MacRae Shirt Photographs

[edwardwatson]

Here are some photos of the NC MacRae shirt I took last week at the NC Museum of History.

Here's Tom Belton's note approving this post of the pictures:
Edward, that is fine. I'm familiar with the Authentic Campaigner. Just
credit The North Carolina Museum of History as noted in your email.
Regards, Tom

While I was there Mr. Belton mentioned that Ben Tart will be doing some work for the museum. The textile department also had samples of Ben's logwood jean and cassimere.

Link to the Museum's information.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Excellent, any notes on type of material? How about the provenance of the shirt...?

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04
23rd VA Regt.

[edwardwatson]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

I have a copy of the museum's artifact worksheet at home. I'll have to dig it out. I also made notes on construction details but haven't had the time to clean them up.

I just revised my post to add a link to the museum's information about the shirt.

[Cpt Boone]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Edward,

Thanks for posting these. I had bought a piece of material in 1989 in East Berlin that was dead on to this material. I made a copy of the shirt last year. Wish I had these photos when I did it. EOG was very limited.

[edwardwatson]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Oh, I should mention that the photos that make the material look blue more color correct. Most of the pictures were taken with a flash. The last few were taken on a tripod with natural light from a nearby window.

[minieball]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

This is a great shirt. I have made a variation of this shirt several times since the mid-80's after Ray Bass gave me the pattern. Its essentially a bunch of rectangles pieced together.

I have always loved that "moon" pocket....very cool!

Thanks for the great pictures!

[poilu1917]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Does anyone have a pattern for this shirt they would be willing to share?

[poilu1917]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Does anyone have this shirt's museum worksheet and/or construction notes they are willing to share? Thanks!

[faabala]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Jon, Check with Wade Rogers. I believe he has examined the shirt in person. MacRae was a member of Starr's Battery. I'd love to make this shirt if I could find a similar fabric.

[13thnct]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Is anyone familiar with the construction technique used to attach the sleeves to the body of the Macrae shirt? I've sewn shirts from kits and am familiar basic techniques (i.e. attaching with a back stitch and felling the seam), but from the images above the sleeves looked as though they were attached using a double line of back stitching or running stitches. Are my eyes deceiving me on this? Similarly, it looks like the pocket is attached to the shirt using a double line of stitches. Any insights into the construction techniques for this particular item would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Kip Gray

[CSchneider]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

I'll check my notes to make sure, but if I remember correctly, the sleeves are attached with the right sides of the fabric together as you would do typically. However, the raw edge of the seam allowance is pressed to one side (not turned under) and tacked down with two rows of half backstitches. So three lines of stitching total to attach and fell the sleeve/body seam. The pocket is attached with two rows of half backstitches.

-Craig Schneider

[Ambrose Bierce]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Agreed, Craig, and the entire shirt is assembled by hand, if I recall correctly.

As an aside, Ben Tart has the correct material for reproducing this shirt. I do not know if he produces a kit or blank for it, however.

[13thnct]

Re: MacRae shirt photographs

Thanks Craig, that's very helpful and explains what I was seeing in the photos! For anyone else who is assembling this shirt, I've posted the notes from the NC museum of history below as the link in the original post appears to be on the fritz (apologies for the all caps, that is the result of copying directly from the NC museum):
Item # H.1917.42.1
"WORN BY JOHN BURGWYN MACREA, 36TH NCT (STARR'S LIGHT BATTERY). 2ND CO. B, 36TH REG., NC TROOPS (2ND REG NC ARTILLERY); BECAME CO. B, 13TH BATTALION NC LIGHT ARTILLERY, NOV. 4, 1863. REPORTEDLY WORN DURING BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE. THIS CLOTH IN THIS SHIRT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPORTED FROM ENGLAND. "

" MAY HAVE BEEN WORN WITH SHELL JACKET (1917.42.3) AND TROUSERS (1917.42.2).
SHIRT MADE OF BLUE AND UNBLEACHED WOOL FLANNEL, PLAIN WEAVE.
SHORT STAND UP COLLAR WITH ONE BUTTON. CENTER FRONT PLACKET IS 2 1/4" WIDE AND EXTENDS 12 ", WITH THREE BUTTONS. FABRIC STRIPS (1 3/8") REINFORCE SHOULDER LINE.
LEFT BREAST POCKET, PATCH STYLE WITH ROUNDED BOTTOM AND SET ON AN ANGLE. SHOULDERS ARE DROPPED, AND THE SLEEVES ARE SET IN WITH NO GATHERING.
SQUARE UNDERARM GUSSETS.
ONE PIECE SLEEVES HAVE SMALL GUSSETS ADDED FOR STRENGTH WHERE THE SEAM ENDS ABOVE THE CUFF. THREE AND 1/4" CUFFS WITH ONE BUTTON EACH (RIGHT BUTTON IS MISSING).
SLEEVES PLEATED INTO CUFFS, NOT GATHERED.
ALL HAND SEWN, FRENCH SEAM CONSTRUCTION. BUTTONS: ON PLACKET, ONE IS BONE, FOUR HOLE, DISHED CENTER; TWO ARE MOTHER-OF-PEARL, TWO HOLE, ELLIPTICAL DISH IN CENTER; ONE IS BROWN, SLIGHTLY DOMED WITH EDGE, TWO HOLE. ALL ARE 1/2".
ON SLEEVE AND BACK OF COLLAR: BROWN, FOUR HOLE, DISHED CENTER, 1/2". THE TOP PLACKET BUTTON (BONE) IS POSSIBLY ORIGINAL TO THE GARMENT. THE OTHERS ARE PROBABLY REPLACEMENTS"

Kip Gray