Wardrobe Plans

For the past month and a half or so I’ve been planning and begun to sew a 14^th century outfit for Tobias. I’ve shown you the shirt already, but I’ve also made linen braies, a grey wool bag hat and am now working on a wool mustard hood with grey woollen lining. I’m still thinking on how to do the tablet woven edge on that one. I didn’t bother to iron anything now, so excuse the wrinkles. All the clothes have been hand sewn with waxed linen thread.

I used the Medieval Tailors Assistant as a guide in making the braies. I’m not sure how accurate they are, but they will only be glimpsed when worn under the rest of the clothes, so I think it will be ok.

They have a drawstring at the waist, and a slit on either side, to the front, so as to secure the hose to the drawstring.

The bag hat is of a kind seen in late 14^th century pictures. The construction is extremely simple, a deep pouch with the edge folded or rolled. The colour is not very exciting, but it’s what I had at hand, and will have to do for now. I worked with scrap pieces, so I had to sew a band to the bottom of the hat to make it deep enough. It won’t be seen when worn though.

The hood is inspired by finds from London and Herjolfsnes on Greenland. It’s made from what was left after I’d made my mustard kirtle last year. The lining is cut from another old kirtle, so there are a few seams in odd places, but that should be period acceptable, I think. I still haven’t cut the bottom of the cape properly.

So far I’ve been able to make everything from fabrics in my stash (which is good, since finances won’t allow us too much extravagance), but it will do no more. Yesterday I ordered some olive green wool for a pair of hose and some light blue wool for a cotehardie-kind of garment. With some luck and a bit of skill there might be enough of the blue left to make me a new pair of hose. Isn’t blue the most wonderful colour?

I also have to make an over kirtle for myself. The mustard one is all right on its own in daytime, while working, but in the evenings when it’s cooler, or for fancier events, I’d like to wear another kirtle on top of it. I have some dark red wool with a hint of brown in my stash which I plan to use. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather for a while, so I haven’t been doing as much sewing as I would have liked, but now we have our first event of the summer in little more than a month, so I really have to get a move on.