I’m overdue for making a post on this shirt. I returned in 2020/21 for Kingdom A&S. I hesitated to post because it is not entirely accurate. I overcomplicated the daylights out of this build. So why create a post for this 16th-century German style hemd if it was overly complicated and not the most accurate? Well, it was an awesome learning experience. I picked up a lot of useful techniques and supporting research and learned some important lessons. Also, artistically speaking, it is lovely, and my technique was on point. Hopefully, you will also find it a helpful project and maybe see some pitfalls to avoid when working on A&S entries. I have taken some excerpts from the A&S entry paper 2021 and added some commentary (hindsight is 20/20).

Background

The primary inspiration for this hemd is the image Tailor and Seamstress by Erhard Schon, 1525-1530, from Landsknecht Woodcuts: Kriegsvolker im Zeitalter der Landsknechte (Johann, Enkevoerth, & Falke, edt. McNealy, 2013).

I did decide to move it up a bit, social class-wise, after seeing one of Matthäus Schwartz’s hemden from 1524 (Rublack, Hayward, & Tiramani, The First Book of Fashion: The Book of Clothes of Matthäus and Veit Konrad Schwarz of Augsburg, 2015).

This adjustment to the design was my first mistake. I’m unsure if the pleating technique is appropriate for this class of hem.

I experimented with several different styles of honeycomb smocking, in which alternating pleats are stitched together in an up-and-down zig-zag, creating diamond shapes in a honeycomb pattern.

The Embroidery – What about the diamond sections?

When I initially saw this woodcut, I interpreted the diamond sections in the sleeve and collar as honeycomb smocking. There are some questions about the “appropriateness” of honeycomb smocking, particularly for mid to upper-class hemden. I have an article discussing the whole thing on this site – Was it Honeycomb Smocking on 16th c. German Clothing, or something else…

After experimenting with the four pattern combinations, I settled on 1 cm running stitch pleats with surface honeycomb stitches with 1 cm pleat depth and a stitch row spacing of ½ cm apart. Creating surface honeycomb stitches is very similar to spot; however, the thread moves to the backside of the piece and stays forward-facing, accentuating the diamond pattern. I also have a how-to on honeycomb spot smocking here. It is also a standard stitch in modern smocking; for example, see Smocking Tutorial: The Surface Honeycomb Stitch.

The Pattern – What about those sleeves?

When I drafted this hemd pattern from books and extant examples, I ran into the first roadblock: “Which sleeve pattern should I use?” The second issue is overthinking it, then using the wrong pattern cut.

There are two popular patterns with different sleeve cuts on rectangular bodies suggested for this style of hemden in this period: (1) The sleeves attach at the top to the sides of the body rectangle. With noticeable shoulder seams, this style is close to balloon sleeves (when gathered). (2) The sleeves are sewn to the body along the length above the armpit and gathered into the collar with the body; this style is close to peasant sleeves or raglan sleeves. However, there is no angle in the seam. The side of the rectangular sleeve is attached to the side of the rectangular body.

I have used the straight “peasant sleeve” / straight “raglan” sleeve pattern style when constructing 16th-century hemden with smocking. However, I ran into an issue when I began scoping out the plan for this hemd. Although many people reference a pattern like the one I usually use, I could not find a reference to an extant garment, and I only had secondary sources and artwork to reference. However, there are several extant examples and patterns for the shirt with a separate sleeve pattern style in Patterns of Fashion 4 (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009). 

Due to this misadventure of overthinking, I set the sleeves into the body section and not the collar. First, I planned to create pleated areas in the sleeve, which required a significant amount of fabric. I needed to gather the material at the top of the sleeve to handle this additional fabric. Finding examples to support gathering the sleeve at the shoulder was an issue and was likely not a thing yet. There are slightly later period extant examples of gathering at the cap (top) of the sleeve, as documented by Janet Arnold. This supports using this pattern and gathering the sleeve at the cap (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009, p. 75). Regardless of this issue, I finalized my concept and proceeded with the construction.

As soon as I began sewing this hemd, I came across the last section in The First Book of Fashion: The Books of Clothes of Matthäus & Veit Konrad Schwarz of Augsburg (Rublack, Hayward, & Tiramani, 2015). This section added much-needed documentation for the straight “peasant” sleeve style pattern cut. Jenny Tiramani provides pictures of an extant 1550 shirt example from Naples and drafted a pattern demonstrating this style. Additionally, I knew the build was off with all the pleats in the sleeve cap. Second mistake: This is an excellent example of overthinking. In numerous paintings and sculptures, it’s clear that the seams extend up into the neckline. However, I became preoccupied with what the judges would be looking at in the document.

