Home >> Hobbies >> Sewing

How to Sew a Greek Chiton

Ancient Greek women wore a dress called a chiton, which was made from a single large rectangle of fabric. Hand-woven fabric was too precious to be cut, so garments were sewn from single pieces of fabric and were made to fit with sashes and pins. The fabric was woven to the correct size for the wearer. A sash helped shape the garment to the wearer's body. The length could be altered by changing the depth of the fold at the top of a garment.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure
2 yards fabric
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread
Iron
2 metal brooches
1/2-inch gold trim, 1 1/2 yard

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a rectangle of fabric twice as wide as the wearer's shoulders and as long as the wearer is tall.
- 2
  Lay the fabric right side up on a large surface and fold it in half by bringing together the long sides of the fabric, the sides that equal the height of the wearer. Sew these edges together by stitching 1 inch from the edges.
- 3
  Press the seam allowance to one side. Fold the seam allowance under 1/2 inch and press the fold. Topstitch 1/8 inch from the fold. Sew a second row of topstitching 1/4 inch away between this row and the first seam. This will create a seam that looks finished on both sides.
- 4
  Iron up 1/2 inch on the bottom of the chiton. Iron up another inch to make a hem. Sew the hem by stitching close to the inside fold.
- 5
  Turn the chiton right side and hem the top edge in the same way. The bottom hem will now be on the inside of the garment and the top hem on the outside.
- 6
  Slip the chiton over the wearer's head.
- 7
  Fold down the top edge 12 inches.
- 8
  Pin fold at the top of the garment together over each of the wearer's shoulders with a brooch.
- 9
  Tie a 1 1/2-yard length of 1/2-inch golden trim around the waist for a sash.

Sewing