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Dressing for the Weather

4/16/2013

9 Comments

 
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I have mentioned, in classes and previous handouts, the importance of natural fibres for garb.  Linen, wool and cotton breathe far better than synthetics.  Rayon, a cellulose fibre, can also breathe well depending on the weave.  My personal preference, however, is 100% linen, especially for Pennsic.  Over the years, and over many, many Pennsics, I think I have have a system for what suits me best in terms of comfort.  Given the number of hits this blog gets for "pennsic garb", "hot weather garb" and "bog dress", I thought that I would share my wardrobe tips (and some resources) in more detail.  (Please note, I in no way made this entire wardrobe in a year, or even five!  It took time to grow, and I am continually revising and adding too it.)  My basic Pennsic Garb list is mentioned in this Pennsic Post, but this post will expound on it.

With the exception of some of my non-period Middle Eastern dance attire, all of my garb is Linen (with some wool for the evenings as well).  There are great sources for linen online:
  • http://www.fabrics-store.com/  This is my favorite resource for linen.  In general, I think most people have been happy with the quality and the price.  Note for those who have not bought from them in the last several years, the quality now is more fine and more even than it used to be!
  • http://www.mcssl.com/store/gray-lines-linen-inc/solid-linen  I have not yet purchased from this store, but know several people who do and I have fondled their swatch cards.  This fabric is lovely and I am sure I will eventually be giving them some business.
  • http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/  This shop has stock that comes and goes quickly.  Occasionally they have great deals on linen.  They also have online coupons for new customers as well as regular sales.  (This is also a nice resource for wool.)
  • http://www.fabric.com/  I have made many purchases from this store over the years, sometimes the linen quality is hit or miss, so it is good to order swatches first (however, I once got $3/yard linen that was less nice than I am used too, but for $3 I still consider it an amazing buy). 
There are several places I do NOT buy linen.  One is FashionFabricsClub/Denver Fabrics.  Denver Fabrics used to be great, but when the company was sold, I noticed a drop in quality and frequent mislabeling of fibre content online.  If you order from here, get swatches first!  Joanns usually has a limited color selection in the store, and I honestly prefer a lighter weight linen than what they sell, so rarely purchase from there.  If you do, make sure you are on their mailing list so that you can get 50% off coupons which make the linen the same price as the online resources. 

The one other thing I watch out for, especially when it comes to linen for hot weather, is short-staple linen.  Regular linen is spun from long fibres from the flax plant.  This is a strong fabric that absorbs water well and stays cool in the heat.  Short-staple linen is made from the same fibres, but they have been chopped up, processed and spun together in to a more coarse yarn.  It is a similar process to that used to make to silk noil (raw silk).  The texture is often wrong for period linen, it is not as colorfast as some of the other types and, in my opinion, it does not really act like line should in the heat.  Some merchants sells this linen (and at least last year started labeling it as short-staple to differentiate it).  At $3 a yard, it is not a bad buy, but at $6 I really feel one are better off spending a bit more and going to one of the sites mentioned above.  (Of course, I still prefer short staple linen to cotton, but I would not deliberately buy it at this point unless I got a great deal on it.)

