17nth century 99.5% people had to rip apart Dear Grandmother's beautifully stitched shift to remake a a new one. Somebody had to grow the flax, harvest it, process the fibers, spin it, and weave it, the fabric was quite precious, and not to be wasted. I have watched your vlog where you dye the fabric. Again you were totally historically accurate. Someone had to grow the sheep, tend, the sheep, perhaps milk the sheep, perhaps make cheese, then the sheep needed to be shorn. Perhaps the family sold the wool to a fuller to be washed, carded, spun, and woven into cloth. It was precious cloth. Perhaps the weaver knew the family who raised the sheep, or even knew the sheep, perhaps not, but factories were not a thing in the 17nth century. Your vlog on dying the fabric was historically accurate in that the same anxieties of weather or not you would get the color you wanted were the same anxieties that someone had when they first dyed wool. However it would have been more of a family affair. Grandmother would have taught your mother, and your aunts, or perhaps your uncles how it was done. Perhaps they bought the newly sheared fleece, dyed the wool, carded it and spun it, then sold the yarn to a weaver. But the new kirtle was homespun, hand woven, hand dyed, and hand sown, and none of the cloth was wasted. What scraps there were became quilts.
Thank you for documenting your discovery of how life was for the builders of your cottage. Our 21st century selves need to remember and respect the people if the 17nth century, their knowledge, and their work, and just like today, it was the unsung 99.5% who made it possible foe the .5% to be documented, and preserved
As a Finn with an interest in especially working-class historical garments, I can't begin to express how happy I've been to find your channel. Everything you make is right out of dreams
Definitely agree on the difficulty of finding resources. There is even less documentation for Finnish dress history than there is for Swedish (but Sweden is close enough), so I often end up trying to look up stuff in my very Finnish "Swedish is mandatory at school but I refuse to put any extra effort into it" -level of Swedish.
Yes! I've heard a lot from finish friends that this indeed is a struggle. Under this period Finland were Swedish so I suppose there were a lot of similarities in fashion among other aspects of life with the cultural exchanges (even if there probably were differences too but I imagine you know that better than me) I tend to use finish sources if I run into them because of this, and I've heard finnish reenactors doing the same thing in reverse. I understand it is not ideal though and we certainly need to dig up more Finnish fashion history!
Tarkistetut kansallispuvut on hyviä lähteitä kaavoihin ja ompelutekniikoihin. Kansallispuvut pohjautuu tietty juhlavaatteisiin, mutta arkivaatteet oli oikeastaan samoista kaavoista, vain halvemmista kankaista ommeltuja. Kannattaa tutkia myös perunkirjoja netistä, jos niitä löytää sillä niissä luetellaan täsmälleen mitä vaatteita ja montako kappaletta henkilö omisti. Ja muuten hauska fakta: ellei asia ole viime vuosina muuttunut, suomalaiset (tarkistetut) kansallispuvut on oikeastaan enemmän historiallisesti paikkansapitäviä kuin useimmat ruotsalaiset ja norjalaiset, koska olemme tarkistaneet niitä naapureitamme innokkaammin ja naapurimaiden puvuissa on edelleenkin paljon keksittyjä höpöhöpöjuttuja 😄
@@emiliah2853 Tarkistettuja kansallispukuja olen käyttänytkin, niistä saa myös hyvää katsausta alueelliseen jakautumiseen, ja suosittuna lähteenä niistä löytää kohtuu helpolla myös pohdintaa. Perunkirjat on kyllä tosi hyvä vinkki, kiitos!
As a half-finn with no finnish looking finnish history is like history nerding in epic hardmode. As a other-half-norwegian with fair enough swedish, I do almost the same with norwegian stuff. Navigating the 19th century romanticism is hard though. It's great when non-american or english historic dress nerds come along ❤️ as they say; representation matters
Osaatteko noiden perunkirjojen ja kansallispukujen lisäksi mainita mitään (ei yläluokan pukeutumiseen liittyvää) kirjallisuutta tai materiaalia. Kiva kuulla noista tarkistetuista kansallispuvuista! Mua oli aiemmin vähän epäilyttäny ne :)
I really appreciate that you’re costuming the 17th century, I feel it often gets skipped by costumers but I love their looks!
