I committed to sewing a bronze-age style dress for an event in September, but I wanted to test out the pattern first and get a sense of what I was doing. So I took a trip to Joanns, and found the cheapest fabric that I could get. I was in luck because the clearance fabrics were 40% off, so on top of the regular 60% off, there was an additional 40% reduction. Now because I was playing in the clearance section I didn't come home with a traditional solid or even a stripe. Instead I found a novelty Zoo themed print that was reduced down below $2 a yard! What really sold me on the fabric was strolling through the trims and stumbling across some bias tape that perfectly coordinated with the fabric. Yes, I spent twice as much on the bias tape as on the fabric, but by this point I was committed to the absurdity of the design.
First thing to do was determine how long I wanted my heanos to be by holding the fabric up on myself. I decided that about a yard and a quarter would do it, so I cut 2 and a half yards, and then cut that in half for my front and back. I then tore the front piece in half along the center fold. These are the only three pieces of fabric making up my heanos. I sketched out the general shape that I wanted using my dimensions and the diagram provided by Dr. Jones in Ariadne's Threads: the construction and significance of clothes in the Aegean Bronze Age (2015, p. 89). I pinned the the approximate shape together and tried it on.
The arms turned out to be a bit too tight, so I readjusted the pins before cutting the fabric. I cut away the fabric revealing the sleeves and waist of the heanos and then and stitched across the top and along the side seams.
Historically, fabric was most likely woven on a loom with a header of a strong woven band used to support the weaving process. Since this fabric was manufactured differently and sold on a bolt by the yard, the true end of the fabric is unavailable. Therefore, an artificial decorative band was added along the top seam on the back half of the garment. To create the band I zigzag stitched the narrower bias tape on top of the wider bias tape.
Lesson 1: Attach the header band BEFORE stitching the side seams closed! Trying to manipulate even a hand-held needle along the top of the arms was not fun. Again, this band was most likely an integral part of the heanos fabric, so it wouldn't have needed to be added to the garment, but since I'm making do with what is available, this is a good lesson.
Next, I added bias tape the sleeves. By completing encasing them I have now finished the raw edges on the front half of the sleeves. (The back half of the sleeves have only the selvedge exposed, but since I wanted to use the selvedge forthe center front, the front half of the sleeves are cut from the middle of the fabric.)
I don't plan to encase the edges with trim on my next version, so I'll have to research potential methods for finishing the edges first.
Time to look more closely at the front. I held the garment up on myself, pinned the shoulders together a bit more, pinned the top of the front together where I thought the two sides should meet, and folded the excess fabric back. Once I had a neckline that I liked I traced the new shape with a yardstick and chalk before cutting it out. Then I applied bias tape the the center front.
I had just finished stitching down one side when I discovered that I'd run out of bobbin thread and needed to redo one of my longest stitch lines! I took care of the other side before coming back to tackle that one again.
Moving right along, next up was basting together the center front seam. I knew that I wanted to do the hem, but I also wanted to make sure that it was even on both halves.
Confident that both sides were aligned I could trim and add tape to the hem. I made sure to fold the edge of the tape around the base of the front of the heanos to avoid any raw edges.
For a little extra pizzazz, I decided to add more of the skinny orange bias tape down the center front and use the zigzag stitch to hold the whole thing together. Fold the ends of the tape under for a little hand stitching, and voila!
I decided that my first Inkle weave project was just about the right color scheme, so I used that for the belt.
This piece is so absurd that I can't decide if I love it or hate it. By far my favorite part is the shoulder band. I think that the orange, green, and white contrast look stunning together, the color ratio is stronger than on the center front, and the zigzag stitch ties it all together. What I learned from working with the fabric is that it actually has a geometric repeat: the animal design is all in a square grid. On the other hand it is absolutely absurd. Then again maybe life shouldn't be taken so seriously. Maybe I'll add pockets with the scraps and just wear it out.
Finished July 2022
Project: Heanos
The Challenge: n/a
Material: Cotton
Pattern: Self-Drafted based on Ariadne's Threads
Year: Late Bronze Age
Notions: Thread, Bias Tape
How historically accurate is it? 50%
Hours to complete: 6:45
First worn: not yet
Total cost: $7 fabric + $10.50 bias tape + tax = less than $20
Audio book: Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
This was a funny and cute romance set between an imaginary Son of the President of the United States and Prince of Wales. SPOTUS was the main character and more than a little self-absorbed, but character flaws leave room for growth. The supporting characters were also wonderful, and the banter in particular was fantastic. Unfortunately because of the subjects of the book, there were more politics than I had the energy to deal with - because of course the events of the plot occur during an election year...