Dress to Impress

There is a reason that dress up clothes is one of the first things toddlers play with - the inspiration of Daddy's work shirt, the glamour of Mommy's heels and purse - the style helps add a level of ambience and realism of pretend.  

It is why "an attempt at medieval attire" is often one of the first things told for people to acquire before playing or visiting.  The good news is that an attempt is all it needs to be.  If you are making things for a SCA event, try to stay away from the "glaringly modern fabrics" and the "obviously pretend" (dragons and fairies).  But if you're goal is LARPing, Ren Fest, or a convention the sky is the limit!

Baby She

Usually the first costume a person playing in the SCA makes is called a t-tunic or commonly a "hack and slash."  Think of it as an overly-large t-shirt.  Take it to the floor, ankle or below the knee for a lady, and as long as you want for a man.  You can make things short sleeve, long sleeve or anywhere in between.  

The excitement of playing with the T-tunic is that it really is quite customizable and much less intimidating then most modern day patterns.  The more you make, the more ideas you have to play with it, and of course the more skilled you will become.  All of the clothing on this page comes from alterations to this simple pattern. (Provided in the link below or at the SCA website) 

Another awesome thing is that it's really easy to adjust the pattern to fit babies, adults, and everyone in between.  Choosing a simple cotton blend makes it light and airy and perfect for summer camping events.  Thicker fabrics work well for layering and winter events.  Put it in linens, wools, and velvet surrounded by trim and pearls and suddenly you're dressing for court. 

The first thing I do when I decide to make a new piece for one of my family members is to sit down and quickly plan or sketch what they want.  

Daddy and Shy-Girl

Some questions you will want to answer before you cut your fabric (or in some cases buy it) are: 

~What is this piece for, camping, court, fighting, etc.?

~What is the typical weather going to be like, warm or cold?

~What type of durability will I need? (This may seem like an odd question, but when you are building for a child or toddler you will want to reinforce their clothes or you'll always be patching, if you're going for a fighter tunic you'll want a fabric that can take more of a beating.) 

Then you get to decide on the design, when I ask my family what they want I ask color, length, neck, sleeves, those are my basics, but if I know they want something extra (like my brother in the black and red) then we'll sketch it out and work it through.

    

Square necklines and keyhole necklines I have found to be the easiest, my circular necklines still always seem a bit off (haha.)  

For some quick details about the pieces pictured in this piece:

Baby She:
I made this HUGE for my daughter, She-she, in this photo she was about five months old, the good news with babies is they can't walk!  I sewed it large enough that her little feet would kick inside the skirt.  It did a fantastic job of hiding the diaper and gave her plenty of time to grow in it. She was almost a year old when I needed to make her second one.  Its a simple cotton so if she had a blow out (and believe me she did!) it was easy to wash and was comfortable for her to wear.  The good news too is that babies are essentially neutral in garb for a while, so this tunic will work just as well for my sons should I have one.

Shy-Girl:
I used a simple white linen I picked up at a thrift store for the undertunic (a short sleeved square necked one) and the green was remnants from one of my tunics that I picked up at Walmart for less than $15.  I simply cut the arm and side out and added trim.  Its got a keyhole neckline.  (I'll do a coat topic later for Dmitri's coat.)

Ballerina:

My Brother's first tunic.

This one was simple, and exactly what my She-she wanted.  A purple bell sleeved tunic with keyhole neckline.  The pearls are actually holding the sleeve folded up so that as she grows I can simply unpick it and have it grow with her.  Its belted with a simple purple and white rope.

My Little Bro:
His tunic was a little more complex but that was because they didn't have enough red fabric so we bought a light white for underneath it and "trimmed" it with red so that it looks like the tunic underneath is fully red.  I have heard of people doing this for more expensive fabrics, essentially hiding cheap stuff and edging it for elegance.  We also chose to "slash" his sleeves and the front and back of his tunic to flash some more red.    

The link below is where I got my initial pattern, and is one I highly recommending at least giving it a once over.  It's so versatile and delightfully simple.

Have you ever made a t-tunic?  What tips do you have?  What are some of your favorite alterations?

*Here's a link for a great pattern and how to guide.* http://www.sca.org/officers/chatelain/pdf/ForwardIntothePast.pdf