Sewing a man's shirt for a Danish folk costume

Danish men's shirts are generally the same throughout Denmark. Basic characteristics include:

1. Shirts are mostly linen (ca 13x14 threads per square cm), although woolen shirts occur. Towards the end of the 1800s some shirts of cotton (white) begin to occur.
2. The body of the shirt (front and back) is cut in one rectangular piece, without shoulder seams. All have a slit cut for the neck, with a collar, and the slit extending down the front of the shirt.
3. Sleeves are cut as rectangular pieces of fabric, with no shaping of any kind.
4. A rectangular gusset is sewn in at the underarm, ie the base of where the sleeve joins the main body of the shirt.
5. Sleeves are gathered at the wrist, into a wristband.
6. The shirt is gathered at the neck, into a collar.
7. Shirt length is to the knees, front and back, or even longer.
8. All have a gusset to strengthen the fabric on the shoulders. These may vary in type, and be in one or two pieces, but all are sewn onto the right side of the fabric (ie outside of the shirt).
9. Since the sewing machine was invented in the mid-1700s, but did not come into common usage until late in the 1800s, all preserved historical men's shirts are sewn by hand.
10. [When sewing linen by hand, it is easier to sew before the fabric is washed. Therefor cut a 10x10 cm rectangle of fabric, overcast stitch the edges, wash it, and calculate shrinkage in both warp and weft. Adjust all measurements accordingly.]

Measuring and cutting the fabric

• The following measurements are based on European men's shirt size 38 (equivalent to Canada, US, UK, Australia size 15, ie 15 inch neck).
• Assume fabric width about 66 cm, and shirt length about 80 cm. Measure from shoulder to shoulder. Measure sleeve length from shoulder to wrist, with a bent elbow.
• Calculate how much fabric will hang over the shoulder, and measure sleeve length from where shoulder seam to wrist, +3 cm to allow for a puffy sleeve.
• Sleeve width should be not less than 52 cm.
• Measure neck circumference, here 38 cm. Cut a horizontal slit across the fabric at the lengthwise centre of the fabric, measuring 19 cm on each side of the centre of the fabric (19+19=38 cm). From the centre of the horizontal slit, cut a vertical slit - the length of which can be a matter of personal preference, but suggested 28 cm in length.

• Two triangular gussets for the neckline, each one half of a 13 x 13 cm piece of fabric, cut in half diagonally.
• Two underarm gussets, 13 x 13 cm.
• One collar: Length 38 cm +2 cm for seam allowance +2 cm for fastening = 42 cm. Width 12+2=14 cm. Folded double.
• Two wristbands: Length 18 cm +2 cm seam allowance +3 cm for fastening = 23 cm. Width 11 cm + 2 cm seam allowance = 13 cm. Folded double.
• Two shoulder gussets: Length 20 cm +2 cm seam allowance = 22 cm. Width 11 cm +2 cm seam allowance = 13 cm.
• Neck slit gusset: Length 29 cm + 1 cm = 30 cm. Width 7 cm + 2 cm = 9 cm. Folded double. A characteristic of younger shirts up until WWI; not found on shirts from Hedebo or Falster.
• If desired, additional triangular gussets for each side seam at the hem.

Suggested procedure for assembling and sewing the shirt:

• Embroider the two wristbands (if desired), fold lengthwise, and sew the two sideseams.
• Embroider the shoulder gusset (if desired). Fold a 1 cm seam allowance all the way around the piece, and baste.
• Embroider the collar (if desired), fold lengthwise, and sew the two sideseams.
• Sew a narrow seam around the neck slit, attaching the neck slit gusset.
• Sew the shoulder gusset onto the shirt body with backstitch. About 1 cm of fabric should extend beyond the gusset on each side and at the neckline, to allow for attaching the sleeves and the collar.
• Neck gussets are sewn in and gathered to match the length of the collar.
• At the wrist end of each side of each sleeve, fold over and sew a narrow hem extending up about 10 cm from the bottom of the sleeve. About 2 cm up from the raw edge of each sleeve, baste two or three horizontal rows of running stitches for gathering the bottom of each sleeve to the wristband.
• Gather the bottom of each sleeve to fit the wristbands. Sew on the wristbands, from the inside as well as the outside side of the sleeve.
• Gather or pleat the top of the sleeves to the desired width.
• Sew one side of each underarm gussets to the top side of each sleeves with a flat felled seam, one on the left side of one sleeve, one on the right side of the other sleeve.
• Sew the sleeves, and attached gussets, to the body of the shirt, with a flat felled seam.
• Finish sewing the side seams of the shirt body, and the sleeve seams, with felled seams, and incorporating the two free sides of the underarm gussets.
• Hem the bottom of the shirt.

Based on Andresen, Gudrun Danske bonde-skjorter fra ca. 1770 til ca. 1870. s.l.: Borgen, 1974. pp. 12, 31-33.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville 2019-05-07.