Clothes wise the 16th century is my favourite!
Happy for the appreciation! I really much wonder why that is...I mean, do people think it's any less fashinating or appealing than other centuries? I just think it's such an interesting period!
@@elinabrahamsson9442 it is! And ofc it’s the wealthier sorts that can afford them but those SUITS the men used to wear. They were so pretty
Yes yes yes!
The 17th century is such an underrated time period, honestly. So much interesting but dark stuff happened during that time; the golden age of piracy, witch burnings, Ottoman corsairs roaming the oceans enslaving any unfortunate sailors they came across, not to mention all the beautiful art and architecture. I think fashionwise it just seems a bit too alien to many modern people, but personally I've always found it very interesting, and although there's certainly a lot of unflattering clothing from that century, there's also a lot of really beautiful stuff. The justeaucorps coat of the late 1600's is one of my favourite historical garments ever.
I love, love, LOVE that you are focusing on the clothes of ordinary working people. So often we only hear about the wealthier classes (understandably, as those clothes took less wear and were therefore preserved better, and also they were more likely to be captured in paintings) its wonderful to see what our ancestors might have worn!
Just when I thought I had sewn enough basic linen shifts from every century ever, you go and make this beautiful thing and now I have to sew a 17th century one. Damn.
In all seriousness, your work is so beautiful and inspiring! I can't wait to see the rest of this series ❤️
Hahahah I'm sending my excuses and plenty of emotional support for this not at all relatable problem😂
But, thank you so much!❤️
Elin: Would that be a good sewing video where I just borrow parts from different types of clothing?
Me: Please, say yes.
Elin: YES!
Thank you for another "feast for the eyes" video! All the cinematography is so gorgeous! The glorious shots of nature and the lovely videos of your pets. Everything is such a treat!
The cinematography of this video is absolutely beautiful! I love your perspective on history as well, it seems like the Scandinavian countries get missed after the Viking age 💛
Yeah! Even if this shift proves that fashion indeed where same in many ways as in the rest of Europe, it is fun to have different perspectives nontheless!
Wow! Ripping out hand seams! Such a difficult and painful choice and so impressive that you were able to push through and persevere. I agree the additional seam lines are stunning! A masterpiece of both a video and a shift.
i've been watching your videos for maybe a year now, and I adore the fact that you look into, not the grand outfits of nobility or the like, but of the working-class women's attire of the time periods. I've always been more interested in the clothes of the everyday people in history, and your videos, with their stunning cinematography and incredible production, are always enjoyable. i can't wait to see the construction of the other garments you've made for this project!
Thumbs up in advance immediately
Same!!
Ripping is part of sewing. God bless you dear for showing us the honest truth and your hard work. You are beautiful. 😊❤🙏🏼⭐
The chaos section is my favourite because we've all been there
The fact that some sort of chaos happens on nearly every video speaks to how common the experience is! We all have chaos. The difference is in whether we overcome it somehow or let it stop us. Seeing her push through is so inspirational!
I say yes, you did succeed in making the shift. And, since it's pieced together, really makes it look more authentic. Nothing has gone to waste.
Thank you! I like to think so!
Seeing this video drop just made my Monday. How amazingly elegant a simple shift can be. Very fitting for an incredibly gorgeous and adorable young woman as Elim is. One a few extremely talented creators on UA-cam that I always look forward to new content.
Yay! Thank you for telling me this, it makes me just so happy! ❤️
@@elinabrahamsson9442, you are so very welcome. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Beautiful!! I have always been more interested in working class lives than in the elite- perhaps because I am working class, myself!!❤️
Hi! I am in south central USA and have been sewing since I was a little bitty girl of 4 or 5 years. I learned from my mother, my grandmother's and aunts on both sides of my family. My older cousins also joined in. We would sit for hours on a quilt under a tree and sew and talk and listen to stories. We made clothing for our dolls and all of the baby dolls had shifts made much like the one you made here complete with gores and often pieced together, as our grandmother's assured us was custom if you needed more cloth. We made our own patterns too. I am 74 now, the oldest daughter of the youngest daughter and my grand mothers were 75 and 69 when I was born. I was taught those same techniques by them, and they were all fine hand seamstresses. I tell you all this because I want you to know that I have not seen such fine stitches as yours since last I saw theirs. Thank you for keeping this valuable skill alive.
