A Tale of Two Shifts

The first tale is that of Past Patterns #002 Two Early Nineteenth Century Chemises. I made the open neck version with short sleeves. I made it with Kaufman Muslin and a combination of machine and hand sewing. I wore this for Costume College 2017 under my 1840's wrapper. I have two concerns with this shift, one is that the sleeves are a tiny bit constraining which isn't a huge deal when you're wearing a gown with dropped shoulders that are going to confine you anyway and the second is my fabric choice. While muslin (calico across the pond) is an era appropriate choice for the poor as the Workwoman's Guide says;

I just think that my muslin is too thick; which appears to be a common complaint about modern textiles versus historical textile. It appears to be better suited to petticoats (I've made one) and dress linings than a shift, however this article should stand up to many washings and  wearings. 

The second shift comes from 1830's Corset and Underwear Sewing Pattern from BlackSnailPatterns on Etsy. This is a different style entirely with a wide open neck and gathered sleeves. I made this one from 100% linen and it is completely hand stitched. This is the base for my 1840's ball gown for the Gala at Costume College 2018. My only complaint is that it doesn't have gores, though this doesn't impede my movement its just bothers me. It took me forever to hand stitch but I think it was good practice.