In addition to making wise fabric choices, here are some other tips for warm-weather attire (not always period, but they often make people happy while still allowing for a look that exceeds the required "attempt"):
  • If you are wearing late-period garb, it is possible to fake your under layers.  For example, you can sew chemise sleeves into an Italian gown.
  • You can often face some items, such as linen Entari (Ottoman coats), with a contrasting color and eliminate a lining completely for hot weather.  The contrasting color can still give the illusion of a full lining.
  • Certain garments, however, just need to be lined, they lay better and offer the necessary support that way.  You can, however, line with heavy linen or only partially line the garment (I have lined quite a few cotehardies to the upper hip only). 
  • I personally am happier with a linen chemise and a cotton gown than I would be with a cotton chemise and linen gown.  The linen absorbs moister better and, for me, is more comfortable next to the skin.  (Of course, I would say that an ideal world would have all layers being from linen.)
  • If you are using cotton, look for cottons without a heavy layer of dye on them.  Some quilting prints are very pretty for garb, but some of them use a process of dying that is more like paint and it affects the breathability of the cotton.  If it still seems somewhat airy and the drape is not too stiff, it will probably work well for warm weather. 
  • Many Indian block print cottons have a bit looser of a weave than regular cotton broadcloth and have very thin dyes used only sparsely.  Depending on the print, they can actually be very period!
  • Adopt a summer persona!  Personally, I admire those who have one persona and are dedicated to being an Elizabethan Lady in any weather.  I cannot express enough how incredible these people are.  However, that does not work for many who do not tolerate the heat well so consider going Roman, or Norse, Indian or early Celt if you need less layers in the heat.
  • If you are crafting a wardrobe on a very tight budget can cannot choose linen, it would be a good idea to plan for items that layer well, and do not create bulk.  (Pleat skirts or pants on to a waist band rather than gathering up the entire width on a wide piece of elastic.  A double casing and narrow cotton elastic can also be fairly comfortable and I show that here http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/a-wandering-elfs-journey/salwar-for-the-summer )

Now that you know what most of my garb is made out of, I will show you what I wear most often on those hot, hot days!  (Note that I also take wool coats, cloaks and dresses for cooler weather as we often can have a chilly night or two at Pennsic, but I am focusing on the bulk of my garb in this article and that is geared towards heat and humidity!)

I have instructions for my summer "bog dress" and a hypothetical wrap-dress that can be found in this post:  
http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/summer-wardrobe


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This photo shows the lovely Galyana in a linen (5.3oz/mid-weight from Fabrics-Store) bog dress I made.  This is what I turn to on the most hot and humid days that Pennsic can toss at me. 

I started with one of these dresses in 2008 and now take five of them with me to War.  They are easy to rinse out and hang to dry if I need to reuse them.

(The instructions for this type of dress are in the "My Documents" section of this blog.)

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I love my Viking garb.  Most of my Norse day-wear is comprise of a handkerchief weight underdress (3.5oz/light-weight) linen and a mid-weight (5.3oz) hangerock (aprondress).  I also usually have a light linen scarf to keep the sun off of my head.

Since Viking is my primary persona at this point, I have been working to upgrade these outfits and have enough that I do not have to wash them during the course of the event.  I think I have at least 6 light weight underdresses and perhaps 6 aprondresses in mid-weight linen.  I also have a few mid-weight underdresses and even some heavier aprondresses for the cooler days/evenings.


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My Ottoman day wear represents a lady's indoor costume from the 16th century.  These are comprised of light-weight salwar (pants) and gomlek (chemise) and a mid-weight hirka (short coat).  I usually wear these with a hat and veil.  My costume in this photo is far more comfortable on a hot day than the one Galyana is wearing.  Her's has cotton pants, a rayon Ghawazee coat and cotton blouse as well as the belts and scarves layered over all of that.  I have many of these Ottoman outfits, as this was my primary persona at one time.

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I also have longer coats!  I am wearing a mid-weight linen Entari here with a light-weight linen chemise and pants.  The lovely Samira is wearing a "dancing coat" that I made.  It is cotton, but very light weight and made in a manner that makes a chemise unnecessary as it would not show.  (My Dancing Coats are cut as a period coat, but have many additional gores added for volume in the skirt.)

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In this image I am wearing a Saxon gown, one layer of mid-weight linen with linen contrast facing and cuffs.  Cool and comfortable on most days.

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The dress above is one I can wear on a slightly cooler day, it uses the same 3.5oz linen underdress I have on with the Viking outfit above, but has a mid-weight linen tunic over it.


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Cool evening garb is easy, as I have wool for that.  But what about muddy days where I don't want to ruin my nicer Norse attire?  Well, I am prepared for those as well!  I regularly hit the clearance bins at Joanns and pick up mid-weight cottons with nice weaves (this is actually a herringbone twill) and make "SCA Generic" tunics out of them.  This garment will wear well, still looks ok, and I don't care if it gets muddy!  I usually take at least two such dresses with me to each Pennsic (just in case...)

