The kirtle is made in four pieces; two front, two back.
You need these measurements, so have your helper take them:
(A)- Collarbone to natural waist, down the center front of the torso.
(B)- around the natural waistline
(C)- down the body from the waistline to the fullest point of the hips/seat, depending on how you're built.
(D)- around the body at the fullest point of the hips or seat.
(E)- From the natural waist down the legs to the ankle. If you want your skirt to be floorlength, take waist-to floor measurement instead.
(F)-Across the back and arm, from the spine along the shoulder and arm to the wrist. Measure this on the dominant arm.
(G)-Around the widest point of your hand. Pick your dominant hand and measure that.
(H)-from the base of your neck along the top of your torso over to the shoulder.
(I)- Shoulder to elbow. Again, measure on your dominant arm.
(J)-Around the widest point of your upper arm.
(K)-Around the widest point of your forearm.
(L)- Base of throat to fullest point of bust, in a good bra.
(M)- Around the bust at its fullest point, in a good bra.
When you lay this out, do so with your measurements starting from the top edge, and extending down one side. Move in far enough not to have the selvedge show, if necessary.
Measure three inches down from the corner, and mark. Measure three inches out from the corner, and mark. Draw, freehand, a quarter-circle to connect the two points. That's your neckline. (Don't worry if it looks small...you can always rework later, and appearances are decieving.) NOTE: Three inches is what I've discovered works for the average adult to get their head through. If you are making this for a big headed person or a child, adjust down to an inch or up more as necessary.
From the neckline, measure (A) down the selvedge of the fabric from that, mark. Measure straight out across the fabric one-quarter of (B)+ 2 inches. Draw a line using the yardstick from the second to the third mark. You have just delineated your waist. This is a reference point. Make sure you can see it. Move down the center front, from the waist, (C) inches. Mark this to indicate your hipline. Measure out from there, as you did for the waist, 1/4 (D)+ 2 inches and mark. Connect the two points.
That is your hipline.
NOTE: If you are a rather billowy woman around the hip and waist region, add four rather than two to your waist and hip measurements. You can always take in, but having it pull across your stomach is No Fun.
From the waist, measure down the center front (E), and mark. That's how long the skirt will be.
Go back up to the top. From the corner, overlapping your quarter-circle for the neckline, measure (F)+ 3 inches along the top out away from the centerline. This is the top of the shoulder and sleeve, which is cut in one piece with the garment. At the far end of this line, drop a line at a right angle down (G)+ 1. This is your wrist opening. Go back to the neck opening. From it, mark the measurement (H). From (H), measure and mark the length (I) along the top of the sleeve. About halfway along the distance between (H)and (I), measure down 1/2 (J) + 2, or more, depending on how loose you want your sleeve in the bicep area. Do not go under that measurement, or it will be too tight. Two inches from (I) toward the wrist opening, drop another line down that is 1/2(K)+ 2. Again do not go under this measurement or it will be too tight in the forearm.
Go back up to the top corner. Measure (L), from the neck opening along the front seam, and make a mark. Measure out from that 1/4 (M)+ 2, and mark. From the point you just made, connect the outer end of the waist line up to make the underarm/body side line. Use the yardstick to connect the upper end of the underarm line with the end of the wrist line, at such an angle that it clears the lines you drew for forearm and bicep (how much so is up to you), to mark the sleeve.
Using the yardstick as a straightedge, connect the end point of the waist line and the end point of the hip line and extend that out to form the side of the skirt. Draw until you run out of fabric.
Now, tie one end of the string around your chalk. Hold the chalk on the bottom of your center front seam, down at the hem, and have your helper hold the string taut up the center front seam, from the waistline. Use this taut string and chalk to make the bottom hem of the skirt, until you run that radius line into the straight edge from the waist and hip you drew earlier.
By now you should be able to see the garment piece as pictured above. Add seam allowances and cut it out.
To adjust it downward where it is too big, take in at the underarm seam on the sleeves/body. Don't take in the center front or back seams. Try it on before you trim or cut larger your neck openings and sleeve lengths, remembering that on the neck turning and rolling the hem will enlarge it an inch more (so if it's just squeeze your ears tight, it'll be okay once hemmed) and to allow enough to roll the sleeve hem when you trim the sleeves. A narrow fit through the forearm and sleeve is period, but you don't want it so tight it binds you. Sneak up on it. If you are making this to work in, leave it loose enough in the forearm that if you want to roll it up to do dishes, etc, you can.
If you have miscut and need to add, do so along the top shoulder seam to ease tight arms, cut at the elbow and add extra to deal with too-short sleeves (this is an authentic line that actually shows up in paintings, I've been told, so having a seam line at the elbow is very period) and add at the side underarms down to the waist or hip in order to make the body larger. If you want a fuller skirt, measure from waist to hem, and cut gores to add at center front and back and sides, trimming them at the hem to follow the circular line.
This can also be a tunic pattern, obviously, by shortening the skirt and/or the sleeves.