I remember finding your first video and being so upset that you didn’t have any others - I am always so excited when I see a new video of yours! I love the perspective you give and your videos are an amazing quality - you give so much space for the atmosphere and craftsmanship to show through!
Your work: sewing, editing, dialog, enthusiasm, teaching style is top notch and a joy to behold.
I thank you in advance for your tutelage.
The quality of your videos has increased dramatically, I especially like the "lecture" portion and am impressed with your how far your understanding of the subject has come
regarding ripping your old seams to add more fabric, i'm reminded of an aphorism we use here in the newspaper business- "there's never enough time to do it right, but there's always time to do it again." practice makes perfect, and you have to admit, the more you do the better your hand-sewing gets.
I really really love seeing historical costuming from other perspectives that aren't just Western Europe and the US. 😍
I love the piecing and using old garments and stash to make new! It's more satisfying than always buying new fabric. Love the working class and nordic perspective!
The editing in this video is truly superb, you rock girl!
I'm so happy you appreciated it!
Yes! Finally! So glad to see someone else with a passion for 17th century clothing. Been doing my own research for a late-17th century capsule wardrobe next year, and there just isn't enough content out there to go along with my obsession 😆 Looking forward to the rest of this series!
Yes yes and yes! Where is everything 17th century fashion related? I feel we need to something to it immideately!
Perfect. Many women would have sewn, who were rubbish at sewing, but it was the only way to get a shift. This looks lovely.
Wow this is so high quality. I'm so exited for the next episodes
I am so happy to hear that!❤️
I love how the shift looks with all of the piecing! There is something so elegant about a pieced garment, in my opinion. I too have been interested in making working class 17th century clothing for a while (since 2018 at least), so it is good to see your interpretation! Looking forward to the next video!
Also, unrelated but I think I have the same shirt as you (the mint and white striped one).
Your videos are cinematographic *perfection.* I watch them over and over and continue to absolutely love every one. ❤️ Thank you!
Watching this while sewing at the library was the most wonderful use of an afternoon! I really want to make a shift like this, too, after watching your video!!
17th century is criminally underated, it's one of my favourite eras so I'm really excited for this series
That pink sweater with the insertion lace pattern is historybounding goals 💖
Fabulous end result !
I, too, am certain that under some circumstances, shifts were new in the 17th century. Unlikely that such large clean pieces would have been available, but, it might have happened. somehow. Perhaps a new bride gave her "old", but still fresh, shifts to her maid when she gained some curves from childbirth, or luxurious feasting?
Regardless, the video was as peaceful & inspiring as all have been, and the reveal footage was an uplifting balm. I delight in your work.
Your cinematography never ceases to amaze me
Thank you so much for taking the time, not only to make the garments (all the thought, planning, time, energy, skills, etc!), but to create this wonderful video. I am in awe of the quality, information and all the things! Brava!!!!
What is this production value? This channel is underrated frfr
it says something about the quality of your videos and the story you're telling that I don't even sew and I love them!
I've been making 17th (~1620's) century clothing since I was 20, and hadn't anything to do during my spare time while in college abroad.
As a result... I now have sufficient clothing in terms of doublets, breeches, hosen (stockings), and vests/sleeveless cassocks for work, hat- gloves, footwear and all, to use it as my permanent wardrobe....
Except shirts- which, for whatever reason, I am never able to complete. I don't know why, but anyhow- this Sunday, my first proper periodaccurate shirt is due to be shipped to me. And I can finally settle into my period wardrobe, as my permanent, any-day wear.
Oh how I’ve missed your content…I’m so happy to see this glorious recreation of a really real garment. It’s as if you’ve channeled the spirit of an original resident of your cottage; with all the frugality and frustration that an ordinary householder would have experienced in dressing herself with what she had to work with…the strangest thought occurred too, it was like she had acquired a too small shift (perhaps from a younger girl) and simply did what would have been most natural to make it right for herself. And it’s beautiful 🤗
Elin is too precious for this world, we don't deserve her videos
I love love love the warm feel about your videos.