Finalizing the Pattern

Measurements

There is a built-in ease of about 1-2 inches in my measurements to account for movement. 

• Neck – 17 inches
• Shoulder – 4 inches
• Chest – 53 inches
• Hips – 56 inches
• Arm from shoulder to wrist– 23 inches
• Neck to Below Knee – 45 inches
• Cap of shoulder to just below armpit – 11 inches
• Widest part of the arm – 16 inches
• Wrist – 7 inch

Before starting the project, I planned the pattern with the measurements on paper. I knew I would need 3.5 to 4 times my neck and 1.5 to 3 times the greatest arm circumference measurements from the earlier swatch experiments. At the start of the project, I had planned not to support the smocking in the sleeve and to rely on the elastic quality of the surface honeycomb smocking. However, once the hemd was complete, I lined the pleated areas of the sleeve, similar to the collar and cuffs, to support the sleeve’s shape and keep it from stretching out. 

The width requirements of the neck dictated the widest part of the front and back of the hemd and would provide more than enough ease in the fabric to accommodate my chest and hips. I settled on 34.5 inches in width for the front and back collar, leaving a ¼ inch seam allowance. I added the shoulders with a 2-inch drop and 2.25-inch run, resulting in a 4.5-inch allowance for the shoulder. I then left 3 inches for the collar height. The result was about 40 inches wide and an overall length of 45 inches for the front and back sections. I planned a 12-inch slit for the collar opening. I left a ½ inch seam allowance unless otherwise indicated. I planned 4-inch square gussets for the underarms.

 

Cutting the Fabric

I laid the fabric out, doubled up, and folded the selvage edge to the selvage edge (weft-wise). I then used the meter stick, drew out the front and back on the linen, and cut it out. See the cutting diagram below..

Fabric and Preparation

For the hemd fabric, I used 4 yards of a bleached tabby weave lightweight linen made from flax fibers with approximately 22 warp and 17 weft fibers per centimeter. Linen or Leinwat is a tabby weave commonly used in clothing from the 16th century (Barich & McNealy, 2015).

This was an appropriate approximation of the type and weight of linen for this project, not too fine, with some durability. However, it is wider than the fabric available in the 16th century. The shirts documented in Patterns of Fashion 4 are made of lightweight linen, ranging from fine to tightly woven and fine to coarse (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009). One of the 15th-century linen shirt fragments from Lengberg Castle Find, Austria, is described as a tabby weave with 21/17 wrap/weft threads per centimeter (Nutz & Stadler, How to pleat a shirt in the 15th century, 2012).

I washed and dipped the linen in an arrowroot starch and water mixture. I prefer to starch my fabric before construction to add stiffness and protect the fibers. It is unclear if starch would have been used (pre or post-garment construction) in the German Lands this early in the 16th century. However, modern linen is generally softened; once it loses the coating or size, it has a soft hand. Beatrix Nutz indicated that 15th-century linen had a coarser texture than modern linen; “slickstones” and a hot “sad iron” could have been used to set pleats in a shirt (Nutz & Stadler, 2012, p. 81). Slickstones were glass or stone mushroom-shaped tools used to smooth linen as it dried. Sad Irons were metal irons made by blacksmiths and heated to iron fabric. See History of Ironing for more great information. Starching was documented and used in other regions at the time. “Washing, starching, and ironing linens was a highly skilled, highly paid occupation in the sixteenth century” (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009, p. 14). For more information on my starch method and documentation, see my posts on the 15th and 16th centuries. Starching Linen for more info.

Once I had starched the fabric, I hung it to dry in the sun and periodically smoothed the wrinkles while it dried. Finally, I ironed the fabric on a high-temperature setting when it was almost dry.

The stitches I used in constructing the hemd are all documentable in the 15th and 16th centuries in Patterns of Fashion 4(Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009), Textil- und Lederfunde (Fingerlin, 2001), and the Lengberg Castle find shirts (Nutz & Stadler, How to pleat a shirt in the 15th century, 2012).  I made the following series of drawings capturing these stitches as I interpreted them from the source material. 

