PERIOD BIKINIS?

Far be it from us to point out that something might really be "pre-17th Century" that some people might think isn't, but .......

Has an article on Leatherwork by John Waterer pp 178-93. Has the Newstead Horse Mask, leather shield cover, various closeups and plans of shoes (including pierced work), leather bikini bottom, Roman tents, and the Roman Saddle from Valkenburg, Netherlands. Seven good Roman shoes are shown with a number of sole configurations also. Discussions of stitching, coloring, tanning etc. are included.

Feel free to pass these on to whomever you know might be interested in the pattern.

For the top: measure your shoulder diameter. Measure your bust diameter. Measure around from the top of the breast around to the bottom, and add 1/2" top and bottom for casings. Rather than making the top as one piece, most women will want to make it as two trapezoids with front and back seams in order to get enough front coverage without the fabric bunching in the back.

Center back measurement will want to be about 3 1/2 inches. Center front measurement will be the top-to-bottom breast measurement you took earlier. The length of each piece will be somewhere smaller than your shoulder diameter, but an inch or more bigger than the diameter around the bust. If in doubt, pin your tape measure at the point you think is right and see if you can put one arm up through it and bring it down into position. Lay these measurements out on newspaper and *add your seam allowance*, as well as adding enough top and bottom for your drawstring or cording casings. Sew back and front seams, make your casings and thread them. Personally, I like to go with mostly elastic, sewing on enough cord at each end to be able to adjust the tension, look authentic, and not have to re-tie to take on and off. Works great for sleeves!

For the bottom: you will be marking out separate front and back pattern pieces on newspaper to get the best fit. As we are taking and laying out measurements, visualize a capital "T" for each, with a short narrow upright (the rise) capped by a long and wide upright (the hip measurement).

First, figure where you want the top points to be front and back. Put your tape measure at the top front and take it through your crotch to the top back. This is your total rise figure. Keeping the same starting point, measure to the center of your crotch. This is your front rise. Subtract this from the total rise to get the back rise (rear elevation?) The width at the center crotch will only want to be 2 1/2 to 3 inches or the fabric will bunch up. In the center of one sheet of newspaper, lay out a rectangle 2 1/2" wide by the front rise high; on the other, 2 1/2" wide by the back rise high.

Next, figure out how wide you want the overlap to be at the sides of the hips--high-rise cut, extra coverage, or inbetween. Remember that you are using woven fabric and not knit, and that you don't want it to be giving you wedgies. This figure will be the thickness of your crossbar.

Go to the center top of your rectangles, measure down this amount, and lay out a pair of parallel lines this width apart and stretching out about to your total hip circumference.

Now comes the measurement that really custom-fits the garment. Take your tape measure, find the center of your crotch, and go out to the side of your center crotch--the outer edge of your underpants, if you wear such. Now, measure around the front of the thigh to the bottom of where you want the overlap to be on the side of the hip. Write this down. Take the equivalent measurement around the back, taking the tape measure down around the bottom of the buttocks. Write this down. Now go to the pattern layouts. On each one, draw a line connecting the outer edge of the bottom of the upright to the bottom of the crosspiece making the line as long as the measurement you just took. Continue the line on out to where it meets the top of the crosspiece to make the overlap. *Add your seam allowance* including enough for the top casing, and cut out. Fit the newspaper pieces around yourself to make sure you got the layout right. Hem the long diagonal edges, and sew the front and back together at the crotch. Then, have someone help you pin the overlaps. Pin the front over the back, and the back under the front, to a total diameter that will allow you to wiggle the garment down over the widest point of the hips. Rather than a narrow waistband I chose to use wide bias tape to the inside to create a casing, and used 3/4" no-roll waistband elastic.

One comment: when you have laid out the pattern, you will probably look at it and go, "My God, is my butt really that big?" Do not be tempted to make the pattern smaller without cutting the paper out and fitting it around yourself. Remember that you are using woven fabric rather than a stretch knit, let alone Spandex. Also keep in mind that this is athletic exercise clothing, not a display garment. The fit should be much more like short-shorts than like swim suit bottoms. I wore mine all day 4th of July and found it to be extremely comfortable, but cut too scantily it would probably be prone to wedgies. If it is truly too large you can always make it smaller.