And I am particularly thankful for this one, because I had the exact same problem as you! I wanted to make a shift using Morgan Donners Video and the neckline looks super weird because there is just too little fabric to make the gathering look nice. I threw my shift in a corner, though, because I couldn't point out that problem (and also was very discouraged after making so many handseams). Your video motivates me to give it a second chance. :)
AAAH every time I watch one of your videos I get the urge to have another go at historical sewing. Then I remember the part finished quilt, part finished wall hanging, plus fabric and patterns ready to make myself modern everyday clothes that I have scattered all over my house...
Huzzah! More Elin! I look forward to your videos!
Looking forward to the series 🤗
The shift turned out well and the piecing is what one could expect from a working person. Resources were scarce and folks made do the best that they could. Well done.
I love that you pieced this from older garments. It very much was what people would have done. Certainly with the pandemic, fabric has become more expensive and linen can be especially high so making up the difference using expertly sewn piecing is really good to see!.
That was wonderful, thank you very much. For the last month I searched the internet in hopes of finding tutorials on clothing from this very in-between time, the 17th century, becaus I myself tried to recreate clothes from this period but from switzerland, where I live. And I can tell you, it is not easy… so thank you very much✨
The amount of research and effort that you put into not only making the shift but also into making this video is outstanding. Well done.
for me the 17th century has long been certainly one of my favourites if not my favourite century in dress and art history. I can't wrap my head around why it has been and still gets forgotten by so many lovers of history!
Also I loved this video, Elin! Looking forward to the next parts about the other clothing items! It's so interesting to see your research and hard work come together creating this beautiful dress.
I almost every time save your videos until a point in my weeks, when I am absolutely sure to have the full time, to watch it in one go. Undisturbed. To enjoy it in full experience, with a big cup of coffee. The pictures of the nature at your home are so calming. Whilest at the same time there is tension and thrill when the projects steps your showing reaching the level, where you have to go back and forth a little bit. I love your kind of working through the difficulties and practising handsewing. I am very happy, that this is becoming a series.
I really appreciate that you show your mistakes and how you fixed them.
It's wonderful to see so many young people exploring the clothing that kept people comfortable before the excesses of modern life. As well as being an uplifting video it will hopefully become part of a better future. Thank you for sharing.
Great video! Watching it gave me the motivation to work again on a project I messed up on. I hand sewed and finished a panel only to realize that I sewed it into the wrong spot. I was so irritated about it that I couldn't look at the project for about a week, but after watching you go through something similar and spend the time fixing it, I decided to work on my project again. I think it's wonderful that you show both the beauty and the frustration of sewing.
All of your hard work came to a beautiful conclusion. I love the piecing you did. Your perseverance to get it right even though you had to rip it apart is motivating for all of us who have started a project only to toss it aside because of frustration when it does not come out right the first time. It took me months to sew my first shift by hand. It was the best practice I have ever had with my hand sewing and I can see improvements when comparing the first seam to other seams. I still wear it often because it is so voluminous and comfortable. It is definitely a project worth making! Thank you for sharing yours.
I admire your persistence in getting the garment the way you envisioned it. I know that when I start out my knitting projects, there will be a time or two that stitches must must be pulled out. Crafting builds character. Enjoy your beautiful shift.
This was awesome to watch! I’m also in the middle of hand sewing a similar garment and ran into the same issues that you did. It’s so nice not to be the only one having the same challenges!
It can truly suck out the life of oneself, but hang in there. It will turn out beautiful!💕
Elin, as always a stunning and fabulous, informative and down right entertaining video. I would make hand sewed garments under you instructions anytime. I have been sewing for years (for dance, theatres and formal wear etc.) but am always learning new and exciting things when I watch you sew. Thank you for trying, for experimenting and for sharing. I think it’s because you research and try so hard to bring the historical elements of dress to life for your viewers. So appreciate this from historical sewists like yourself. Blessings always.
Ripping out sewn seams or embroidery work, cross stitch, crochet, or knitting is NEVER fun, but when it has to be done it usually leads to a much better end result, as happened with your shift. Thanks for sharing your research and your work on this 17th-century shift. The shift looks terrific. Great work!
