Garb for Beginners: Part the First In Which We Discuss What You'll Need and Where To Get It

Back at the Endewearde Silver Anniversary, a good friend of ours - and his four children - decided that they really liked the SCA and wanted to try a weekend camping event.  I lost my mind volunteered to help them get garb ready.  I had a little over two weeks to pull it all together, along with a whole new kit for The Husband and an extra layer for warmth for the kidlet.  These pictures show just a few of the end results.

Now, people have all sorts of notions about beginner garb.  Here is my take:  your first garb should be quick to make, not terribly expensive, have plenty of layers, be washable, and make you feel like you're not totally out of place.  We clothed - from scratch - two adult males and four kids for under $200.  Everyone got two pair of pants or kirtles, two undertunics or chemises, one tunic or surcoat, one cloak, one hat (if their cloak didn't have a hood), and one belt pouch, plus hoods and caps for the menfolk.  Not bad, right?  Thinking I must be some whiz seamstress?  Not even close.  No, seriously.  What you're looking at here is pretty much the extent of my abilities.

The garb I'm going to show you how to make over the next few weeks is not really any specific time period, but that's not our goal right now.  Right now, we're going to concentrate on how to get you - or your significant other, or your kid who outgrows their garb so fast it seems like it's not worth bothering with, or that friend of yours and his four kids - dressed for SCA success in a week or less.

Before we can do that, however, you're going to need a few things.  First, you're going to need a sewing machine.  Yeah, you sew your garb by hand.  That's a project for another time.  If you don't already have a machine, or know someone who will let you borrow one, you can buy a little starter for under $25 from your local big-box store (see disclaimer below).  This machine will not be fancy and if you can afford a better machine, by all means, do so.  At least get one that does buttonholes.  Failing the cash to make that happen, a perfectly serviceable machine can be had on the cheap.

Second on our list is materials.  Here in Maine we have a wonderful haven for all things SCAdian called Mardens Surplus and Salvage.  There are several throughout the state and they have an amazing fabric department.  Fabric is not cheap, so if you don't have a Marden's nearby ask some of your local SCAdian friends where they get their cheap fabric.  We have found 100% wool and 100% Italian linen for $2 and $3 a yard.  This is a Very Good Deal.   You'll also need things like thread and possibly trim.   You can often times find these things at places like Mardens.

The third thing you'll need is your measurements.  If you are in need of a measurement chart, this is the one that I use.

All of the above garb was done purely through measurements, as none of these people actually live with me.  Measurements will allow you to cut out garb without having fancy patterns to work from.  If you're making garb for yourself, find a friend and have them measure you.  When you're taking measurements for this clothing, you want the measuring tape to be in that fine line between loose and snug.  If you're having trouble finding someone's waist, have them put their hands on their hips.  When you measure the head measurement, take a measurement just above the eyebrows.  If you're going to make a hat instead of a hood, take a second measurement lower down that includes both ears.  Be sure to note which measurement is which.  Shoulder measurement is easiest to grab when the subject is wearing a fitted shirt.  Measure the shoulder width from seam to seam.  If the measurement is close, I round to the nearest whole or half.   For example, if the measurement around the wrist is 7 1/4, I call it 7 1/2.  If the head measurement is 21 5/8. I call it 22.  Proper seamstresses will likely have even more measurements than the ones I've listed.  You may never need some of the measurements on this list.  Again, this is just a guideline for how you can do it.  Don't forget to retake measurements every year or so.  Kids grow quickly, but grownups can change sizes too.

Once you have your measurements, you'll be able to calculate how much fabric you'll need to buy. 

So if you're playing along at home, your assignment for next time is to find yourself a sewing machine, play with it a bit so that you know how to use it, and grab a friend (or the person you're making garb for) and a tape measure and get those measurements down.

DISCLAIMER:  The sewing machine linked to in this article is not a machine I've ever used.  I don't know anything at all about how well it sews.  Like with most things in life, you get what you pay for.  This link is provided simply to show that there are very inexpensive sewing machines that will probably get the job done, at least for your first garb.  Also, this is not a guide for how to make perfectly period garb.  This is one person's guide to help brand new folks, or folks who need to get a lot of garb made fast, dressed and on their way to an SCA event without having to spend a fortune or tear their hair out trying to find fabric and patterns and the thousand other things we could worry about trying to find before getting to the event.  Your mileage may vary.

This Wardrobe better lead to Narnia...

For the last two weeks, I've been sewing like a fiend.  You see, an old friend of  Husband has been bitten by the SCA bug and decided to take his four kids to Panteria.  I, foolish mortal that I am said, "Pick up the fabric and I'll make garb for you guys".  Then, Husband decided that maybe it would be better to switch to the 12th century in England rather than 14th century China.  He's new enough to the SCA that I'm not sure anyone knew that was the time and place he was going for, so the switch will be easy; except that meant he also needed new garb.

My poor sewing machine needs an extended vacation.

We got back from a very soggy and disappointing Panteria yesterday. I'm not sure we even got any photos of the event to post, but I'll write about our first camping trip of the year next Sunday.  I'll also do a few tutorials on how to outfit 6 people for two nights of events for under $200.  Right now... I never want to see another piece of fabric again.

Belt Pouch Mock Up

If I learned anything about my kit at Birka, it was that 1.  I do not need to bring my cloak since the event is inside all day and 2. I need a belt pouch.  Badly. 

So many little things - my phone, my keys, my wallet, any of the potentially dozens of little things the kidlet will inevitably ask for/ask me to hold - just need to have a home somewhere on my person.  My first time through the SCA, the belt pouch was about my only accessory.  I don't know why I haven't made one yet though.

I searched around for a design that intrigued me and found these.  They are beautiful, but the maker is in the UK and I have leather in the basement.  I haven't worked with leather in years, so rather than build something I dislike later, I figured I'd do a mockup.  Someone suggested using duct tape covered paper as a "leather substitute".  It's not as thick as leather, but it behaves in a roughly similar fashion. Good enough for doing a mockup of a belt pouch anyway.

Huva or St. Birgitta's Cap

Finally finished up my huva thus bringing my garb one step closer to being better.  The hardest part of this process was the pattern, which turned out to be not hard at all with a talented friend like Lady Elgiva available.  She basically held fabric up to my head and sketched out the curve and voila!  Cap Parts!

The whole piece is hand sewn, which I'm quite proud of, and if you're interested in making one for yourself, the Maniacal Medievalist is the site you need.  She breaks down the documentation and then takes you step by step through the process of making one and how to wear it.  There are even links for the interlaced herringbone stitch in the center of the piece, should you decide to make one with embroidery in the middle.

Of course, my modern short haircut means I'll have to have a filler at the bottom to get it to sit right on my head and I still have to find good veil material to finish off the look for fancy occasions.  It was super easy to do though and is quite comfortable to wear.  I highly recommend this project for any of the 13th and 14th century SCA ladies who are looking to add headgear to their garb.