In which I go to war as a Viking
This weekend is the Wars of the Roses, a camping event where (hundreds? thousands? IDEK) a zillion members of the Society for Creative Anachronism descend upon a campsite in upstate New York to battle over…
I’m not sure. The biggest event in the Northeast, Pennsic, is over which side doesn’t have to take Cleveland for the following year, and one of the big European events is about which side is the right side to butter one’s bread on. The Wars of the Roses are about…
Huh. According to the website, it’s Lancaster and York battling over the English throne. What an uncommonly historical reason. I must read up and decide which side to root for.
In any case, I’ll spend most of the weekend bouncing about in Viking clothes, learning skills that are useless in the modern age but that will make me a prized commodity in case of apocalypse. The weather is supposed to be ninety degrees, so I’ll do my learning flat on my back in the shade, whining, which is a totally legitimate learning style and in no way reflects on my maturity or my ability to withstand an apocalypse.
It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to do more than a cursory check-in this weekend, and approving comments will be right out. If a fight breaks out in the comments, remember to slap with the palm, not the back of the hand, and anyone who writes “I wasn’t a perfect parent” automatically loses.
For crown and (someone else’s) country,
Issendai
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Haha, I should have known.
I was in the SCA for about 15 years. My barony was sort of, well, toxic, and I have a very anxious reaction to the idea of ever participating again. It’s a shame because I love historical costume research. I think you’d probably have a field day analyzing it. I moved briefly to another kingdom and it was very very different and a lot healthier (and they reported that encounters with members of my former barony at Pennsic were very negative — so it wasn’t just me). Have you ever thought of looking at kingdom culture and participant dynamics? How uber-nerd is that for a subject?
Your garb is beautiful. My jam was 10th century Welsh influenced by Viking — from Anglesley, where there is some evidence of peaceful interaction.
Ugh, I had my fill of fandom politics back in college. Our college F&SF group and our LARP group–which should have been two things, but kind of weren’t–had some seriously toxic, zero-perspective shit go down, and I was at the center of it. Small-pond politics bring out the worst in me. Now I stay faaaar awaaaaaay, and my involvement in politics begins and ends at bowing to the King and Queen when they pass by. It’s a rich topic, but it’s not for me.
I’m sorry you were in such a dysfunctional barony. When they go bad, they stay bad, don’t they? It’s a pity there aren’t other U.S. groups quite like the SCA, because it’s a shame to waste 15 years of experience.
If you ever want to geek out about costuming, I’d be up for it. I do Viking because it’s within my range of sewing skills, it’s reasonably flattering, it has good bling, and you don’t have to wear something stupid on your head… unlike Greco-Roman (unflattering unless you’re a size 6), Anglo-Saxon (no bling, annoying headgear), early English/French medieval (stupid headgear), Turkish (outside my skills), or any European female style after ~1250 (screw you, whomever invented lacing).
The photo above, alas, is not of me. But it’s gorgeous, isn’t it? So much bling!
What does 10th century Welsh look like?
There is a competitor here but it is very small. I went to an event and they are very nice. I’ve just been sucked into some other hobbies and don’t know if I have the time balanced against the risk of it being more of the same. My teen daughter is an artist and actress and I’ve been putting time into her theater costumes and cosplay stuff, though she’s largely taken off on her own in the cosplay arena. One day she decided she was tired of depending on me to be available to make stuff and *poof* started sewing stuff on her own. I’m amazed by it.
10th century Welsh is pretty speculative, like anything early period, but it seems to be tunic layers, coats, and wraps. I stick to simple geometric embroidery and contrasting fabrics or braids as trims. I usually go by the Hedeby viking tunic pattern, because it (based on speculation, as always) has set in sleeves and contours at the waist and is a bit more flattering than strict rectangular construction. Burda conveniently has a decent pattern, complete with skirt gores (7977). The surcoat in the pattern is later period and I don’t use it, but the base tunic is a really nice multiple period style. My war wardrobe was multiples of the tunic in white or cream, with short sleeved overtunics a size larger in different colors. I lowered the neckline and sewed up the back seam rather than lacing it — it doesn’t need to be laced up so that’s ornamental anyway. I live in a warm location, so I used linen primarily, plus I have a lanolin allergy. I could also just wear one of the short sleeved over tunics alone when it was especially hot. Sometimes I wore a veil, but for the most part I just pinned my hair up with a copper clip thing (I have pretty stereotypical red curly Celtic hair).
