How to Make Medieval CostumeThe clothing in the Arthurian Society is based loosely on the clothingof the Arthurian legends. This means that the costumes used within thesociety can be based on clothing from between the 5 th and 15 th centuries.In practice however, most of the costumes used in the society are basedon Anglo-Saxon and early medieval clothing, as later in the middle agesclothing became more fitted and thus more difficult to make. There are a number of sections on how to make costume that appears authenticin this guide but in the Arthurian society imagination and the overallimpression given by the costume is more important than authenticity. |
There are a variety of sources for costume ideas; the costumes wornby other members of the society, films, television and art. The Pre-Raphaelitepaintings of the Arthurian legends are a good source of costume ideas.Above all use your imagination. This section is just things I have beentold or learned through making my own costumes. If you think you have agood idea that isn't covered here, try it out. I apologise in advance forthe concentration on men's costume but that is what I know most about.There are several types of costume that can be used for both men and womenjust by altering the length and minor alterations.
Please note that diagrams mentioned in the text may well not yetbe present due to workload and scanning hassels
Fabrics available in the middle ages included linen, wool, felt, velvetand silk, and various damasks and brocades. Although these can be usedthey present certain problems.
The problems with using such materials in costume centre on expense,and the fact that many of these fabrics require dry cleaning. Alternativessuch as Cotton, Cotton gabardine and drill, poly-cotton, linen look andvelveteen materials are useful alternatives. Fabrics such as syntheticsatins that have a pronounced sheen are not authentic (silks used in themiddle ages resemble fine linen more than what most people think of assilk today, appearing more like the silk used in silk suits today) butif that's the look you want there is nothing stopping you using it.
A general rule of thumb to getting fabrics which appear authentic isto stick to those whose weave you can see . It is advisable to wash offcuts of material before the finished costume as disasters can occur evenif you follow the instructions It will also show if the fabric is likelyto fade significantly in the wash. It is also advisable to wash many fabricsbefore you use them as they may shrink significantly when they are firstwashed.
Contrary to popular beliefs very colourful dyes were used in medievalclothing. However they were very expensive and prone to fade. Very brightcolours are probably best avoided though some may have actually existedin the middle ages (for taste reasons if nothing else) to produce a moremedieval feel . A more medieval feel is given to costumes using plain colours,striped fabrics and those with a pattern woven into the fabric rather thanfabrics with dyed patterns( no floral prints).
NOTE: In Cardiff The best places to look for fabric are thefabric shops on City Road, particularly Fabrico. What will available variesgreatly, so if there is something you want don't wait too long to get it,and also don't dismiss a shop because there wasn't anything you wantedlast time you looked.
You may wish to produce a costume with a coat of arms on it. How difficultthis is varies considerably from Galahad's red cross to the Orkney clansdouble headed eagle.
If you do not know your character's coat of arms you can always makeone up, heraldry is quite simple and you can probably find someone to helpyou and lots of books at all levels. As a note, while men's coats of armswere drawn within a shield, women's were often drawn within a lozenge.
There are a number of ways to go about actually making a coat of arms.In the middle ages it would probably be embroidered or appliquédonto a garment: however this is time consuming and very few people knowenough to do them well. Alternatives include using fabric paints or felt.Felt can be sewn or glued (be careful and try it out on scraps as manyglues will show through) like appliqué but without needing to beprotected from fraying. Normal felt is not washable but there is a typeof washable felt available, under the trade name of Funtex.
Both men and women should wear jewellery as appropriate, especiallylarge brooches to secure cloaks. Past time's is a popular source of jewellerybut there are many other shops with suitable jewellery about (which areoften cheaper). Celtic style jewellery is particularly popular amongstthe lords and ladies of the court.
Handy Hints
- It is generally advisable to keep things simple and concentrate onthe details.
- A simple costume can often be made striking by the details; the braidused, a coat of arms, the belt, jewellery, pouches, etc.
- Most medieval outfits involved two or more layers, either an overtunicand undertunic, a surcoat and gown, etc. Rather than having to make bothlayers, at least at first it is possible to cheat. A sleeved T-shirt canbe used as an undertunic. A tight bodysuit can be can be used as the sleevesof an undergown or long length tunic.
- Hose can be imitated by buying or borrowing a pair of leggings, Ihave also heard men's dancing tights recommended. Black (but definitelyNOT blue) jeans can be used instead of breeches.
- Shoes or boots are a problem, having medieval looking ones made isvery expensive and making them yourself would require a good standard ofleather working. Most people use DM's, walking boots, sandals or shoes.
