I draft a pattern for each minister, depending on the width and shape of their shoulders. For instance, if you have a person with sloped shoulders, you don’t want it as wide as someone who is very broad. I make them in four pieces, usually — two for the back and the two strips that hang down, with the seam right at the top of the shoulders. I also shape the neck so that it will lay flat over the robe.

To give you an idea of the differences — the stoles pictured above have very different patterns. The blue one has a round yoke in one piece, because he’s so broad (and it was the first one I made!). The green one is the pattern described above, and the FLW one on the left has a cross-over back, instead of a central back seam, to go with the design.

There are some commercial patterns available for stoles, but they’re usually not as “fitted” as mine.

For length, I usually go just below the knee.

Enjoy your project!