- 1). Choose the fabric that you want to work with. While polyester is very cheap, you will find that it is uncomfortable to wear, and it certainly wasn't found during the medieval period! Wool is perfect for your medieval dress, but you will also find that linen, cotton and even silk could be used.
- 2). Look at pictures on the Internet of the type of clothing you want to create. When you are looking at medieval clothing, you are going to be looking at what are often called "T-tunics," where the shape of the garment is essentially a large "T." This will help you figure out the dress you are going to be making will look like.
- 3). Take your own measurements. The distance from your shoulder to your ankle will be the length of the dress. Measure around your neck for the neck hole and around your upper arm for the width of the sleeve. For a classic T-tunic, measure the span from one wrist to the other when you stand with your arms stretched to either side.
- 4). Figure out how much fabric you will need. For most people, two to three yards of fabric that is sixty inches wide is enough for a dress. Use your measurements and make sure that you do not buy too little fabric for this project.
- 5). Plan your dress. This can be as simple as deciding that you are going to folding large piece of fabric in half and cutting out the dress in one piece, or it can involve being highly fabric conservative and cutting out the sleeves and the body in several pieces. If you want your dress to be wider, you can add triangular gores to the skirt. If you want a narrower dress, you can simply flare the bottom of your T a little.
- 6). Lay out your fabric in a large flat surface. Spread it out as evenly as you can and makes sure that it is lying flat.
- 7). Chalk out where your cutting lines are going to be. Because most medieval dresses are going to be made using straight lines, you do not even need a pattern when you go to cut. After this, you will be ready to cut out your dress and sew it up!
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