- King Pellinore made a tabard out of an authentic Indian dress fromthe Emporium. To do this he removed the gussets.
- Braid can make a plain costume more exciting, furnishing braid isusually cheaper and is often more suitable for medieval costumes.
Many of you may be new to sewing and making costumes. A sewing machineis useful but is definitely not necessary, as I make most of my costume'swith just a needle and thread. Hand sewing does produce a more authenticresult though modern hand sewing often utilises different stitches thanwould be used in the middle ages. You can also get iron on products, suchas bondaweb, to fix material together. In my opinion while these are suitablefor hems they are not usually reliable for seams.
No matter how you are actually going to make the costume you will need;
An air soluble pen or tailors chalk to mark out the material pins tohold everything together while you are sewing
A tape measure to measure yourself
A ruler (the longer the better) to mark out the fabric
A pair of scissors to cut the material
Crimping shears are very expensive (about £20 ) however if youcan get access to some they are useful and the zig zag edge they make ismuch less affected by fraying.
It is all too easy to make a costume that is too tight. The followingrules of thumb are what I use for tunics surcoats and the like. I makethe body of my costume about 10 to 15 cm centimetres wider than my chestmeasurement depending how loose I want it. Most costumes are put on overthe head and so can't be tapered to the waist as it will be impossibleto put on. Another problem can be sleeves that are too narrow, most ofmine are about 30cm wide at the body with a wrist size of 20-25cm. Thesketch below shows the measurements required for a tunic and this can beadapted for the other costumes.
In the middle ages single hems (see below) were by far the most commonand some garments (especially fine clothes which would not be worn or washedoften) would have no hem at all. However today double hems preferable asthey produce a more professional result in unlined clothing and are moredurable
A variety of shapes of neck can be used (depending on the garment).The oval neck is fairly easy to make and is most suitable for surcoatsand tabards. Rectangular necks were used for tunics and are the easiestto make but they were not popular during most of the middle ages.
The most authentic neck, for tunics in particular, is a circle witha slit at the front to allow the head to fit through. This is done as illustratedin the pictures below; a rectangle of material is sewn to the inside ofthe neck where the slit is to be with the outside facing the inside ofthe costume, the slit is then cut through both layers of material and therectangle of cloth brought through the slit, the edges folded under andsewn in place. A modern alternative to this is to use bias binding .Ovaland rectangular necks have to be fairly large, round necks with a slitcan be much smaller (a total circumference of about 60 cm should fit everyone).
Early medieval patterns are based mostly on rectangles and triangles,these are than used to make up more the complex shapes in garments (seethe diagram). This system was used to avoid wasting expensive materialand because due to hand the width of fabric was much less than that commontoday (about forty five centimetres as opposed to more than a meter). Usingthis system of producing costume will produce garments that look more likethe real thing and is good for students as it still reduces the wastageof fabric, it does however involve much more sewing (some of which is difficultor impossible by machine) and is more complex. This system was phased outin the later middle ages as more complex and fitted garments were introduced.
There follows a set of diagrams and instructions for a wide varietyof Medieval (mostly early medieval) costumes. this section will increaseover time as I get around to adding to it.
The simplest cloak is a rectangle of cloth. This is wrapped around theshoulders and fastened by a brooch. There are several ways in which towear a rectangular cloak the best way to learn to put on such a cloak isto ask someone to show you. One of the main problems with this type ofcloak is their tendency to slip and the difficulty in finding broocheswith a strong enough pin.
The next type of medieval cloak is the semicircular cloak shown below.This is wrapped around the shoulders with the neck at the centre and fastenedwith a cord, chain and or a pair of brooches. The example to the rightshows a cloak which is extended to more than a semicircle. Cloaks couldbe extended in this way to a full circle. A problem with this type of cloakis that the weight of the cloak can pull the cord back across the neckthat can be uncomfortable. Fitted cloaks were not in use historically tillthe sixteenth century but they are warm, comfortable and many have hoods.Patterns for such cloaks can be bought commercially but a sketch of oneis shown below. An important note is that if you line a cloak, do not sewthe bottom edge of the lining to the cloak as it will not hang correctly.
An English barbette can be made from a strip of white fabric which canbe wrapped around the head from under the chin and be pinned in place.A French barbette is effectively a wimple. A couvrechef is equally simple.It is just a long fairly narrow rectangle of cloth (usually white). A wimplecan be made from a rectangle of cloth that is pinned to the hair so thatit falls down covering the neck. An alternative to pinning a wimple tothe hair is to wear a filchet, a narrow fabric headband and pin or otherwiseattach the wimple to that. There are several different types of veils.Two of the more common ones are shown below.
