Civil War Issue Shirt: H.B. Lord Contract
Based on the in-depth study of an original H.B. Lord contract U.S. issue shirt, this digital full-size pattern features 66 pages of detailed instructions and images for recreating an authentic Civil War garment.
Faithful to the original shirt, this Civil War uniform garment pattern features authentic construction features, which include:
- One button slit placket that is slightly shorter than examples of other surviving off-white colored domet flannel issue shirts
- Separate cuffs sewn to the tapered one-piece sleeves
- Square underarm gussets
- Triangle shaped neck gussets
- One piece folding collar
- Body that is only one piece
- Shoulder reinforcement straps
- Hand stitched and hand felled
A large cottage industry in the middle part of the 19th century, shirt making was commonly practiced by women working from their homes. During the American Civil War this practice was utilized by numerous contractors and arsenals, with women picking up “kits” of precut fabric, sewing them at home, and then returning the finished garment to the contractor or arsenal for review and payment. The most common United States issue shirts for soldiers were manufactured of either off-white or gray flannel, often of a wool and cotton composition.
The shirt replicated for this pattern is from a February 22, 1864 contract with H. B. Lord for 100,000 shirts of “domestic flannel” at $1.74 each, that was to be delivered to the United States arsenal at New York, New York. This garment was entirely handsewn and displays evidence of being rapidly constructed by a female sewist who was paid by the piece, not the hour. As a result of how quickly this garment needed to be sewn to make it profitable for the sewist who stitched it, the shirt features details such as bulky seams, large stitching, and poorly sewn buttonholes. Despite these defects, this imperfectly sewn shirt passed inspection and was purchased by the United States government to clothe one of its soldiers.
The imperfect sewing and construction, make this garment an ideal candidate for being replicated by home sewists with little to moderate sewing experience, by using our digital patterns.
What is included in a digital pattern?
Sizing:
To avoid confusion with "vanity sizing," the size of this pattern corresponds with the actual suggested size of the person (or mannequin) wearing this garment. This means that a size 44 chest U.S. Issue Shirt, will best fit someone who measures at a 44 inch chest.
However, it should be noted that during the Civil War it appears the U.S. military only issued one size of shirt for sizes 36 to 42. So, as a result our smallest issue shirt size is a 42 chest, which will fit loose on sizes 36 to 40.
Confirming your size is a very simple endeavor and can be performed at home with an economically priced sewing tape measure, by visiting a mens clothing store, or politely requesting your measurements from an establishment that rents formal wear clothing such as tuxedoes.
Print On Demand Option:
Planning to print the A0 size file from your digital pattern? We can do it for you with this option! Check out the following link (based on the size needed) to consider adding this to your order:
Issue Size (36 to 42) and Size 44
Fabric and Thread Required:
- 2 yards of 60 inch wide off white colored domet flannel (a plain weave wool/cotton mix with a slight nap that is a specialty fabric
- 3 stamped tin 1/2" four-hole buttons
- 2 spools of natural colored cotton hand sewing thread
Helpful Sewing Notions:
- Tailors chalk
- Sewing pins
- Quality hand sewing needles
- Fabric cutting scissors
- Small-pointed scissors for work like cutting thread and trimming
- Small cake of beeswax for waxing hand sewing thread (available online, or hardware stores will often sell it for lubricating screws and such)
- Seam ripper (just in case something would look a little better if it was re-sewn)
- Basic steam iron
Highlighted Vendor Sources for Fabric, Thread, and Sewing Notions