So if you follow the basic rules and read our previous posts on how to make a simple costume that:
1. embellishment does not specify the wealth and geographic origin of the owner = universal!
2. is made of quality material in a suitable textile weave
3. adheres to the availability of colours for the lower and middle classes (marked on the picture - yellow, khaki green, pink, natur according to the colour of the hair)
4. does not attempt to combine elements from different locations and large time spans, omits extreme and fantasy textile embellishments, presence of inappropriate jewelry or weapons
He is also not shy to ask for sources and books to draw from, and he understands the subtle differences between the patterns and unique customs of different countries.?♀️Pozná that there is a difference between "overalls for work", what to wear to dinner and battle, and what to pull out of the bottom of the chest for the arrival of the glorious retinue. The importance and sequencing or urgency of getting things in the right order - that's what DAGFARI.NET will help you with - presenting our proven tips on how to get the basics in order quickly so you can go anywhere quickly and cheaply.
?We've covered what to measure in our previous article on women's dresses, which are basically just an extended tunic from ankles to knees. They'll have sleeves, a head hole, a belly tube and wedges. ? However, this time I will allow myself to polemicise rather than advise where to put the tape measure, because that is already clear to you thanks to our elaborate PREVIOUS BLOG posts ?
The crafty ones know what they'd do better on their next tunic, but for the newbies, we'll at least write down all the advice we can think of regarding the most visible part of the costume, which at a glance already shows who we have in front of us.
? So please, even if you are a man, read the article about women's dresses. With the difference that while ♀️ women's proportions changed yearly through pregnancy and were more loose, the man in the early Middle Ages was generally thin, as the sizes of the garments suggest, and we will try to make the tunic as close to the body as possible.
Guddal, Norway
So it's clear that again ( as with pants ), we'll try for a slim fit where it doesn't move much (forearms, stomach, chest. Bigger tummies are dealt with with wedges, both side and then one centre, but if it's really necessary, better to avoid it. It's a design tweak, and unless you have really belly proportions, you don't need it.. I refer you to the article on women's dresses for measurements.
☝️ Don't forget that processing yarn, dyeing, weaving fabric, preparing thread and sewing took ⏳ hundreds of hours and every inch counted as valuable. Wool from sheep and any other animal textiles (horses, goats, hair and various fur animals) have the advantage that they sort of grow themselves. ? Hail the hair!
Flax, on the other hand, did not fare well in the north and was more scarce and its cultivation was more delicate to the weather ( or to the survival and arrival of traders from the south). ❗ So please, if you have such a linen tunic and you do not represent the wealthy class, do not wear light tunics alone, but use them as a BACKING FOR A WOOL TUNIC. And by all means - save the dyed linen for occasions other than early medieval ones. Linen is stupid to dye even today, and its whiteness is an ornament in itself. Dyed linen is very rare and not suitable for lower class costume construction .
✅ By the way - I'm testing on my linen underwear for the third year to see what lasts. Those who know us know that we are in costume about 35 weeks a year, 3-5 days a week. At the earliest possible opportunity (every week when we get home), all of our linen and nettle clothes go into the washing machine and then into the dryer. True, the shoulders and sleeves are already loose and could use patching, but they still hold up. The nettles don't budge, the trousers made of this fabric have held up for several years.
So ?I dare say you don't have to ban linen altogether, unless you are a slave. You just need to treat it as something better and especially when doing "dirty" work, cover it with wool. Layering with wool then covers the lower linen layers, not the other way around. The neckline of linen tunics is also wider and more comfortable, it is not visible under the narrow neckline of the top wool tunic!
The top tunic is always a little longer than the bottom tunic. And this is both for everyday wear and when sewing a combat costume, so that the hem doesn't peek out.
My notes from the picture
Cut as small as possible, center/shoulder/asymmetrical/covering
Button closure - fabric, glass, bone, antler, metal
Our type of belt - plain leather with forged D-buckle or even plainer bone and antler
The sleeves are just tight enough for a fist, we save material and sew to measure
Above knee length, the skinnier the shorter, nicely shrugged, don't wear fabric belts
Wedge on tunic - not needed for slim people
❓ When cutting, what should you try to do so that everyone knows you know what you're doing?
Try to imagine that the width of the fabric you bought is about 50 cm and not the classic 150 cm ( then you need about 2 meters of the classic width for the tunic). Documented finds suggest that fabric widths were around 45-90 cm. Our beautiful tunics without a single extra seam, with a solid look, just don't fit a poorer craftsman that well. I mean, yes, but whether a woven waistband of 4m * 60cm would have, we don't know. Could it be more likely to be the 60s rugs that made up the tunic? Maybe ?
My notes from the picture
Slim - can be stitched with a coan seam above the sleeve as a fake patch
A-critical areas for reinforcement (patch, double hem, seam reinforcement)
B-seams for fabric measurements 45-90 cm
C-cuts
D-don't eat so much!
In the pictures the dots indicate stitches across the stomach, vertically and horizontally. These are achieved by deliberately cutting and re-sewing the fabric in the normal width of 150 cm. Try at least one false line, you'll be amazing! Yes, extra work, but the admiring cheers afterwards! We suggest symmetrical lines for beginners, then add the "better" tunics in the comments, which seem to be made entirely of crooked patches and excess pieces ?
