Egyptian Dress

Egyptian Dress#1

The women of the Nile wore rather plain sheath dresses. The fabric was rough, like linen, but was cool enough to last under the hot Egyptian sun. Some dresses were even revealing or, for the higher classes, were made of sheer fabrics.

The working women wore dresses with straps so that their arms were free to work. Nudity was not uncommon and most women went topless or wore some scanty clothing, especially servants. (see reference pictures at end of this page)

Instructions:

Cut a rough piece of white muslin, linen, or cotton into a rectangle about 5 inches long by 3 inches (or big enough to circle around your doll and only overlap by about a quarter of an inch).
Make the main dress part by stitching the rectangular sheath together from the bottom of the dress to about one inch from the top of the dress.
You can vary your dress by making the sheath to the knees or to the ankles, and above the breasts or below the breasts. All four styles can be found in Egypt.
Attach or sew a small eye-hook to the top of the sheath's back. This should allow the doll to enter the sheath and be snug enough that the sheath won't fall off. If it is too loose, you may need to snip the seam and re-sew the sheath together.
Variation #1: Cut two two-inch-long rectangles about one-half inch wide from the same linen/muslin cloth. Fold in half, stitch the seam. Smooth the rectangle so that the seam is in the center, on the bottom. Stitch the rectangle to the top of the sheath dress. Make sure the straps are short/long enough to fit your doll. The best look is to stitch them to the inside of the dress.
Variation #2: Cut two two-inch-long pieces of ribbon and stitch to the top of the sheath dress, making sure the doll fits the straps.
Variation #3: Cut two two-inch-long wide pieces of ribbon. Twist the ribbon in the center of the strap and sew to the top of the sheath dress. Make sure the doll fits the dress.
Variations (not shown): You can use beads for the straps, other fabrics, ribbons, or even strings. Typically, working-class Egyptians did not wear sleeves. Richer women wore sheer fabric sheathes that flowed to their ankles and covered their arms. The fabric may have been colored with orange or red henna. Court slaves often wore belts of gold beads and some ancient paintings show the slaves naked with only a large necklace and belt to cover them.

Ancient Egypt: Clothing

Reference: Life of Ancient Egypt -- Dress, Adornment, Body Care