Jaine sews her own clothing

I sew garb to wear to SCA events and sometimes I'm quite pleased with it. I have a simple 11th century outfit completed and a cotehardie and surcoat that I'm working on. I had a lot of trouble coming up with a pattern for the cotehardie, as I am not a standard size. It took many trials to get a pattern that fit. I'm still not completely thrilled with my pattern, but I can make adjustments before I use it again.

There are many more steps to good garb than are in regular garment construction. Each type of garb requires a matching chemise. I should have head coverings that match the outfits. Because garb is out of unusual fabrics and has widely varying fit requirements, I need to make muslins before I cut the fabric. I have to make my own buttons out of fabric for the cotehardies. It is quite common to under estimate the amount of time required to finish garb and be frantically sewing half the night before an event. The deadline for the cotehardie is May. It is not worth the time I might save to skip steps. Garb that doesn't fit or that ravels to shreds when I wash it means I have wasted time, money and fabric.

I also have a very kewl pair of boots that are never seen under my garb as I wear long skirts that hide them. They were made by Catskill Mountain Moccasins and I probably wear them three or four days a week. I think they make my legs look long and thin, but I'm biased. Technically, the boots I wear are a no-no, as historical accuracy just doesn't stretch to cover rubber soles, machine stitching and a few other details. In practice, they are really nice looking and comfortable, I wear long skirts and it isn't an issue.

I want to embellish my garb with embroidery but for right now, I need to make plain things quickly so I have something to wear. Later, I can either go back and add embellishment or I can make something new. The list of things I want to make is growing. Good thing I like to sew.

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