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New Member's Guide
Introduction
What
is the SCA?
Getting
Involved
Glossary
SCA
Etiquette
Your
Persona
Your Name
Medieval Clothing
Making Clothes
Your 1st Event
Awards
Officers
Making Clothing
Although medieval clothing can be quite complex, you can make simple medieval clothing with very few sewing skills.
The diagram below gives a pattern for a basic T-tunic. It is a simple and reasonably authentic pattern for a variety of clothing for men and women.
By adjusting the angles of the side seams and sleeves and adding gores of various sizes to the sides or back, you can approximate anything from a Roman tunica to a Burgundian houppelande.
Choosing Your Fabric
Consider using a washable fabric in cotton, linen, wool or other natural fiber. Although an all-polyester fabric is easy to care for, it may look too modern.
Choose natural or slightly muted colors; be careful to avoid fluorescent,. modem hues and or obviously modern patterns.
Also avoid patterns that have an obvious nap (example: a brocade with an obvious up-and-down) unless you have more sewing experience.
Use a 60" wide fabric, or sew two widths of 45" or 36" together.
Adapting the Pattern
Take the following measurements:
- Neck to floor, or wherever you plan to stop, plus 2" for hem
- Neck to waist
- Neck to widest part of chest
- 1/4 waist plus 1" ease or more, depending on style
- 1/4 chest plus 1" ease or more, depending on style
- 2" for an armpit gusset
- As wide as your most comfortable shirt sleeves
Add an additional 1/2" to each measurement for seams.
Length
T-tunics are very common in Calontir and are worn by both men and women. Men tend to wear the tunics shorter than women, but this is not always the case.
Women often layer a shorter tunic (knee- or calf-length) over a floor length one.
Most men begin by wearing a short (knee-length) tunic with straight sleeves that end at the wrist over a pair of solid color pants or leggings and tall boots.
If you are a man and have not been to an event yet, you may feel uncomfortable wearing a tunic for the first time. Some men feel as if they are wearing a "dress" and become self-conscious. If you do, don't worry—you'll get over the feeling when you get to site. Wear a knee-length tunic, a pair of pants, and tall boots. Add a belt and you'll look plenty manly!
Neck and Sleeves
The dotted lines suggest neck and sleeve lines. Pick whichever seems closest to the period you are trying for or, if you aren't sure what you want, go for what ever looks good to you. Tunics changed quit a bit over time, so you'll generally be okay no matter which choices you make.
If you aren't sure what sleeve you want, make them a little wide. When you try on the tunic, you can narrow them if you want to.
Trim
Trim is anything you use to dress up the tunic. Many people add trim to the You can make a plain tunic with no trim fairly easily. However, you can also use trim to dress up the tunic.
It's fairly easy to add ribbon or strips of contrasting fabric to the wrists and often to the hem of the tunic.
There are a variety of commercially prepared trims available. Choose one that appeals to you and works with your fabric. It can match or contrast, as you like. Do not use ribbon with wires in it (they will break and stick you later).
If you use contrasting fabric, fold the edges under before you stitch the fabric trim down.
Adding trim to the neckline can be a little more difficult if you chose a curved neckline. You'll need to gradually curve the trim to fit the line. If you chose to trim a curved neckline, you can often make ribbon fit by using an steam iron. Gently stretch the outside edge of the ribbon, then iron the ribbon to hold the curve.
Making the Tunic
Fold the fabric in quarters, with one set of folds at the top and one fold running the long way down the middle of what will become the front (see diagram).
Transfer your measurements to the pattern and sketch your pattern on the fabric. You do not need to be exact; a 1/4 of an inch won't make much of a difference, and the angle you cut the "skirt" at (A on the pattern) isn't set in stone (just make sure it flares at the waist to give you some room to walk).
When cutting out the neck opening, it is best to underestimate your head size and cut too small at first. Enlarge the opening little by little until it is the size you want. A little cutting can make a big difference!
If you want to trim the tunic, pin your trim on the right sides (the outside) of the fabric. You may want to place trim on the bottom or wrist a half inch or more from the edge to give you more space to hem the garment.
With the right sides of the fabric together, sew up the side seams.
To prevent the neck from unraveling when you put it on and take it off, put commercial bias tape around the neck opening or face the neck opening with matching fabric.
Hem the bottom. Wear it with pants and boots or over a lighter weight version of the same tunic with narrower sleeves.
The Pattern
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