• Running stitch (extra-long running stitch or basting stitch)
• Back Stitch
• Whipstitch
• Felled hemstitch and blind hemstitch—The blind hem stitch is the same stitch as the felled hemstitch. To achieve the blind element, only one or two fibers of the outer facing linen are stitched, reducing the stitch visibility on the garment’s exterior. 
• Flat-felled or run and felled stitch (inside or outside the garment)
• Blanket stitch

I started construction with the sleeves. First, I finished the edge along the wrist; I double-folded it 1⁄4 inch and pressed the fold using the bone-creasing tool. Next, I used a hemstitch to finish the edge. I made five sets of 3 running stitches 0.75 inches apart, resulting in 1.5-inch sections. Next, I lightly marked 5 guideline rows 1/2 centimeter apart with charcoal for the stitches. Then I completed the sleeve honeycomb smocked sections, one at the sleeve and three in the arm. I then attached the gussets to the armpit area using a straight stitch with a back-stitch every three stitches. Next, I finished the sleeve seam using a straight stitch with a back-stitch every three stitches down to the wrist, opening 4.5 inches above the wrist hem.

 

I stitched the sides of the body section and shoulders up the collar together using a straight stitch with a back-stitch approximately every three stitches. I then cut the back seam allowance of the shoulder and collar by 1⁄4 inch and folded it over the front side seam. Next, I used a bone-creasing tool to crease the linen along the fold. Then, I flat-felled the seam using a hemstitch and pressed the seam with the iron.

For the collar, I spaced three running stitches 1 inch apart, lightly marked eight guideline rows 1⁄2 cm apart using charcoal, and completed the surface honeycomb stitch around the collar.

I finished the front collar edge down the slit by double-folding it 1⁄4 inch and pressing it using the bone creasing tool. Next, I basted the folded edge, and at the bottom, on the neck slit, I finished the slit using a blanket stitch. Decorative stitches around the slit of shirts are well documented in 16th-century shirts (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009) (Fingerlin, 2001). Finally, I used a hidden hemstitch to finish the edge and cut and pulled the basting stitch.

I gathered the top of the sleeves to fit the 11-inch top of the sleeve cap, leaving the end 6 inches ungathered. The shirt and gusset fit the sleeve opening at the body. Next, I turned the sleeves with the gusset’s right side out and attached them to the wrong side of the body using a basting stitch. I then tested the fit. I brought the sleeve in at the sleeve cap at the shoulder, approximately 1⁄2 an inch.

I then finalized the shoulder and sleeve seams using a straight stitch with a backstitch every three stitches and trimmed the excess to 1⁄4 inch around the cap of the sleeve seam allowance along the gathered sleeve area. I removed the basting thread. I then finished the gathered bound edge and the sleeve opening of the body using a blanket stitch, and I flat-felled the finished edge to the body using a hemstitch. I pressed the gusset seams using the bone-creasing tool and iron. I trimmed the gusset seam allowance by 1⁄4 inch and flat-felled the gusset and the sleeve seam using a hemstitch. I also flat-felled the body down to the last 5 inches for the side slits. I double-folded the opening of the wrist down to the finished edge, pressed it with the bone tool, and hemstitched the wrist opening. I used a very tight whip stitch to finish the edges of the gusset in the sleeve, where the gusset meets the body, and the opening of the wrists for added enforcement.

Then, I stitched the enforcing bands to the back of the honeycomb-smocked sections of the cuff and collar (fig. 50). Next, I ironed the bands, folded them under at the edges by 1⁄4 – 1/6 inch, and whipstitched each pleat into the bands evenly spaced. Before securing the folded edge at the opening, I attached the hooks and eyes to the band using a blanket stitch and then attached the ends to the wrist and neck openings.

I then finished the bottom hem by double-folding 1⁄2 inch and using a hem stitch. Next, I reinforced the neck at the base, front collar, sleeve, and side slit using small pieces of folded linen in the shape of elongated pentagons, rectangles, and triangles. This reinforcement method was documented in several shirts in Pattern of Fashion 4 (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009).

When I completed the hemd, I decided the sleeves were too saggy. I cut bands to line the backs of the three pleated sections in the sleeves. I spaced the stitching out to achieve consistent pleat spacing appropriate to the position of the smocking band along the arm. Once complete, I touched up the embroidery by finishing the pattern where the stitch met along the seam.

Last I took cotton* embroidery thread and created the ties by looping thread through the base of the collar at the reinforced edge. I finger loop braided with three doubled-up strands. I could find references to finger loop braiding (Nutz, Drgens Sn Wir Vs Nvt Schame – No Shame in Braiding 15th Century Fingerloop braids from Lengberg Castle, 2014). However, I could not find a specific reference to a simple three-strand braid. I was concerned that the documented 4 and 5-strand patterns might be too thick for this application.

