I am Linda, and Handcrafted History is my one-woman business located outside Sundsvall, in the middle of Sweden. Follow me on my handcrafting and historical adventuring here on my blog!
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My business offers You made-to-measure historical clothing, handmade by me with high quality materials, and designed together with you from historical sources.
During lectures and workshops from Iron age (Viking age) to Late medieval period I share my knowledge from more than 20 years of sewing and research, and help you create the outfit from your dreams.
You can also find historical hats here, or shop away from my historical tent during markets around Sweden, and abroad.
Here is information on How to order clothes, Book me for workshops or browse the free Tutorials on Sewing or Swedish Larping. Below, you find the blog that I’ve been writing for about 10 years. I share research projects as well as fun guides and inspiration for your handcrafting.
Please contact me by email at linda.handcraftedhistory @ gmail.com for invites to markets, ordering clothing, booking workshops or for collaborations regarding the blog.
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The Skjoldehamn hood is a find from the 11th century, and because it is the only find of this type of garment (from Scandinavia) dated close to the Viking age period, it is often used as a Viking/Iron age garment by reenactors.
We don’t know who the garment belonged to; man or woman, rich or poor, or if the wearer considered themself a part of the Viking culture, the native Sami culture, or both. The clothing was found in a bog burial in northern Norway and the garment items resemble modern Sami clothing according to articles I found on the subject. But the hood also reminds us of the later medieval hoods, although it has square gores. Hoods with slits over the shoulders, or long cloaklike hoods can be seen from earlier periods in Europe.
Skjoldehamn in Norway
All considered, it is a good choice to make if you need a warm garment for iron-age clothing and want a hood, at least if you have a north Scandinavian-based outfit, a Birka-based Viking outfit might have had a hat instead. Overall, the hood is probably more common in reenacting than it was during it’s lifetime, but who does not want a practical garment when it is cold or wet?
Materials:
Most outdoor clothing that has been found from the period seems to be practical rather than decorative. Choose a warm and sturdy fabric, slightly fulled, and use wool or linen thread for sewing. The original has a seam on top of the head to give the hood some shaping, and a pair of cords on the side to pull it closer to the head. This tutorial is a simplified version without these elements, but feel free to add them if you like. And don’t be afraid of piecing together the hood if needed, piecing is very historical!
How to make the pattern:
The hood is constructed with two long rectangles (or one piece folded at the top) and two squares.
This guide give you a hood similar to the original, covering your shoulders but not your arms. You could also make a longer one by lengthening measure B.
A is the depth of the hood, measure from the face where you want the opening to be, around your head and back. Divide the measurement in 2. I like deeper hoods to get protection from wind and rain, I usually have 32 cm.
B is the length of the hood from the head down to the shoulder, measure yourself from the top of the head, following your body, to the shoulder point (where the shoulder ends). Mine is 60 cm.
Measurement C is the face opening, measure around the whole face, under the chin, to get an opening. Try pulling the measuring tape “on and off” the head so you know if the opening is big enough to be comfortable. I like a looser opening to accommodate hairstyle/veils. Divide the measurement you get by 2. Mine is 34 cm.
Measurement D is B-C; the length of the hood minus the opening, 26 cm on my hood. D is also the sides of the gores.
You can make a paper pattern with these measurements. If you want to include seam allowance while drafting the paper pattern, add 2 cm to all measurements before drawing the pieces. Otherwise, do it directly on the fabric.
How to make the hood: Put the pattern pieces on the fabric and add seam allowance by drawing 1 cm outside all paper pieces.
You may cut the long rectangle in one piece, or in two pieces that are sewn together on top of the head. Cut out 2 square gores, one for the front and one for the back.
If this is your first hood, basting it together is a good choice to try out the fit. if you like it, leave the basting thread in as a guide while sewing. If you want to adjust anything it is easier to remove basting than a sewn seam.
sewing order
Start with sewing the seam on top of the head, if you have one.
Sew one side of each gore to the rectangle, right side to right side.
After that, fold the rectangular piece at the top to make it look like a hood, and pin the gores to the rectangle. Sew the gores from the bottom and up.
In the back, you continue with the seam all the way up to the top.
Finish the face opening by folding in the raw edge, press it and whip stitch it in place.
Repeat with the bottom edge.
Tip: In the front, sew the hood together 1 cm above the gore for added durability, and then leave the face opening.
Seams:
Sew the hood with backstitching to make it sturdy, or use running stitches if you are in a hurry.
Finish the seams by pressing the seam allowance, cut one side down and press it to that side, and whip stitch it down for added strength. I like to fold the seam allowance toward the larger piece; in this case, I sew the seam allowance down to the main hood and not the squares. In the back seam you can fold it either way.
I made love a new pair of summer hose, in really thin wool twill. The hose got some though love during the summer and come autumn the soles looked like this:
Not much left. When your soles are this worn, it is easier to just change them for a new pair. This round, I choose a thicker and more sturdy wool twill, hoping they would last more than one summer. I ripped the old soles out, and traced around them on a new piece of pre-washed fabric.
Tracing the old soles to new fabric. Remember to add seam allowance if that is worn away.
