In case anyone here hasn't figured it out, I love exploring different types of headcoverings for my period clothing.  I agree with others about how a headcovering (or proper hairstyle) can really complete the look of any historic costume, but I really love the experimental archaeology factor that comes with testing different things that work (or don't work) for my Norse kit.

I have mentioned before that so far my favorite headcoverings are sheer, fine wool.  The drape of a wool veil is fluid and beautiful.  I still have many linen veils, cloths and caps as well that I use.  Some of these items I have woven myself, but I also purchase handwoven and commercial items from others to try them out (and share my findings here).  So I have two new findings I want to show off today.

The first is that I bought two new veils for my new Slavic dress at Pennsic from Feed the Ravens.  A light blue one is 80% merino and 20% viscose.  This thing drapes beautifully and is very soft against my face and neck.  Unfortunately, the only photos I have of it were during Atlantian Court, where I wrapped my head just outside of the building, and the drape was a little snug, but I truly love both this outfit and headcovering.  (The temple rings and band also came from Feed the Ravens.  Note that their shop is offline for the rest of August, but they will be back soon!)  I also got a silk blend veil from them that I plan to use in a similar fashion.  These fine cloths would also work well with Norse headdress.

When I came home from Pennsic, I was searching Etsy for something totally unrelated to sheer fine cloth and came across some very fine, open weave, linen scarves that I thought would work perfectly for veils or headcoverings.  The price was fantastic so I ordered several to check them out.  The vendor is LinenWorld8 and I am delighted with the quality of what I received.  

The solid burgundy one is a bit more fine than the three with the strips on the edges.  These will be cool and comfortable but do not have the glorious drape of wool, so I will likely cut them down into smaller rectangular veils, headbands or caps.

I actually need to sort through my bin of veils this fall and start to resize some of the pieces that are too large right now to use in the manner I prefer.  Hopefully I can also pick up some more interesting textiles for headcoverings in the coming year as well!

To see all of my articles discussing headcoverings, click here: awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/category/headcoverings

Frequently people ask me how I make my aprondresses.  The fabric remains for these garments are few (at least in terms of things on which we can base a pattern), which leaves open great possibilities for experimental archaeology and trying to think like a Viking Age woman to help us decipher the evidence and make our best reconstructions.  (If you are unfamiliar with the evidence, please check out Hilde Thunem's blog which has the absolute best collection of data that has been done to date for these garments.  ​http://urd.priv.no/viking/smokkr.html )

I have gone through a number of variations for design on this dress over the years, and will share my current favorites below.  I do want to make one comment though regarding terminology here.  The word "aprondress" was coined by a reenactor.  This is not something that shows up in the earlier records for textiles or digs.  It is, in fact, very much a misnomer and tends to create confusion when people truncate it to "apron".  I do absolutely use the term aprondress because everyone knows what I mean when I say that, but I want to make it clear that it is not at all an "apron" in the modern sense and the word "aprondress" should not be shortened (just to avoid further confusion).  Other words you will see are smokkr, hangerock, tragerock, suspended skirt and even pinafore.

Now that I have that out of my system, let us talk about how I currently choose to reconstruct the garments, and why.

Until a few years ago, one of my favorite diagrams was the one below.  This cutting method is extremely economical when it comes to textile use, and makes for a very flattering, slim-bodied garment.  The first few I did made use of the full width of fabric and I ended up with these billowing hemlines that, even in my early days at this, read as "wrong" to me, so I corrected that by narrowing the bottom of both the gores and the body panels.  

I made maybe a dozen dresses like that over the years. One has to sort of slither into them, as the body is pretty fitted (and the back seam allows for additional tailoring at the waist), but they were certainly nicely fitted and pretty.  I still explored other styles, but that was one of my go-to items until I started weaving.

