This chapter concerns manners of covering the legs, particularly skirts and pants. The different types of skirts include: the straight skirt, the sarong, the gathered straight skirt, circular skirt, tiered skirts, and overskirts. Construction techniques are given for all of them. Pant topics include harem pants and Turkish pants. Many Middle Eastern garments require gussets. The section below gives directions for sewing gussets into pants.

Pants with a Gusset

In preindustrial cultures, garments were made out of whole cloth with no curves or darts. In order to accommodate the body, gussets were added to fit the figure. The directions below will make a pair of loose-fitting pants that are perfect for re-enactors.

1. Cut two large rectangles. The length of each should be equal to the length of your leg plus a few inches for ease and a casing of between five and six inches (13-16 cm). You can make these pants with or without a side seam. If you choose to make them without the side seam, you can skip step 7.
2. Stitch the gusset onto the left front panel at crotch level (with an inch or two for ease).
3. Stitch the left back panel from the hem to the edge of the garment.
4. Stitch the gusset onto the right front panel, making sure both front panels are on the same side of the gusset.
5. Stitch the right back panel from the hem to the edge of the gusset.
6. Turn the pant's right sides together. Line up and stitch the center from seam and the center back seam.
7. Carefully fold the right leg inside the left and stitch the left outside seam. Repeat for the right by folding up the left leg inside the right.
8. Finish by pressing a casing and stitching. Run cord or elastic through.

Step 2.	Step 3.
Step 4.	Step 5.
Step 6.	Step 7.