Inspiration
Minoan dresses are recognizable for their deep open fronts that often reveal the breasts, fitted waists, and detailed skirts or kilts. Indeed, when I first decided to make some Minoan garb I intended to create just such a dress. However, I was inspired to make this particular heanos because of the recreation of it in Dr. Jones' book, Ariadne's Threads, which looked both elegant and comfortable. The two-tone design also had an almost color-blocked look that felt modern and accessible.
Materials
Traditionally Used vs What I used
Diverse Fabrics (Including Cotton) - Cotton Fabric
Woven Bands - Size 10 Mercerized Cotton Crochet Thread and Size 3 Lightweight Cotton Yarn
Natural Fiber Thread - Polyester Thread
Tools
Traditionally Used vs What I used
Fishbone, Copper, Silver, or Bronze Needle - Steel Needle
Warp-Weighted Loom - Inkle Loom
Possibly knives or piercing tools - Modern Scissors
Bronze Pins - Modern Pins
Unknown - Tissue Paper, Yard Stick, Tape Measure, Pencil for drafting pattern
Unknown - Tailors Chalk, Quilting Ruler, Hem gauge for marking fabric
None - Fray Check
Methods
Traditionally Used vs What I used
Plain Weave - Inkle Plain Weave
Running Stitch - Running Stitch, Running Backstitch, Backstitch, Whip-stitch
Accessories
Traditionally Used vs What I used
Woven Belt - Woven Belt
None - Tank Top for modesty
Creation
Weaving
I started work on my heanos by weaving all of the bands that would be necessary for its construction. In total I needed 4 bands: 1 for the shoulders and sleeve edges, 1 for the two front pieces of the dress, 1 extra wide band for the hem, and 1 to function as a belt.
Progress Pictures of the Weaving:
Weaving all four bands. I started each weave with a 1-2 inch swatch to determine the width of each band.
Sewing
I cut the fabric in half short-wise to make 2 pieces - front and back. Then I folded each in half long-wise so that I could cut the left and right side of the heanos evenly. I cut the back and then the front using the pattern I drafted for my muslin, see Appendix B for about the muslin. The back was cut with the center on the center fold, and the front was cut with the center on the selvedge. I then cut out the neck from the center front and marked the stitching lines along the neck and shoulders with chalk.
Most of the front had a finished edge because it was on the selvedge, but the cutout for the neck was still raw so I folded it under twice and stitched down to finish the raw edge.
I then cut one of my woven bands in half, applied Fray Check, folded the cut ends under, and stitched the ends so that they would not unravel. Next, I sewed the bands to the center front pieces with a running stitch. I sewed another band along the back shoulder of the heanos, trimmed the excess band length, and finished both raw edges from the cut. I attached the band right at the edge of the fabric and sewed it down along both sides of the warp of the band to ensure that it would stay flat along the fabric.
I pinned the front to the back along the shoulder seam and the side seams to ensure that the fabric was fully lined up. I sewed the front to the back along the neckline, and then I sewed the side seams. I rolled the ends of the sleeves to finish that edge. After cutting to length the leftover band from the shoulder seam and finishing those edges I added the short bands that were leftover from the neck to the sleeve hems.
I stitched the center front together from the “V” of the neckline down to the bottom of the fabric. I evened out the hem with scissors before folding the hem and finishing the edge. Then I applied the widest of my woven bands to the hem of the heanos.
Progress Pictures of the Sewing:
Cutting the fabric
Marking the neck hem
Running stitch along the neck hem
Finishing the end of a band
Applying a band to the center front
Band stitched to center front
Band stitched to shoulder back
Pinning front to back
Running back stitch along side seam
Whip-stitch along the center front connecting the center trim pieces
Hemming the bottom of the heanos
The Challenge: Kingdom A&S
Material: Cotton
Pattern: Self-Drafted
Year: Bronze Age 3000-1450 BCE
Notions: Thread, Yarn, Crochet Thread
How historically accurate is it? Better researched than many of my pieces, but being so far in the past and with no extant examples it is hard to say what is accurate
Hours to complete: About 13 hours of sewing, but probably another 50 or so hours of weaving
First worn: Local Arts Event Challenge
Total cost: $19.63 (fabric) + $12.35 + $12.35 + $6.16 (3 trips to the store for yarn) =$50.49
Bibliography
Anderson, Stella. “The added value textile hypothesis.” Historical Living with Hvitr (blog), February 12, 2018. https://hvitr.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-added-value-textile-hypothesis.html.