Spinning and weaving gave me an entirely new perspective on pretty much everything I was doing with Viking Age clothing.  It took working with the textile process to really make me understand how precious, and how important, cloth was in period.  The time investment in crafting one dress, by historic methods, was steep.  Realistically, if had more than a couple of garments, I was a lucky woman indeed!

This made me rethink my entire process for crafting clothing.  Any garment that I would have had in period would need to be crafted with life's changes in mind, because I would likely own the item for several years before it was damaged enough to be repurposed into other items, or cast off for someone else to wear.  This means I need to consider weight gain or loss, as well as pregnancy, with each item.  (And yes, this also helped me start to "get over myself" and my modern mentality when it comes to fit of clothing.)

Eventually I tested out the patterning diagram shown below.  This creates a very, very simple garment (three seams and two hems).  I did allow myself some tailoring on the top of the back panels only, as well as a bit down the center back.  The result is what I call my Second Breakfast Dresses.  They are comfortable, have silhouette that seems to conform with period icons, and it can accommodate some life changes.
​

My current favorite pattern is a slightly more complex variation of the one above.  It was inspired by tailoring from Hedeby as well as Inga Hägg's comparison of Hedeby garments to those from later Herjolfsnes.  As with the above example, I do allow myself some subtle tailoring to the upper back of the garment, while preferring a looser fit to the front.  This works for both flat-front dresses and those with pleats (see my pleated dress using this pattern here ​http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/looking-deeper-the-problem-with-pleats ).

What you can see from the images below (the dark purple wool dress) is that there is some shaping to the back, while I have a bit of room in the front.  I have made several of these to date, in both linen and wool, and have to say that at this time, these are my favorites.

One other thing to keep in mind, when laying out your pattern on your fabric is that, in period, they did not seem to have the modern hang-ups about direction of grain when it comes to patterning things. The Hedeby garment had the grain running from side to side on the panels, while on the Køstrup dress it ran vertically.  My suggestion is that you make the best use of your yardage, in the best way possible, when crafting your garments.

And lastly, just because I have a clear (current) favorite, does not mean that this is the only way to make a garment.  (It also does not mean that I will stop experimenting.)  I think that in period there were many possible configurations, and while some might make use of more blocky construction, and others might be more tailored, some could use gores or godets,  I think that they all likely made good use of the textiles with little waste, and I feel strongly they they all very likely could be worn during more than one phase of life.  (Heck, adding or removing pleats could even help assist with fitting life's changes.)  

I am really pressed for time at the moment, but wanted to get some photos up of the big display this year.  There were SO many impressive entries.  I plan to talk about a few of them in more depth later, but for now, here are the pics.

Here is a list of the classes I am teaching this year at Pennsic.  The Basic Viking Women's Clothing with No Regrets class is NOT on the official calendars, as I only added it this past week to the schedule.

Note that the basic clothing class will be a the new Runestone Campus for University. This is down the hill near the lake.  The fantastic University folks have been kind enough to make a map to the location, which I am including below.

Pennsic 2018

Basic Women's Viking Clothing with No Regrets 
RS 3 on 8-02 9:00AM (1 hour) - 

Deeper Look at Textiles & Trim of Viking Age Dress
A&S 13 on 08-07 12:00 PM​ (2 hours)
​
Beyond the Aprondress
A&S 13 on 08-07 2:00 PM (1 hour)

Classes: 

Basic Viking Clothing with No Regrets 

This class is an informal lecture that will focus on how I would rebuild my wardrobe if I had to start all over again, but still know what I know now.  I will discuss my past mistakes and provide ideas for putting together a Viking woman's costume that is evidence based and that can be a good foundation for a more authentic wardrobe.

Beyond the Aprondress

While the aprondress, and its associated brooches, is the ubiquitous women’s garment of the Viking Age, that fashion eventually gave way to other styles.  The class will discuss the reasons for the change and will offer examples of evidence on which to base a late Viking Age kit.  This class will also include discussion on and examples of headcoverings.

