[Nordskogen] It doesn't cost alot or take alot of time to be period

[Patrick Anderson]

Hello folks,

I would like to address something that was said here. The comment basically was
“not everyone has lots of time and lots of money to be perfectly period.”

I’m going to be lengthy, I’m going to discuss that it doesn’t take a lot of time and a lot of money to be more period. Anyone can do it. All of my comments do however require a couple things. It requires that you want to be more period, and that you be willing to sacrifice a little more time or a little more money to being more period (it does require a little more of either). Frankly, if you don’t want to be more period, you can argue that any of my points are “too hard” or “too expensive”. I’'m sorry to say folks, but we are in a hobby that takes time or money. Its up to you to choose how you want to spend either. (I would like to make one disclaimer. This is focused more on early periods, because t-tunic and pants are very early period. It can be expanded to encompass later periods as well, but it may require a little more work. Further, its mostly focused on men’s outfits. I can make tunic-dresses, but I don’t very often.)

1. Anyone can do it!

My first point is that anyone can do it. A couple years ago, I went on a forced
two week sewing project with my ex-wife. (We needed to make a bunch of garb for us for Lilies War down in Missouri.) She and I worked together and put together three t-tunics, a pair of pants and two t-tunic dresses, all in two weeks. I say this because frankly, if I can sew straight lines (yes, I was the one doing the sewing), ANYONE can sew straight lines. (I’ve met one person in my SCA career who honestly cannot sew a straight line.) Were these outfits perfectly period? Not at all. However, I spent some time picking cotton fabric that had a more period look than most cotton broadcloth sold these days. I took my time to get the colors right. What helped was that she and I both understood point number 2 very well.

2. Accessories make the man or woman

Most people discuss making more period garments first. I'’m going with accessories first, because you can use accessories and go from generic SCA t-tunic wearing person to someone who is trying to be Norse, or Anglo Saxon. Now, I would like to admit, this is the place where you can spend money like its going out of style, but you don'’t have to.

There are three main areas where a lot of people neglect accessories, footwear is one of them. A friend of mine was pricing out boots. He looked at tanker boots and the like, but what he found was that for reasonably inexpensive, he could buy a pair of period-ish boots, for not that much more than the cheap tanker boots. I have a pair of those boots, they are made by Revival Clothing, and while they are not perfect for 1066 (which is what I am gradually moving towards), they are a lot better than anything else I can get commercially in that price range. ($75.00 for a pair and they have lasted me for a few years). He didn’t buy these boots though, because someone taught a class on one-seam leather shoes, that are period-ish, and look better for his period (900s) than
the boots did. That was even cheaper, because he had some leather tools, could borrow others, and really only needed to buy the leather. Shoes and boots are easy, and even if you can’'t make them, you can buy them for not too expensive.

Another area where accessories are neglected is belts. Do you have a belt? Does it have a ring on the end? If so, its probably not period. Ring belts, for the most part, are an SCA invention, and people who tell you differently are usually trying to justify it. Lets look at something. I can buy a cheap ring belt for something like $20-30. I can make a period belt for about the same amount of money. It requires me to do a little work on sourcing a buckle and maybe a belt end, and it might require me borrowing some equipment from someone(leather shears, a punch), but in the end, I’'ve spend the same amount of money.

Also, if you know someone who can do metalwork (casting or the like), you may be able to get the belt for less, but you may have to do some bartering there.

One last thing to think about in accessories is the jewelry and findings. Do a little research and see what would have been worn. All of my cotton tunics have keyhole necklines. So I bought a little broach to close it. I had a rectangle of fabric for a cloak, so I bought a cloak clasp. I bought both of these things after researching to make sure they were period correct. Legwraps are another thing that makes garb look good. They can be made in a non-period way easily, or you can barter or buy a pair.

It is important to note that with all of this, a little research is a good thing. Fortunately, there are tons of sources for research, ranging from people in the Barony to a bunch of online email lists, to lots of books. I do recommend that before you go spending money on stuff, that you have an idea of what looks period. My proofreader reminds me that you can get a number of things at craft-stores, but to do that you absolutely need to know what you are looking for. You can get periodesque glass beads at JoAnn's, but that doesn't help unless you know what looks right.

3. Fabrics and cut make the garb

Earlier I talked about how I went to Lilies and made a bunch of cotton t-tunics for it. Honestly, if I were to do it all over again, I would have gone with linen. I spent on average $5.50/yard on the cotton, and I can get linen for about $6.50-$7.50/yard through various fabric vendors. (Plus, there is always S.R. Harris and the Sunday coupon.) Linen breathes better, and is just as easy to care for. I’'ve lived through Lilies, June in Missouri. I will never go back to cotton. (Around here, for winter wear, wool is also a good choice. It is more than the cotton or the linen, but it is possible that a wool tunic would cost you less than a cotton one. How? Keep reading.)

Another thing I would have done was to research period construction methods. In a lot of the early period (700-1100 is where I’m comfortable talking about), the construction techniques for tunics involved getting the maximum use of the least amount of fabric. What this means for us is that if you are careful, you can use less fabric to make a tunic using period techniques than you can if you are using the “lay down a t-shirt, and start cutting around that” technique. Is this a bit harder? Not really. Does it take more time? Only when you first start learning how to do it. It adds a few more seams. Is it cheaper monetarily? Hell yes. Lets look at the cotton v. linen tunics above. It takes me about a yard less to make a tunic using a period technique than a non-period one. (I may actually use less fabric than that, but I am not sure. Someone else can talk about that more if they want. I can pretty well guarantee a yard less of
fabric though.) A cotton tunic was taking me about 5 yards of fabric. That’s vaguely $27.50 per tunic. A linen tunic, using period techniques, would cost about $26.00 per tunic. (Now, yes, you could get better cost savings using a cotton fabric and a period technique, but honestly, if you ask most people who have worn cotton garb and who have worn linen garb, you’re going to find that most people prefer linen.)

A webpage on rectangular construction: http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_shirt.htm

4. Borrow and barter

Most of this note is about making your own stuff, and the fact that anyone can do it. I  push this philosophy, because, if I can do it, with no talent whatsoever, so can you. Now, some of this stuff costs some money to get the tools to make things. For example, if you want to make your own belt, you can buy a strap and dye and stuff at Tandy, and buckles and belt ends in other places, but you may need a punch or a shears or both to make the belt. Some of that you could ask people if you can borrow it. Some stuff, you may have to ask people if they will teach you to make, and some you can see about bartering. What you cannot do is just expect people to give you their tools or their help or their stuff without something in return. It might be the pleasure of teaching someone to do something, or it might be a barter. I have a friend who bartered period needles for two tunics. He bought the fabric for the tunics, and in exchange for needles, a friend of his made the fabric into tunics.

5. Vendors

In this, I comment that you can buy things. I’m going to give you a short list
of places that I or friends of mine have bought things. These are people that I
have bought stuff from and trust. Some of its inexpensive, some is expensive.

http://www.revivalclothing.com/

http://www.historicenterprises.com/

http://www.fetteredcockpewters.com/

http://www.quietpress.com/

http://www.medievalwares.com/

http://www.birkatraders.com/

Its not that hard, expensive or time consuming to be more period. What is required is that you want it. I am just trying to help out those who want to be more period.

Gabriel

--
Patrick Anderson
gabrielherald at mac.com
"I have horses in my stable. I have sons fit to fight.
I will bring this to your table, if you ride with me tonight."
     Runrig - From the North