Finished Honeycomb Smocked Hemd

Creating this hemd was a difficult pattern and design to execute. It took months to complete, and I spent many hours working on it. I made a lot of effort to avoid substitutions with modern techniques and methods as much as possible. Overall, I am happy with the final product, and I have learned a lot. However, as I mentioned in the Introduction, as I tested out my hemd and discussed finalizing my research, other items to consider became apparent.

Conclusion

As with most things, it’s not until we create that we can see other aspects we should have considered. “Hindsight is 20/20” is a saying for a reason. I learned that I need to carefully think through a project fully before starting it if I intend it to be a research-style build. However, experimenting with and testing different techniques is beneficial. I ended up learning a lot and broadening my research while working on this project. It started as a simple static item, “make this shirt,” and became a whole research topic.

I believe that for this highly pleated style of hemd, the straight “peasant sleeve” pattern style is appropriate, primarily due to the fabric that would be required for the sleeves alone. Therefore, for other hemden, I will revert to the straight “peasant sleeve” pattern style. Although the pattern I used for this honeycomb smocked hemd worked out and has some support from the research, images, and extant garments, there is a lot of fabric in the body and sleeve.  I question the gathering of the sleeve at the shoulder cap. However, I have seen gathering at the sleeve at the shoulder cap in later extant shirts, like Admiral Claes Bielkenstierna’s shirt from 1659 (Arnold, Tiramani, & Levey, 2009).  Also, the drop in the shoulder is not seen in examples from the 16^th century.  It is a bit of a stretch and may represent a later-period clothing style.  On the other hand, the extant shirt photographed and the pattern developed by Jenny Tiramani provide excellent evidence for this style being closer in shape visually to the hemden in images of the time (Rublack, Hayward, & Tiramani, 2015). Therefore, when creating a hemd of this style, I will use the straight “peasant sleeve” pattern style in the future. 

As for the diamond pattern motif, honeycomb smocking versus diamond surface embroidery over pleat-work versus pattern darning versus counted thread shirring, who knows. I’m sure all combinations of pleat embroidery were done. I lean towards the conclusion that honeycomb smocking was likely used, although perhaps not as extensively by the middle and upper classes. It seems to be a quick and functional technique. This could support its use in landsknecht and trossfrau garb, which may have been used. There is always the boy’s shirt from Alpirsbach Abbey, located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, from the second half of the 16th century. The smocking is inside a shirt sleeve cuff, which creates a narrowing like elastic (Fingerlin, 2001) (see pin below). It is not visible on the outside of the sleeve, and the method differs from the technique where threads run along the other side of the pleat to travel to the next row. Also, there is an earlier example that looks a lot like honeycomb smocking in the front of that smock, along with cut work from Christ Carrying the Cross and Veronica with the Sudarium, 1477-1478.

Although it is not a shirt, this bag from around 1650 in Sweden, in a lovely green velvet, is very much so surface honeycombed smocked…

Visit my article Was it Honeycomb Smocking on 16th c. German Clothing, or something else… for more discussion.

References

Arnold, J., Tiramani, J., & Levey, S. (2009). Patterns of Fashion 4 : the cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c.1540-1660. New York: MacMillan. Print.

Arnold, J., Tiramani, J., & Levey, S. (New Edition 2023). Patterns of Fashion 4 : the cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c.1540-1660. New York: MacMillan. Print.

Fingerlin, I. (2001). Textil- und Lederfunde. In K. T. Stuttgart, Alpirsbach Zur Geschichte von Kloster und Stadt – Textband 2 (pp. 715-817). Baden-Württemberg: Landesdenkamalamt – Baden-Württemberg. Print.

Johann, A. G., Enkevoerth, B., & Falke, J. v. (2013). Landsknecht Woodcuts: Kriegsvolker im Zeitalter der Landsknechte. (M. McNealy, Ed.) Nadel und Faden Press. Print.

Rublack, U., Hayward, M., & Tiramani, J. (Eds.). (2015). The First Book of Fashion: The Book of Clothes of Matthäus and Veit Konrad Schwarz of Augsburg. Bloomsbury Academic. Print.

Zander-Seidel, J. (1990). Textiler Hausrat: Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500 – 1650. München: Dr. Kuntsvel. http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/3451/ Digital Download of Print Accessed Mar. 2, 2019.