Hot Weather Garb

...or "I will not melt in the heat at GNEW this year"

Last year at GNEW, even though my Bliaunts are cotton/linen blend, I absolutely melted.  It was so hot that I finally ended up in just my chemise on Sunday.  So, and yes Jenn and Kate I can hear you snickering behind your hands, I decided this year that I was making some Hot Weather garb.  I'm making a Bog dress and two sets of Roman Matron garb, tunicas and pellas.  One tunica will be in cotton lawn, an off white, and the other is cotton gauze, white with a white on white box pattern.  One tunica will be a lavender cotton gauze and the other is a dusty blue cotton lawn.  The bog dress is also cotton lawn.  Here are the fabrics.

Bog dress fabric.  Isn't it great :)

This is the lavender gauze with cotton lawn

This is the dusty blue cotton lawn with the cotton gauze

  I started with the bog dress.  The fabric is about 54" wide.  Started with two large rectangles, on for the front and one for the back.  They were long enough for the dress to reach from the shoulder to the floor with an overhang on the top.  I put a rip stop line in the top of the fabric, some fraying is wanted but not more than about 1/2".  I hemmed the bottom, then put the two pieces together.  I measured up the length from my knee to the floor and marked the fabric from the hem up.  I then measured from my knee to my underarm and measured from the first mark to make another mark.  This was the side seam.  I sewed them up and neatened the edges of the un-seamed sides by folding them over and sewed them up. 

Now, traditionally, these dresses would be pinned at the shoulders with broaches.  I cheated and sewed them at the shoulders, about where my bra straps will show.  This way I don't have to worry about remembering broaches and I can "fake it" with pins if I want.

Two hours and 15 minutes from first cut to this.

It's not the most flattering line, but if it keeps me from falling over in the heat then it's worth it.  I can also put a chemise or shirt underneath and it will work if the weather is cooler.

Tomorrow we tackle the tunica.