Roman garb is pretty simple to construct, and if it's made of linen, it's one of the cooler garb options for women to wear during the summer. (I'm in the southern US, and it gets very hot and humid around here.)
My husband helped me make a chiton, and I plan to make a stola and palla to go with it. Hopefully I'll be able to handle making those by myself this time. They're just rectangles, for heaven's sake! Online Resources for Roman GarbI made a mess out of a peplos because I didn't measure it correctly. I ended up turning it into a sleeveless chiton, but that almost went horribly wrong, too. I have a thought about how to make a sleeveless chiton on purpose next time: - For the vertical height of the garment, measure from your shoulders to your anklebones, add one inch (1/2 seam allowance at the top and bottom) If the width of the fabric is taller than you, that's great - you can bunch it up with a belt to make it short enough and not have to worry about cutting it. Just make sure that if it has a pattern, it's still going the way you want it to!
- For the width, measure across the widest part of your torso. Since this will be a baggy garment, add 6 inches. (3 inches each side of you.) Measure the circumference of your arm at the shoulder, through the armpit. Add 3 inches to that measurement as well. The front panel will be your width + 6 in + shoulder circumference + 3 in + shoulder circumference +3 inches. I guess the simplest way to write it is: Your width at widest point +shoulder circumference x2 + 12 inches
- The back panel will be the same dimensions as the front panel. If the bolt width of your fabric is long enough to cover your height, the width can be one continual piece that's folded on one side and sewn on the other.
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