Abigail Adams in 1776 admonished her husband, John Adams, to “remember the ladies” as he and the other founding fathers were crafting what would become the framework of these United States. I felt it high time that this blog do the same. This is the first Shirttail Mess post aimed at the female living historian. My name is Eileen Book, and I have been heavily involved in this hobby since 2017. My primary topic of interest centers around women and their roles before, during, and after the American War for Independence.
Any new endeavor, especially one as varied as beginning in the living history hobby, can be daunting. Unlike our forebears, we today have limitless information at hand. One can escape down any number of rabbit holes and invariably end up more confused than when they started. This post is an attempt to serve as a basic guideline for those who are new to the hobby. The following will be a list of what I consider to be essential pieces of basic female kit, undergarments edition.
We’ll start with underwear. Underwear in this period for women is called a shift or chemise. What it is is a simple linen undergarment. It is worn between the skin and the clothes. It is meant to absorb the sweat from the body and keep it off the outer garments. You will need at least one but better to have two for especially hot weekend events. The best resource for making one of your own is this article by the late Sharon Burnston: http://sharonburnston.com/shifts/shifts.html
Before you put on your stays you will want to put up your hair and cover it with a cap. Caps are almost always made from white linen. They keep the hair clean while working over a fire or traveling a dusty road when fleeing the British. A wonderful resource for sewing your own is the Capalog blog: https://capalog.blog/2021/02/28/a-pattern-for-an-18th-c-lappet-cap/
Next you will need to put on your stockings. These will be cotton, linen, wool, or silk. You can obtain these from any number of reputable sellers, my personal favorite is Burnley and Trowbridge: https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com/collections/stockings You will also need a way to hold them up, a set of garters tied just below the knee will serve you well. Silk ribbon makes a good garter; silk seems to stay tied better than anything else I’ve found. I’ve seen others use bits of wool or linen tape as garters. Put on your shoes after this step, trust me, you do not want to be attempting to bend over in your stays to buckle your shoes. I bought a pair from a vendor that doesn’t have a website but these would be great for most impressions:
https://www.americanduchess.com/collections/18th-century-shoes-and-boots/products/kensington-18th-century-shoe-black
The next thing you NEED is going to be a decent fitting set of stays. These are non-negotiable unless you have a medical reason for not wearing them. These are your support garment and also give you the pleasant conical shape that was so en vogue during the time. Tight lacing for working women is a myth. They should be quite comfortable and support your back, middle, and, ahem, other things. If they hurt, they are not the right size. Get or make the right size. This is a great pattern that will walk you step by step through the process of making period correct stays:
https://atthesignofthegoldenscissors.com/products/front-and-back-lacing-stays-pattern If you have a person who will be always going to events with you, back lacing is preferable but if you tend to go out alone, front lacing will be a God send. My current pair have straps but when I make my next pair, they will be strapless as I feel they are more versatile and less worry about the straps showing when you make a gown.
Does this sound like a lot? It is. Which is why this can be such a scary thing for the person new to this hobby. I highly, HIGHLY encourage anyone who takes up this hobby to learn to sew. It is an essential skill and will serve you well. You will save so much money by learning to do this. The aforementioned Burnley and Trowbridge have a wonderful YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BurnleyandTrowbridgeCo where they teach you the sewing essentials and before you know it you will be ultra-progressive and look down your nose at anyone who deigns to use a machine. Okay, maybe you won’t be quite like that, but you will get to experience a little taste of the lives of your fore-mothers which is really why we’re here in the first place, right? Right.
Part II to follow expediently.
Yr Obedient Servant,
Mrs. Jacob Book
Great advise.
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