If already add fabric somewhere, so in the reinforcement of the sleeves. But we don't mean the multi-coloured decorative trims. Just fold the fabric more inside the sleeve, maybe 5-10 cm. The most common necklines were observed on the fencers and sketched in one of the pictures. Our tips for this are in the article about women's dresses.
Whether you choose a pad (bib), a higher sewn-on collar (if you represent someone from the North who is constantly blowing their neck), a round neck, a v-neck, an arch, and different variations of buttoned slits (center, hip, shoulder), keep in mind that too ? deep a neckline meant that a woman could divorce you in the Middle Ages for being too effeminate!
The perfect Viking silhouette is accentuated with narrow sleeves. Believe me, it's more practical than tubes to smuggle toasted bread and wet wipes in after camp. Measure to the girth of your fist and gradually widen to the shoulder, and don't forget the handy underarm pocket that lets you lift your arms up and won't have the seams on the sides bursting or the fabric pulling out from under your belt.
Depictions of men in frescoes and books across Europe show that tunics are very often tucked in, tucked under and usually reach mid-thigh. So when you measure your tunic, measure from the knee and when you slip it over your belt you will have the ideal length. Here we would like to remind you that belts as such are not usually visible in the pictures. For some reason, certainly a practical one, tunics appear to be not only unbuttoned but also tucked and wrapped around the belt. Try it that way. And most importantly, guys - choose leather belts, don't go overboard with fabric belts, leave those to the girls ?
On sewing, we keep repeating one piece of advice - tailor it and think about what the part of the garment is designed for. Do you go into battle in it too? Do you sit by the fire in it and then go home again? Do you work in camp, carry wood and water? Do you stand and crawl? You have to know how much you want to move in it and how much you get dirty.
If you're a super slim halberd man and you're dealing with just a work costume, you don't need to put wedges at all. A slit is enough. About halfway down your ass. You'll tuck it in and or, if you have deft hands, hem it with an inconspicuous but authentic decorative stitch to reinforce the stressed parts of the garment. Avoid hemming with thick contrasting tape looms.
There are scallops sewn on the tunic from Skjoldehamn, that's true, but don't forget that the Sami are a different people than our Scandinavians and their culture and textiles were different! We do not mix the fifth over the ninth!
⚠️ Typical wedges on men's tunics are again up to your taste.
Will it be a wedge (double wedge) to the waist, which will emphasize the habit of flared skirts, but at the same time you will be beautifully hugged at the waist (where your belt is) and across the chest? Top! Do you sew inserts up to your ribs or all the way under your sleeves? Or an inverted ypsilon shape that doesn't have a point at the armpit, but keeps a rectangle around the torso and widens at the bottom? Whichever!
I can think of perhaps the only tunic with a wedge on the belly now. Probably dealt with someone who was big and thicker in the waist.
Kragelund, Denmark, middle wedge
Because that kind of thing, someone being fat, is not forgotten in history.
Venus - fat. The tunic guy from Kragelund - fat. King Olaf II. The Norwegian, the Saint and also Fat. This means that beyond the findings, you just have to go by your body type and not be lazy to re-stitch it occasionally. Add or subtract.
So I'm sure you know how to sew it (or write in, we know a lot of great seamstresses).
Maybe you already have a tunic at home right now, but it doesn't meet modern knowledge and falls short of a few classic transgressions:
1. Inappropriate colour (classic - you bought a wool tunic from someone, red, strange green, purple, herringbone or ugly chemically dyed linen and you regret not wearing it). Don't give it to the newbies, leave it to pastimes other than selective quality actions that have the desire to move forward. Or just get rid of it, make room in the chest for a new one, and accept that sometimes you have to blow a few hundred to open the way to priceless experiences.
The range of colors on the wool that we can recommend for the middle layer, just don't dye! Never! Only with indigo, any other dye won't stick and chemically dyed linen is pointless.
2. Is it unnecessarily edged with scallops or colored stripes and silk, but otherwise cool? Burn, or reupholster with the same or similar wool.
3. Does it have strange embroidery carried over from different pictures? Good for fantasy and larps, but put yourself in the shoes of a Northerner who needed to survive, and if he'd already adorn some clothing, it needs to be exceptional pieces, ceremonial, festive, expensive, but not a basic work tunic. However, if you can find the underlying embroidery and combine it with the appropriate colour, material, cut and purpose, why not?
4. Is it ripped? A patch is the most authentic thing in the Middle Ages. Fix your costume for the next season ? A person walks around for two years, gets their butt crawling, a hole in their armpit and then fart, they have it fixed in a weekend.
tunic composed of patches, Bernuthsfeld
✅
Let's do it!
A final tip - you can decorate medieval clothing with decorative seams to reinforce stressed areas. The question is whether they were sewn on after the fabric was sewn through or after the fabric was made. It still makes us wonder!
Sew, send us photos and tips and keep us in your good graces! Thanks for reading and sharing. Let's improve together? ♥️
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