The pattern for a simple coif is shown below. The slits are sewn togetherso each A is next to the other. Then a pair of cords are attached to thetwo corners marked B.
There are a variety of designs of hoods all of which are fairly easyto make. Hats are even more diverse and range from the basic to the extremelycomplex. Below are a number of simple patterns for hats and hoods .
Cotehardies are a more fitted garment than a tunic, tabard or surcote.They require a pattern to construct. A women's cotehardie can be producedby modifying a commercial pattern for a princess line dress depending onthe style of cotehardie you want. A simpler women's gown is also show below,this is from an article written by Sally while she was the regent
A simple tabard is the simplest costume. It is a rectangle of clothwith the edges hemmed and a hole cut for the neck. More complex is a tabardin which the sides are sewn together. This is made in the same way as atunic with 'flaps' except that it has no sleeves. Tabards can also havesmall 'sleeves' as shown below.
A footman's sleeveless surcoat can be made in the same way as a tabardexcept usually longer, from just below the knee to ankle length, and thesides are sewn shut. A sleeved surcoat can be made in the same way as atunic with 'flaps' but again much longer. A horseman's surcoat is splitat the front and rear rather than the sides to aid in riding. This is achievedby making the surcoat out of four pieces of material, with a seam up thefront and back, or the slit can be edged in the same way as a neck slit.a surcoat made out of four pieces of fabric can easily be made parti-coloured
A sideless surcoat or cyclas can be made in the same way as a long skirtedtunic but instead of having sleeves the arm holes are cut back so thatthe sides are not sewn together till the waist, alternatively the frontan back can be separate and laced together at the waist. A men's cyclasalso the cyclas should have a centre slit as described above. Women's sidelesssurcoats are often exaggerated with armholes so wide that only a narrowband of fabric remains front and back.
There are two basic types of tunic, those with a full skirt and thosewith 'tabs' (split down the side).
There are however many varieties of tunic which were in fashion at differentperiods, these mostly vary in the fullness of the skirt and the style ofthe sleeve; a variety of different styles of tunic are shown below. Bothmen and women can wear tunics, differing only in length; women's tunics(and other clothes) would be ankle to floor length or longer, while men'sclothes would range in length from just above the knee to ankle length.Another trend in the length of tunics was for nobles and the wealthy towear longer garments to show of their wealth in the amount of expensivefabric they could afford.
Although a tunics were made of multiple pieces of material the easiestway to make a loose short sleeved tunic involves a single piece of material.This is folded in half (with the side that will be the outside on the inside)and the shape of the tunic marked on one side. The fabric is pinned alongthe seam and sewn together. Then the waste material is cut off and thehem along the sleeves and skirt is folded back on itself and stitched inplace. Then the neck is cut out and hemmed. This produces a loose skirtedtunic when turned right side out.
Alternatively instead of a skirt, a tunic with 'flaps' and slits atthe side can be produced. This is marked out with a straight line verticalfrom the armpit down to the hem. This is then sewn down to the waist. Belowthe waist the fabric is simply folded back and fixed in place producingthe slit. These are the two main types of tunic. The procedure above canbe used to produce a long sleeved tunic if wide enough fabric can be found,or two pieces of fabric can be sewn together lengthways (with the sidesthat will be outside facing each other)and this seam treated as the foldin a single piece of material. However this wastes lots of material solong sleeved tunics are best made in more than one piece.
Pouches are very useful for carrying things in costume and are easyto make. There is a range of designs using leather or tough fabric. Thefirst is based on a tube. To make this pouch cut out a circle and a rectangleof material and sew them into a tube. Next fix a loop of fabric to theside of the tube to make a belt loop. Next fit an even number grommetsequally spaced around the tube two thirds of the way up . Finally threada cord in and out of the grommets or between the strip of material andthe pouch and pull it tight. A variation of this idea is to place the loopat the top of the tube and thread the cord through the top hem after cuttinga slot in it to provide the drawstring .
A second type of pouch can be made by folding a piece of material intwo and sewing sides together to make a pocket. . Then hem the top edgeand putting on a loop and drawstring in the ways described above to finishthe pouch .
A third type of pouch works best with thick fabric or thin leather,this is simply a circle with an even number of holes around the circumferencethrough which a draw string is threaded to produce a pouch. a belt loopcan then be threaded through a couple of the holes.