Egyptian Garment Making

      From its start in prehistoric Egypt, women were predominately in charge of textile manufacturing and garment making. Garment making was a household chore, but woman also worked for aristocrats in spinning and weaving shops. Every garment from the decorative dresses of queens and the elaborate, pleated kilts of the pharaohs to the simpler kilts and aprons of the common people were handmade by woman. The process of making garments is extensive even for the simplest of garment.

    Most Egyptians wore garments made from linen. This type of fabric was light, airy and allowed freedom of movement, which were important characteristics because of the hot and sometimes humid climate of Egypt. The second choice of fabric was wool or cotton. Wool can be warm but it was natural oils that repel moisture. Ancient Egyptians also considered wool to be impure. Cotton was airy, but not as light as linen.

    Linen was a fabric made from plant fibers. The plant fiber came from flax plants that grew abundantly along the banks of the Nile. The flax plants were dried, combed, soaked, beaten and dressed. The resulting fibers were then spun into thread. The thread were woven into linen fabric from which the garments were made.

    The tools involved in garment making included knives (or scissors) and needles, both of these needed to be molded, shaped or carved. In predynastic times, knives were made out of stone and the needles were made from bones. However, during the Old Kingdom, they were both made out of copper. Then, in the Middle Kingdom, bronze replaced the copper. Knives and needles were molded. Surprisingly, the eyes of needles were not bored. They were "scratched out with a hard, pointed instrument, probably a stone." With these tools and linen, garments were fashioned to suit the needs of the people based on climate and social status.

References:

Schnurnberger,Lynn. Let There Be Clothes. Workman Publishing: New York, New York. 1991.

http://www.sis.gov.eg/egyptinf/history/html/scn01.htm

http://www.sis.gov.eg/egyptinf/culture/html/dress.htm

Author: Rachel Frisk