Stitching an overshirt

[Blum]

Hello

To hidden the raw sides inside cw shirts or drawers, we must use the flat felled seams.
But what about for an overshirt ? If a heavy wool cloth is used it will too bulky !

On the Hank Trent web site, there is a picture of the inside of an overshirt and he had used herringbone stitches.

http://www.hanktrent.com/woolovershirt123.html

Is it the most appropriate stitch for these garments ? Can we use also only a kind of whip stitch?

Also, is it pictures of originals artifacts overshirts available somewhere on the web ?

Thanks a lot

[Drygoods]

Re: Stitching an overshirt

I have sewn more overshirts than any other style of shirt and have always felled all of the seams despite the weight of the wool. If your seam allowance is large enough, you should be able to fell them, but if it is tight, than try trimming down the lower seam and then folding the top one over and pressing the crease well.
If the trouble is the sleeve cap with too many gathers, try using some bias tape or cut a strip of the wool with folded edges on both sides and use that to cover the seam. Either variation will work but your seams truly need to be feld to look correct.
And last, I always use a double thread and pull two threads of the wool when doing my binding. Some folks like a single thread, but I think that with the rough-n-tumble use those shirts get, they need all the strength possible.
Are you going to put braid on the placket, collar, cuffs, and pockets?

Good luck
Mfr,
Judith Peebles

[Hank Trent]

Re: Stitching an overshirt

The herringbone stitch was an answer to the period problem of what to do when flannel fabric was too bulky to fell, but if the fabric fells well, it's equally appropriate to fell it. An additional advantage of herringboning is that it was very flexible, so if the wool shrank, it was less apt to pucker.

A few years ago, Nick ************ described a period overshirt he owned, and he said it had a cross stitch design on the seams, which I took to be herringboning.

Here's an image of a flannel petticoat with herringboned seams http://www.hollisandbell.com/herrpage.html It's not specifically identified as a 19th century garment on that page, but the other illustrations of stitches on the site are identified as original garments, so presumably it is also.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Blum]

Re: Stitching an overshirt

Hello,

Thank you Mrs Peebles and Mr Trent for all your help !

I think the cloth will fell well so I will probably use the flat felled seam. You are right, Mrs Peebles, it will be much more neat like this.
And also use a double linen waxed thread for sewing all the shirt.

I will use the CC Hollyday shirt pattern. It as not pleats on the sleeve cap so I think had no problems with that.

I wanted to use a red wool cloth and FHW undyed 3/8 inch wool tape for braiding. The cloth is not bright of course but a little brown and light. Maybe a little too stiff for that purpose but after be well used it probably be better.

Do you think that overshirt will be ok for an early to mid trans-Mississippi impression ?

I wanted to braid along the collar, the placket and probably around the pockets but I a little afraid to make something farby ! It is not easy to find good overshirts pictures.
Have you an advise on that ?

Thank so much