Stitches in a Shirt

[shawnra]

I came across this and thought it might be of interest to someone here. The description is a little vague in some areas, but someone smarter than myself may be able to figure it out. Not sure how accurate it is or if it should be taken "tongue in cheek".

The Corning Journal
19 May 1864

The following is a calculation of the number of stitches in a shirt:
stitching the collar, four rows, 3000;
sewing the end, 500;
button holes and sewing on buttons, 150;
sewing the collar and gathering the neck, 1204;
stitching wristbands, 1228;
sewing the ends, 68;
the sleeves, 840;
hemming the slits, 264;
gathering the sleeves, 840;
setting on wristbands, 1438;
stitching on shoulder straps, three rows each, 1380;
hemming the bosom, 393;
sewing the sleeves, 2532.

[E L Watkins-Morris]

Certainly not that many in my shirts!
Liz W.

[Ms. Jean]

A link to a version of Thomas Hood's The Song of the Shirt:

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/hood/shirt.html

"Oh, Men, with Sisters dear!
Oh, men, with Mothers and Wives!
It is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures' lives!


we mothers, wives, and sisters are oh-so-glad for our sewing machines and electricity!

Jean
Route 66

[hanktrent]

I'm trying to figure out how they're calculating that, because the numbers do seem high. Let's take "hemming the slits," which seems straightforward. Let's be very generous and say the slits are 8" deep, requiring 32" of stitching. That would be about 8 stitches per inch, fairly reasonable.

But then there's stitching the collar, four rows. I'm not sure what four rows they mean, but if each row is once along the collar, let's say 17", that would be 68" total, or 44 stitches per inch. If they mean four times around the collar, that would bring it down to half that, within the realm of possibility at about 20 stitches per inch, but it still sounds quite high, and who would sew around a collar four times? At most, wouldn't you sew it once, turn it, and top stitch, for a total of two times around?

There's also the question of how one counts a "stitch," such as whether each visible length of thread on one side of a back stitch is a stitch, meaning this backstitch ----- would have twice as many stitches as this running stitch - - - - - even though the needle holes would be the same distance apart.

I'm curious how others interpret the descriptions, distances and stitches per inch.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Carolann Schmitt]

I need to pull out some of my original shirts and count stitches for comparison. However, some of my nicer dress shirts are sewn approximately 18+ stitches/inch, so some of the figures appear to be within reason.

The collar makes sense if the number of stitches includes the collar AND the neckband; and includes topstitching. The seams may include running and felling; one of my original shirts is felled at 24-26 stitches/inch.

This will be a fun research project. 

Carolann

[hanktrent]

The collar makes sense if the number of stitches includes the collar AND the neckband; and includes topstitching. The seams may include running and felling; one of my original shirts is felled at 24-26 stitches/inch.

Duh! Okay, that does make sense, once around each, then once again topstitching, four times around.

Another thing, then--where is the hemming included for the bottom of the shirt? Included with the slits? Doesn't seem enough stitches for the bottom and the slits. "The ends," in both cases, seem to refer to the ends of the collar or cuffs. Maybe they just didn't include hemming the bottom?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Carolann Schmitt]

Is the shirt cut using the selvage for one or both hems or any of the side seams that incorporate the slits? If it is, that eliminates stitching those areas.

Carolann

[Jessamyn]

What mystified me were the side seams. Am I missing those somewhere?

And I'm thinking those "slits" may be the sleeve slits, since they fall between "the sleeves" and "gathering the sleeves" and the stitch count is relatively low.

[hanktrent]

And I'm thinking those "slits" may be the sleeve slits, since they fall between "the sleeves" and "gathering the sleeves" and the stitch count is relatively low.

Ah, I think you're right. Wasn't thinking about the order. But that leaves the stitches per inch quite high, since the sleeve slits would be perhaps four inches at most, wouldn't they? Four times four equals 16", divided into 264 stitches, 16 1/2 stitches per inch. Certainly possible, but quite high for a hem that has no stress.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com