I really enjoyed this project! I thought it seems very plausible that a working class woman would have pieced from older garments and scraps. What a lovely outcome that any woman from any social class would should have been proud to have sewn. Thank you for sharing your talents and passion for this project with us ❤
You put so much work into your videos. It's incredible. Let ALONE how much work you put into research and sewing!
Thank you. I am intending to make one of these. I actually like and may replicate your "mistake". I like the added pieces and seams for their visual interest. This so beautifully made and inspiring. Thank for doing the sewing in so many environs.
the curse of not making a mock up, get's me every time
This is so interesting to me ,I love this so much ! Several yrs ago I started doing my family genealogy I found out my 10 th Great Grandmother was Anne Marbury Hutchinson , a woman persecuted for her religious beliefs when she tried teaching others in New England . Anne came to America for freedom but it was not what she found . I believe this was around her time or shortly before her tragic ending at 52 in Pelham Bay New York which is now the Bronx . Born Anne Marbury 1591-1643 married William Hutchinson,they later sailed to America . Thank you for giving us this glimpse into the past !
My dear young lady what a gem you are. I have sewn for children. Not often for my self should I begin now, I think so yes. Your shift was very well done. I look forward to the rest of your video series. I also appreciate the bit of Swedish history you impart.
I can watch people make shifts over and over again and I always enjoy it. And I always appreciate when people keep their mistakes in a sewing video, it makes me a lot less self conscious about my own sewing journey.
It's going to be so much fun to see the rest of this series, especially as a swede. I'm really looking forward to it!
Your stitches are beautiful. And I love doing hand stitching myself, but have never got the beautiful even stitches you do. The shift is lovely! Thank you for your research and sharing everything. Take care.
I've been waiting for this, and already found some antique linen!
Sounds like you're ready to go, good luck!
Elin!!! This video made my Monday and my week!!! I am so incredibly thrilled to see you posting again. I love everything about your videos, from the cinematography to your relatable expressions and funny pauses!! You never fail to make me smile, laugh, and question what I think I know about history. Such a wonderfully attentive sewist and videographer! I can tell how your videos have developed over time and this one especially I think shows all your growth as a creator while staying true to your personal style. Can’t wait to see the rest of this series.
I loved every single moment of this! Beautiful, beautiful work both in terms of the shift and your cinematography! Thank you for sharing your creative genius ❤️
And I am so glad to hear that you liked it!❤️
I love seeing that other people end up ripping the whole thing apart to start over! It is so reassuring that I’m not the only one to do that. Looking at those beautiful gathers at the sleeve and neckline inspires me to try to make a linen shirt to wear under my sweaters this winter.
You are very talented on so many levels... Sewing, teaching, and filming! I love all your choices in how you put everything together.I live in MN. Many immigrants came from Sweden in our state. It's fun to see your beautiful home and lake areas. I've always shied away from hand sewing, but you sitting by the lake or in a quiet cottage has made me rethink that. So ... You've inspired me! Keep the videos coming.
What a wonderful journey and you are so right, the piecing is beautiful.
I grew up with stories about flax as part of salaries and linen shifts and shirts. One side of my family was rural farmers in Denmark. For example my great great grandmother had three sons, my great grandfather being one of them, who she each made a linen shirt for when they got married and started their own households. Each of those men wore their shirts through out their lives and where all three buried in them. It's mind-blowing to my modern mind.
My grandmother related to me her maternal lineage -- huguenots who settled in what is now New Hampshire in the late 1600's. The women routinely cultivated and spun flax to make shifts and chemises. My mother has inherited the spinning wheel (our feet still match the one on the well worn treadle).
I've only just found your account but I love this video you're covering a period that I've always been very fond of. I know this gave you some troubles with having to rip it all apart but honestly I love that. People back then had the same problems from time to time and everything has a learning curve. Well done and thank you for making this.
I love that you took the time to study normal people and from regions less studied. It brings so much diversity to costube I hope to see lot's of people do the same in the future
Your video production is getting more and more beautiful
Such a pretty video. There is something special about light on linen for sure. Such a wonderful fabric.
Just lovely, Elin. Thank you for making such lovely garments and videos about them for us all to enjoy!
I am subscribed to a number of historical clothing/sewing/reenactment YT channels. Yours is extremely high on my list for pure enjoyment!