A Deeper Look at Textiles & Trim of Viking Age Dress

By looking deeper at both the textiles and the details from extant items, this class aims to help individuals make informed choices for crafting their garments. Tactile examples will clarify the weaves and weight of period fabrics and there will also be discussion of possible modern substitutions. Additionally, practical details for finishing or embellishing garments will also be explored and their history investigated.  The goal of this class is to help the individual understand how daily life during the Viking Age could affect how textiles were crafted and worn.  This class will now include additional discussion and samples of women's Viking Age headcoverings.

A friend just shared this blog post about SCA Research Papers and I have to say that I really like the way things are laid out.  I plan to use some of the notes in it for future organization myself.

https://sibellasays.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/writing-research-papers-in-an-sca-context/

Thanks to Baroness Sibella for the thoughtful resource!

This is a notice that the time and date for this tournament are listed WRONG in the Pennsic book.  Full, correct, information is below:

Topic: Martial: Heavy Weapons,
Culture: European
Mon Aug 6, 5PM-7PM at the Castle

This tourney is part of an ongoing celebration of the 800th anniversary of The Marshall’s death in 2019. Fought in the style of the 12th-century ransom tourneys of France, teams of fighters in armor, appropriate from 1000-1250 AD, will fight to gain ransom and glory. Detailed rules will be posted at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1928749080691736/

All SCA authorization, armor and weapons standards apply to the tournament. All combatants must conform to the weapon and armor standards of the tournament. The tournament will consist of three rounds of melée, 15 minutes each, with a 5 minute break between to hydrate or settle ransoms. Dress: 1) No visible plastic, including and not limited to baskets hilts. 2) No visible sneakers or modern footwear (i.e., Crocs). 3) Armor should be from 1000-1250. Surcoats highly recommended. 4) Middle Eastern and European armor only. No Japanese, Chinese, etc. Weapon restrictions: 1) No flamboyant duct tape (i.e., Hello Kitty duct tape). 2) Pole arms must be six feet or under, and must have a head or a proper profile (subject to approval), i.e., no unpadded pole arms. 3) Shields must be painted, heraldry recommended. (Don't take this as a personal challenge; this is also subject to approval.) 4) Spears, daggers, axes, maces and greatswords are welcome. No madus permitted.

Combat and Ransom: All normal SCA combat rules apply. Example: telling blow to limbs loss of the limb. TEAMS: To be chosen at the beginning of the tournament. We will attempt to make the sides even and fair, as well as attempt to keep whole units together. Changing of sides is permitted. RANSOMING: Once killed, combatant takes a knee, and counts to 30, (This does not have to be out loud.) , and: 1) is escorted by opposing team to the Resurrection point for ransom. Or: 2) Time runs out and they return to their own resurrection point to resurrect. 3) Closed face helmet ignore face thrusts.

How the Ransom works: There will be two people on either side to record the Ransoms. Suggested ransom is an item between $5 - $20 in value and should be fitting of one's station. The terms must be agreed upon by both parties.

Eleanor of Aquitaine Clause: A member of the gallery can provide Ransom and is encouraged to do so, especially if they deem the combatant worthy

This post is in reaction to a blog post a friend made about a very bad experience she had at the Pennsic A&S Display a few years ago.  You can read that post here:  https://annasrome.com/2018/07/05/remember-the-human-dont-be-that-guy-at-as-classes-and-displays/

She made great points about the people displaying, but I want to add onto that.  When you attend an artisans display at Pennsic (or anywhere else) you should keep in mind that those presenting are likely to be a variety of levels in terms of skill.  Some might be new to the SCA and are jumping into the deep end and displaying during their very first year.  Some might be veterans who are exploring a new art.  And, most importantly, some might actually be displaying something entirely other than what you think you see.