Anderson, Stella. "Egypt and the Aegean: Sewing Techniques." Historical Living with Hvitr (blog), September 18, 2014. http://hvitr.blogspot.com/2014/09/egypt-and-aegean-sewing-techniques.html.
Cripps, Libby. “Going Minoan (or Mycenaean!)” Silk and Quill (blog), August 7, 2019. https://silkandquill.com/2019/08/07/minoan/.
Cosgrove, Bronwyn. The Complete History of Costume & Fashion: from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000.
Jones, Bernice. Ariadne’s Threads: The Construction and Significance of Clothes in the Aegean Bronze Age. Leuven, Belgique: Peeters, 2015.
Jones, Bernice. “New Reconstructions of the “Mykenaia” and a Seated Woman from Mycenae.” American Journal of Archaeology, 113 (2009): 309-337.
Jones, Bernice. “Revealing Minoan Fashions.” Archaeology 53 no. 3 (2000): 36-41. https://www.academia.edu/20729385/Revealing_Minoan_Fashions_Archaeology_2000_53_3_36_41?sm=b
Macquire, Kelly. “The Minoans & Mycenaeans: Comparison of Two Bronze Age Civilizations.” World History Encyclopedia, September 24, 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1610/the-minoans--mycenaeans-comparison-of-two-bronze-a/.
Nicholson, Paul. and Shaw, Ian. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Panagiotakopulu, Eva & Buckland, Paul & Day, Peter & C, Doumas & Sarpaki, A. & P, Skidmore. “A lepidopterous cocoon from Thera and evidence for silk in the Aegean Bronze Age.” Antiquity 71 (1997): 420-429. 10.1017/S0003598X00085021.
Sabatini, Serena. “Textile Tools from the East Gate at Mycenaean Midea, Argolis, Greece.” Opuscula Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome 9 (2016): 217-247. Accessed September 6, 2022). https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-09-08.
Sharp, Erin. “Minoan & Mycenaean Heanos Underdress.” Gorgeous Tangents (blog). March 3, 2020. https://gorgeoustangents.home.blog/2020/03/03/minoan-mycenaean-heanos-underdress/.
Wardle, Diana. "Replicating Aegean Bronze Age Costume." In The Countless Aspects of Beauty in Ancient Art, 463-474. Athens, Greece: Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2018. https://www.academia.edu/37107446/Replicating_Aegean_Bronze_Age_Costume.
Additional Thoughts: Circle Motif
Although the method for decorating the fabric is unknown, I calculated the size and spacing of the red dots to make the motif in a way that would match the original design.
The motif features 3 equi-spaced red circles forming the points of a downwards-pointing equilateral triangle. From the figure’s left arm to the center back there are 5 sets of dots, and the space between the motifs is approximately the same size as the motifs. 5 motifs on each side means 10 motifs the width of the fabric. Additionally, if the print is even then there would be 9 blank spaces between the motifs. 5 plus 9 equals 14 widths to alternate motifs and blank space. The fabric is approximately 45 inches wide, subtract an inch from each end for the bands, and another ½ inch to prevent the band from overlapping with the motifs, and that leaves 42 inches of width. 42 inches divided by 14 widths equals 3 inch motifs and blanks. The height of an equilateral triangle is (1/2)(3) side length, therefore the height of the motif would be about 2.6 inches. Alternate rows of motifs are offset from each other.
Book Review
My primary audio companion for this project was "Ashton Hall" by Lauren Belfer. I was drawn to this story by the promise of modern people investigating the death (murder?) of a woman who appeared to have been dead for centuries. That part of the story was interesting. However, the majority of the story focuses on her marital difficulties and the challenges of raising a neurodivergent child. Both important themes to discuss, but not what I was looking for.