All posts tagged: shift

A simple shift for Ninon

In order to give myself a break from the endless eyelets, I whipped up a shift to go under Ninon’s dress. Unlike the rest of the dress, I can’t claim historical accuracy with the shift. I couldn’t find enough resources on 17th century undergarments to feel that I could draft a pattern and construct a shift that would be accurate so I figured why bother with all the handsewing and expensive linen and other nitpicky details that go with accuracy? So my shift is cotton. (*gasp*) And almost entirely machine sewn.  (*double gasp*) So, no, it’s not accurate, but I did try my best to do the proper research. My pattern is a mash of the two 17th c shift/chemise patterns I could find: the 1660s (but very old-fashioned for that date, so more like 1600) Catherine of Braganza shift in Patterns of Fashion 4, and a ca. 1700 shift depicted in Willet and Cunnington’s ‘The History of Underclothes’; as well as the standard 18th century shift pattern. I used the full sleeves and small …