Usually the first two categories will become apparent once you engage with the artisan and you can handle advice accordingly.  That last category though, can be tricky, but you should always ask yourself - and the artisan, if necessary - what it is they are showing.  I can use myself as an example, I study Viking Age Norse textiles.  I have a nice display of wool, textile tools, a small scale loom and books that house my research.  What I was NOT actually displaying was my woodworking skills on the loom that I made for the display.  What I was NOT displaying was woodwork or pottery for my spindles (which I did not make at all).  I was also not displaying weaving or spinning (though I had woven samples and spun wool there as well).  What I was sharing was my knowledge of Norse textiles, how they were made, and also the context in which they existed in period.  I know that people do not take time to read piles of papers at events, so I illustrated every item with something tangible on the table.  (Realistically, you could say Research, and Illustrated Research, as well as Experimental Archaeology, are my actual A&S "things" in the SCA, not weaving or costuming or any of the other things I do.  My geek is in the research and experimenting with what I learn.)

I also have a couple of friends who make and display textiles tools.  These people are, in fact, geeked up over making period tools, though they may or may not actually be interested in spinning and weaving full lengths of cloth for garments.  This is actually a very period practice (especially as you get into later history where there was a greater division of labor and people were more apt to specialize, meaning that a Renaissance era woman would labor to spin fibre, but would be procuring her spinning wheel from an adept craftsman who specialized in that trade).  If someone builds a loom and displays it, it is fine to ask if they have woven the cloth for a garment on it, but it is also fine if they say they tested it to see if it works, but they have little interest in weaving 5 yards of cloth.

If you are attending a display, please keep in mind that what you see in front of you might not be what it seems on the surface.  Remember that just because you prefer to do things from sheep-to-shawl (including making all of your own tools), please remember that not everyone has an interest in doing every tangental aspect of their craft themselves (and it might not be period for them to do so).  This is NOT a competition where you get more points for each item one fashions by hand.  You will learn more about someone and their art if you are willing to walk away from assumptions that you might initially make when you learn that those assumptions were off base.

And please, please, remember that many people love the research aspect more than any other and their displayed craft might just be to test theories, it might just be to help illustrate the folder of papers sitting in front of them.  If you are interested enough in their work to stop and talk to them, you should be interested enough to accept that they might be more interested in sharing their research with you rather than the fine details of a machine sewn costume that is only there to help people visualize a paper they composed.

And for the artisans, I recommend that if you make modern substitutions (let us say buttons for your costume), but you have no interest in metal casting to make your own, that you still learn (and include in your documentation if it is a competition) the historic source of the buttons.  Would they have been locally crafted or imported?  Was there a guild for this?  Were they expensive?  (This type of knowledge can also help you better place your garment into historic context.)  

I look forward to seeing this year's display.  It is an amazing day of geeking out with others and learning from them!

If you are a Viking in the SCA or a member of the international Viking community, you might be familiar with Scot and Maggie King of Feed the Ravens/VikingULike.  They are both wonderful artisans, exceptionally open with their vast store of knowledge, and a positive influence on the reennacting community as a whole.  Last night Scot was bitten twice by copperhead snakes and while he is now doing ok, and working on recovery, the excessive cost of the anti-venom is NOT being covered by their insurance.  A GoFundMe has been set up to help defray these costs.

Please consider making a donation and/or buying some of the amazing wares in their shop to help our own in this time of need.​  https://www.gofundme.com/help-scot-and-maggie

And you can find their shop here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/feedtheravens

This is absolutely one of my favorite parts of Pennsic.  This event is a fantastic chance to take a step into the past and explore various arts as they were done then.  Some of my favorites from past years were lampworking beads over coals, early period embroidery, spinning, bronze casting and, my favorite, was last year where I got to make a coin!   Some classes will be organized with specific times, but even if you miss that thing you really wanted to take, here tends to be artisans down there all day doing demos.  

This is absolutely worth putting at the top of your Pennsic To-Do List!
Preachain's 26th Annual Early Period Arts and Sciences Day

• Wednesday, August 8 at 1 PM - 4 PM
• Clanne Preachain's camp, E-23, across from the Raven's Spittle in the Bog