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And of course, who can forget the camp dresses?   These are loose t-tunics made of light-weight cottons from the clearance bins at Joanns.  I think I have 7 at this point and add another each year.  They are easy to wash out and dry for reuse.  I use these only for laying around camp in the hottest part of the day.  Galyana is here modeling one of hers (and a glass of 3 O'clock Wine).

9 Comments

SCA Standards - The Bog Dress

9/19/2012

4 Comments

 
PictureImage from the Cambridge History of Western Textiles, Volume 1, page 63.
When I first went to Pennsic, I had merely 3 outfits for SCA events.  That is definitely not enough for a week spent at a hot, humid event.  (And yes, I know that in period three might well have been more than and individual had, but this IS The-Middle-Ages-As-They-Should-Have-Been... plus, I don't care to spend my entire vacation doing laundry.)

The woman in charge of my group assured us that it was easy to get garbed up for a long event as we could just make a bunch of plaid "Bog Dresses".

Please understand that this all happened before internet took over the world.  Back then, there was no quick way to do a bit of online research before embarking on a project. I merely took her word that this was an early Celtic garment and set off to make my dresses.  I first gathered yards of plaid from the quilting section of Joanns (you know, those dusty looking cottons that are used make curtains for country kitchens?  That is what we used, in great quantity!).  I was instructed to take two rectangles of fabric, tack them at the shoulders and belt at the waist and you have an instant dress.  You could have a folded flap in the front and back at the top, or not. 

Let me just sat that trying to keep those on, belted properly (with the same cord usually used as curtain ties) and not flapping around showing your bits was not a joy.  We did have variety of dresses though (budding Pennsic fashionistas that we were!) - we had some that pinned at both shoulders, some that had flaps, some that only pinned at one shoulder, long ones, short ones, and I even tried to pleat some at the shoulders to get something that looked less like a grain sack.

PicturePile of old bog dress belts. Tragic.
Never again for me! While I do see the advantage of that particular rendition for people new to the SCA and sewing and who need garb in bulk for their first Pennsic, I am glad I have moved beyond those garments.  (I am, however, dreaming of the day I can do a reproduction one, in handspun, handwoven fabric.  However, even this would be more for my own educational purposes than because I want to wear it.)

I actually wish I could have taken the class about these types of costumes that was offered this year at War because I would love to know more about what is and what isn't authentic regarding these dresses.  Maybe next year!

More forward a bit in time and there were a couple of years I was unable to go to Pennsic.  During that time there was a hurricane that caused flooding at my house, effectively destroying all of my garb.  When I went back in 2005, I had to recreate wardrobes for myself, my boyfriend, my friend Galyana (who often shares my clothes) and another friend and her husband.  I put together then necessaries and we all enjoyed that war and then next as both had fairly temperate weather.  The year following those saw extreme heat and humidity and I started to plot garments that would be passable in the SCA that would use little fabric and have little bulk.

I revamped one of my early Pennsic bog dresses and came up with something that suits the purposes of Reasonable Attempt (at being period) and is also cheap and quick to complete (even given that I hand sew mine). 

Want to learn how to make Elf's rendition of a bog dress?  Just click here:

bogdressrevised.pdf
File Size: 2554 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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The bog dresses I make for myself are entirely hand sewn (as detailed in the  document above).  I do however, want to note that if you see me in one, it is likely embellished.  And yes, I "cheated" for that. 

I have an embroidery machine and have been experimenting with couched designs in yarn.  From a few feet away they look quite believable.

The yarn is Caron Country - a Merino/Acrylic blend, stitched to linen fabric.  http://www.naturallycaron.com/shade_cards/country_sh.html  It is a delight to work with on the machine.


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Galyana wearing a bog dress I created.
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Here is a bog dress worn over a tunic. This can work for Roman or Saxon or some other cultures. (In the photo the red at the side is her underdress tucked up into the belt due to the mud.) Photo credit to Luiseach
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