How to Make a Native American Wing Dress

Native Americans--no matter what tribe they come from--do not consider their traditional clothing to be costumes; the proper terminology is regalia. Wing dresses are traditional women’s regalia, and are worn to powwows or other functions where traditional clothing might be called for. While a wing dress can be made from hide or buckskin, many Native Americans make them from cloth these days. Making a wing dress is not that difficult, but it does require a certain amount of patience and willingness take the time to do it right.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3 yards of your favorite cloth with the width being the same as when you hold your arms out from your sides
• A sewing machine
• Sewing needles
• Sharp scissors
• Thread in a color that compliments the color of cloth you’ve chosen

1. Fold your cloth in half so that the bottom of both sides is lined up evenly. Make sure that the side that is showing is the side that you want on the inside.

2. Take your scissors and cut a half moon in the center of the fold at the top. This will be the hole where your head will go through on your dress.

3. Cut a small slit down the middle of the side that is to be your back to make sure you have enough room to fit your head.

4. One quarter of the way down the length of your cloth on each side, or at the point where the middle of your ribs would be if you were wearing the dress, you will want to make a cut straight in as though you were going to cut through to the center of the dress. You want to make this cut only far enough in to make long sleeves for your wing dress. You want wide sleeves--hence the name, wing dress.

5. Fold down the edges of cloth around the neckline and pin them down.

6. Hand sew around the neckline with small careful stitches.

7. Repeat this step for the slit down the back.

8. Fold and pin the ragged edges of the cloth on the sleeves and hand sew or hem them up on your sewing machine. The sleeves should be open on the bottom.

9. Pin the edges of the skirt together on both sides and either hand sew or machine sew them up.

10. Traditionally wing dresses are calf length, so pin and sew the hem to match this. Again you can hand sew it or use your sewing machine.

11. Remove any pins that might be left once you’ve finished sewing, turn it right side out and try it on. You’ve completed your wing dress.

Tips & Warnings

• If you’re unsure of your ability to eyeball the measurements accurately on your wing dress, purchase or find some cloth you don’t mind that you mess up and do a test run before cutting on your new cloth. You can also do this to make a pattern and then use it to do the measurements for your real wing dress.
• Get an extra yard of cloth and make leggings with it that match your dress. You can sew elastic into the top and this will hold them above your knees. Traditionally Indian women did not go about with bare legs, so you should either wear a pair of store bought leggings in a matching or complimentary color, or you should make your own.
• Add a button to the top of one side of your back slit, and a button hole on the other side and then you can close up the back of your dress. Of course if you’re in a hurry you can also use a safety pin!
• Add a wide belt to your wing dress. This will bring the dress in so that it conforms to your figure. Traditionally, wing dresses are a little on the loose side.
• Purchase some ribbon in complimentary colors and sew it onto your wing dress. This doesn’t have to be fancy, it can just be a ribbon that is sewn on sideways on the shoulder of your wing dress so that one end falls down your front and the other falls down your back. You can add as much decorative ribbon as you want.
• Don’t purchase expensive cloth for your first wing dress. Since making one of these dresses requires a certain amount of ability to eyeball measurements, you won’t want to purchase something so expensive that if you make a mistake that can’t be easily fixed you’re out a lot of money.
• Don’t sew the bottom edges of your sleeves together--the sleeves are supposed to be open on the bottom.