I agree! The 17th century needs more love!
This may not something you want to hear, but you running into the issue of not having enough fabric really helped me because I ran into that exact issue with my shoulder and underarms and could *not* figure out what was going on until you said that. Thank you for sharing your whole experience, including the challenges. It has helped me a lot. 😊
My dear! You are amazing! And you know what? I am writing from across the sea, from Latvia, and we have the very same shifts - with all details - gathers, collars, cuffs, gaskets etc. I am making national costumes and it was like watching myself. Really 🙏 thank you for this wonderful video.
I wanted to cry for you when you had to rip all that hand stitching! This was so beautifully filmed and the dedication to the history and the research just made this video a joy to watch 😊
Amazing as always. One of the many wonderful things about your videos is that you show what goes wrong and how you ingeniously, and beautifully, fix it. Keep it up!
I love your resourcefulness and envy your access to linen, which we don't have a lot of here in North America. I had a linen suit when I was a young woman I kept for job interviews. I loved it.
Oh man, this is perfect. I'm another historical fashion enthusiast, and I've been trying so hard to find any information about Scandinavian clothing in the late 1600's, as I'm working on a comicbook set in Norway in 1683, and it's been almost impossible to find reference materials for clothing. I've scoured through Norway's digital museum and looked at hundreds of pictures at this point, but still only have a kind of vague idea of what the common people dressed like here back then, so this video is so incredibly valuable. Granted Norway and Sweden didn't have the friendliest relationship in the 1600's, but I'm guessing they probably did dress very similarly anyway.
I saw this go up on Monday, but didn't get a chance to actually sit down and watch until now. What a treat! So much work, both in terms of research and labor, but it really looks like it was worth your time. And, as they say, "piecing is period." Looking forward to part 2!
this was a proper mini movie/documentary - you are really a true artist and inspiration to us all.
You look quite happy, relaxed, and comfortable in your very nicely made shift.
I thoroughly enjoyed your video.
Thank you for sharing it !!
I’m so excited to start on my shift! I’m determined to have a super homey and lived in looking hobbit for Ren fairs this year and I truly think this will be the perfect base. The gathers make it so elegant but so practical and roomy. And there’s nothing like linen on a warm summer day.
This outfit reminds me so much of 2005 pride and prejudice Lizzy Bennet’s classic brown dress. It’s so dreamy!!
Elin, I love your farmhouse. It looks absolutely peaceful. Just an FYI, if you did not already know, piecework was very common for the everyday wear. sometimes, the piecework was more decoratively seamed, but still, use what you have. Your hand stitching is beautiful, tight, and you felled your seams. Love.
Ahh, how exited I am for this whole series. I actually just made a new shift this summer, but now I want to make one like yours as well.
One can never have enough shifts!
**looking at my pile pf like 30 unfinished poor shifts...**
This is so beautiful! I really felt your pain of ripping handsewn seams (been there a lot) but the end results made it totally worth it. Also, your beautiful cinematography is always such a joy to watch ❣ Looking forward to the next one!
Yes, you certainly succeeded. I think of the first shifts made by countless girls and women when they, too, were learning just how to get it right. The beautiful shift you made qualifies as entirely authentic. Good job, thank you. Very much enjoyed the process.
I love how much historical dress and sewing is having a moment on UA-cam and social media. I was a history student from 2010 to 2015 and at that time there wasn't as much to find from people like you. My friend tried to make waffles from a 17th century recipe but that's it. I wonder now if I'd been more inclined to participate in the sewing myself.
Go with your inclination. May you create the garb of your inspiration. :)
They say it's never too late until you are 6 feet under !
I wouldn’t be surprised if you have seen it already, but one of the best things I have seen about researching life in the 1600s was the BBC documentary series Tales From the Green Valley, which was the first ever “Historic Farm” series. The archaeologists and historians featured spend a whole calendar recreating everyday life on a 1620s era farm in Wales. It aired in 2005 originally, but I watched it for the first time (from America) about 6 years ago, by finding it on UA-cam. That team/for at has done a lot of other series and specials on different eras, but I thought it was interesting that they chose the 1620s for the first one. The series has a real charm to it, since it was well before they had a big “hit” with that format when they did Victorian Farm.