These days I dream of doing a peasanty Ren Faire drama guild. Everyone in worn gaudy clothing. Low class but witty. The image I have is the Falstaff/tavern group. I love depictions of regular people. There’s a UK group called the Ragged Victorians that reenacts the lower classes of Victorian England, and I would love to do something like that.
BURDA has a good pattern? Huh! I took a look and you’re right, it’s a generic pre-1250 cote pattern. If you’re average-sized, you can even cut it to premodern fabric widths. I’ll keep it in mind for when I’m ready to try modern fitted sleeves.
Right now I make T-tunics with a bastardized version of early medieval construction: shoulder-width front and back panels, straight sleeves (that is, no shaping at the armscye–the length of the sleeve is shaped), armpit gores, and side gores that go from the armpit instead of the waist. I shape the side gores so they’re more fitted to the waist, then flare below–in period they would have cut it in two pieces, one to the waist and one from waist down. The front is full enough to not need a gore, but there should be a rear gore, which I haven’t gotten around to inserting on either finished dress. Getting the sleeves to fit without pulling gives me kittens every time. It’s an okay pattern, but I want something better.
It’s been awhile since I made it, but I recall the sleeve curve as being rather shallow, so the sleeves are much easier to set in than for your typical modern pattern. I don’t recall having to ease them either. They’re a good starter sleeve if you’re not used to setting.
I started with a similar construction to the one you’re describing. I went to the printed pattern mostly because I’m lazy. I have a serger so I could churn out a few new sets in a day and then spend my time hand finishing (I’m pretty particular about the no visible machine stitching — internal seams are OK), and doing some simple embroidery. Garb talk makes me miss the SCA. I wish my Barony was better. 🙁
Oh, and if you make the Burda, you may need to raise the gores. I’m not particularly short-waisted, but I still got that weird flapper dress effect from the pattern as is.
A few SETS in a DAY? Goddamn, woman. It takes me weeks to do just one. Part of that is the messing around with measurements, which can take days because I don’t have a workable pattern, but most of it is hand-finishing all the seams that aren’t French seams–which is most of them because when you don’t have a set pattern, you can’t French seam any seam you’ll need to adjust. So clearly it’s time to make another stab at peace talks with my serger.
(Some people say they’re afraid of sewing machines and use their serger for everything. I don’t get them. Sewing machines are the easiest thing ever. Sergers are demons sent from Hell to destroy us.)
BTW, about how deep is the armhole? The photos make it look pretty deep.
I still heavily use my machine, but my serger is my savior. It definitely helps that I have master pattern with all of my fitting adjustments on it. The seams I hand finish are just the hems, and the neckline (I lower the front by a few inches and usually use bias tape made from the same fabric or a contrasting color to bind it). That part can take a few weeks. I generally spend a weekend on the serging/machining/pressing and then have a box of handsewing by my TV chair. I am completely conditioned away from being able to watch TV without handwork.
Have you thought about making a toile of your rectangular construction tunics and transferring the final fit to a pattern? I use the heck out of something called “swedish tracing paper,” which is a transparent nonwoven interfacing mostly used for patterning. You can even sew on it to make a fitting shell, but it’s very stiff compared to the fabrics I use, so I don’t generally do that. I occasionally do work for other people and a lot of work for the theater, and I try to give a final pattern when I’m done so that the design can be repeated.
Gosh, I don’t recall how deep the armhole is. I do recall them as being very easy to set without easing. I can look for one of the completed ones at home and see.
Your idea for a peasanty Ren Faire drama guild sounds fantastic. Have you asked among the local Rennies? They might be up for it.
I have a few people that have expressed some interest, but we’re all so busy. The girl starts high school next year, and I’m hoping that consolidates some of her interests (on campus theater program instead of the separate one she does now, for example). Maybe then I’ll have some time. We recently moved and purged and simplified a ton of stuff, so once I’m healed up from the great gallbladderpocalypse I’m hoping to get a timeline together for some of the projects I’d like to try. I’m also wanting to do some clothing design and experiment with some of the stash fabrics I’ve accumulated over the years. There are just too many interesting things to do in this life. 😛
There are indeed. And congrats on raising another costumer!
How goes your recovery from the gallbladderpocalypse?
I am mostly recovered. I have my follow up with the surgeon on Friday and I expect to be cleared for exercise and lifting. I’m still on a very low fat diet, but I actually don’t mind that much as I’m very much a carb lover (cultured sourdough, ftw). It’s performance time though so for the next few weeks I will be busy with the girl’s dress rehearsal and performance schedule. Then onto other projects I hope.