| So you want to make or upgrade your Civil War | | | | be added using the material of the shirt or a different |
| uniform shirt, but you don't know where to start. What | | | | color or material. Most cuffs were about 2 inches |
| type of material do you use, should you use metal, | | | | wide.41. Next, get yourself some good buttons. Stay |
| porcelain or bone buttons, should you have a collar on | | | | away from plastic and modern buttons. Go with glass, |
| your shirt, what about the cuffs - how many inches | | | | bone, shell, metal, porcelain, 2-hole cat's eye or Mother |
| are they supposed to be, should you hand stitch the | | | | of Pearl.Metal buttons are authentic but they have the |
| button holes, where should you put the pocket on your | | | | potential to rust and stain your fabric.45. Some shirts |
| shirt, Ahhhhh!Your questions about making your Civil | | | | had button on collars, and many shirts were collarless. |
| War uniform shirt authentic are answered in this shirt | | | | ECHOES: The Confederate Version shows seven |
| article and continue to be answered in 101 Tips for | | | | shirts on pgs. 154-155, and each one has a different |
| Your Authentic Civil War Uniform Shirt Course at are | | | | collar. Pvt. John Burgwyn MacRae Starr's North |
| some of the tips for making Your Civil War Uniform | | | | Carolina is a dark blue wool collarless pullover shirt |
| shirt authentic:4. To start, you could purchase a shirt | | | | while the one below, Pvt. Andrew Thomas Beam, 28th |
| that is already made that has machine buttonholes in it | | | | South Carolina Volunteers' shirt is a white cotton with a |
| and rework the buttonholes to make it look more | | | | square edged collar made of the same color and |
| authentic. Take a seam ripper and pick out the | | | | material.50. My rule of thumb is that I only make Civil |
| buttonholes and handwork them.5. I would pick out and | | | | War uniform items that I have seen in an original |
| redo by hand all exposed machine stitching. Someone | | | | photograph or museum. Note: what is in museum is |
| can show you how to do that in about 15 minutes. You | | | | only the very smallest tip of the iceberg because there |
| should have about 6-7 stitches per inch. You have just | | | | are very few actual items that made it through the |
| increased the value of your shirt and made it more | | | | war. The vast majority of the original clothing is long |
| authentic.32. "Pockets were not sewn on most shirts, | | | | since gone. Some of the fabrics and colors can be |
| and not at all on the army-issued shirts. Heavier shirts | | | | seen in very old quilts because they reused |
| had a breast pocket or two. The pockets were | | | | everything.53. Note the different collars, buttons, and |
| generally lower on the shirt and larger than breast | | | | fabrics, color combinations. I personally do not like solid |
| pockets on shirts today.33. Buttons were metal, | | | | color shirts. I like something with a little color to it. These |
| wooden or bone, or sometimes commercially made | | | | shirts have original glass buttons on them. I prefer glass |
| from other products, such as glass or ceramic | | | | buttons for shirts because I like to match the color |
| materials. For Southern troops, different stylesof | | | | combinations.55. Keep everything 100% wool and |
| buttons can be used, including bits of wood, bone, or | | | | 100% cotton. Make sure that the material is a good |
| even acorns. You can use dental floss to tie them on, | | | | grade, like homespun. If you are going to take the time |
| but make sure the modern materials are not visible.38. | | | | and energy, to make your own shirt, buy something |
| Battle shirts are a bit controversial. Some troops, | | | | high quality that will last. The price of the shirt material |
| especially early-war Southern troops, had a tunic or | | | | is negligible compared to the time and energy you will |
| heavy shirt instead of a wool uniform coat. It would fit | | | | put into making it.70. Original coin buttons are still |
| over aregular shirt but was not as heavy or bulky as | | | | available and affordable if you want to look for them. |
| the wool jacket. Before you get a battle shirt, make | | | | You can find them anywhere from one to three |
| sure one is documented for your regiment's history, | | | | dollars. You might even want to go with a mismatched |
| since they were not typical and are controversial.39. | | | | set - one or two state seals and the remainder coin |
| Cuffs on Civil War uniform shirts varied as much as all | | | | buttons. |
| of the other parts that we have discussed. Cuffs can | | | | |