The top fabric was in pretty good condition, but worn thin in some places. I reinforced those spots with patches on the inside, sewn with running stitches and wool thread.
Soft fabric and a thin wool thread will make the mended areas comfortable. This is the right side of the hose.
All worn areas mended; horizontal and vertical running stitches to secure the patches to the hose, and backstitched soles in place. I did not bother felling the seams, I predict these will soon need to be ripped again…
There are two cool finds of sewn mittens available at the National Museum of Iceland’s webpage and you can see them here and here. They are both sewn in wool cloth and constructed with a separate piece making the thumb. I adore the Garðar Mitten and decided to make a pair for myself.
My first thought was to make them as a type of over-mitten to be worn over my regular needle-bound ones, but then I got sidetracked while making the pattern and made the grey ones the exact size for my hands. So I made another pair in red, for really cold days.
The outside of the mitten is larger than the inside, meaning you will shape the outer side around the inner, creating a gathered effect that is both pretty and practical.
The tumb is inserted in a round hole in the hand, making it both fun to do and comfortable to wear.
Tips for working with the pattern:
Add seam allowance to the mittens, 1-1,5 cm. Remember to sew with the correct seam allowance, small garments really differ in size if you are lazy with the seam allowance.
The tumb seam can be made in different ways; by using a backstitch and sewing the pieces right side together, or:
If you find it difficult to make the thumb insertion seam, try treating it like an “inserted gore” from my tutorial, and press the seam allowance on the inside piece, before sewing it to the thumb piece. (I will show you how to do it below, on the red mitten).
Or go inspired and fasten the thumb piece from the outside as I did with the grey mittens, adding a decorative seam to protect the fabric edge.
Step by step instructions
Place the paper pattern pieces on the fabric with some space in between for seam allowance, and pin the paper in place.
Trace around with a fabric marker, 1 cm outside the pattern. Use a ruler/measuring stick to guide you.
In small projects, some extra seam allowance can make a big difference. To help yourself making the garment the right size, you can trace around the pattern pieces with a basting thread.
It is fast, and you will know exactly were to place your seam. Here the basting line is blue, and I moved the pattern piece for it to show better on the photo.
Cut out all your pieces (remember to check that you have a left and right mitten before doing this).
Tip: it is always easier to cut a sharp line if you have a sharp scissor, and cutting the fabric with the scissor resting on a table.
Pieces ready for basting and trying on!
Start with basting the tumb together at the top, down to the start of the semicircle shape.
Use your blue basting lines, pair them together and pin the tumb in place on the inside piece. Work from the right side of the mitten, the blue lines should line up on top of each other.
Variations: If you want to sew your mitten according to the seam in the original, use a backstitch and attach the pieces right side to right side. If you want to use the “attached gore method”, scroll down to the red mitten photos.
Bast the tumb in place, with the raw edge of the inside piece visible.
Baste the inside seam of the wrist, and continue up basting the tumb to the outside piece.
Before basting the rest of the mitten together, put in a gathering seam around the top piece to to gather it to match the inside. If you have already basted the seam allowance to guide you, you may use this thread and pull it gently to gather the top of the outside fabric together.
Gather the fabric so it fits to the inside piece, and distribute the folds evenly. Sew a basting seam holding them together.
Baste around the top and continue down to the gore. Put this in place, baste both sides, and then you are ready to try the mitten on!
Looks nice! Remember to try your mitten on with the right side out.
I chose a linen thread 35/2 and backstitches, to make the seam sturdy. I follow along the basting threads, and rip these out as I go along (or afterwards if you prefer). Place the seam 1 mm inside the basting seam instead of on top of it, to avoid sewing the basting seam to the mitten.
The tumb is secured with whip stitches, this is on the inside while felling the seam. You can see some red thread which is the decoration from below. I felled the seams to one side after sewing them, to make the mitten more comfortable and the seams more resistant to water.
To secure the raw edge of the inside piece where the thumb is, I chose to make a decorative stitching with wool thread, sewing on the right side. I used a blanket stitch for the edge, and then an embroidery stitch for added decor. Instead of doing this, you can whipstitch the tumb in place on the right side.
Decorating mittens are fun, but don’t show in the historical sources I used.
Soon finished, now I need to finish the embroidery and hem the bottom edge!
The historical red mittens
I made another pair of mittens to be used for medieval reenactment, big enough to be able to insert a smaller mitten or lining for added warmth. These are made without embroidery, and instead I made the thumb hole seam like this:
Cut the pieces out as above, and then fold the seam allowance in, but only in the tumb hole. Press with an iron to make it lie flat.
Work from the right side and pin the tumb in place. If the tumb seem a bit large for the hole, don’t mind that but just follow the seam allowance. This will create more space for movement for the tumb.
Whip stitch the tumb in place, from the right side. (This is what I referred to when I wrote that you can use the “inserted gore” method.)
Another round of whipstitching on the inside to secure the seam allowance. Make the tumb on the other mitten the same way, and finish the rest of the mittens as above.
Felling seams inside small garments: It is often easier to finish one seam before making the next one. Sew one seam, press and cut it, then sew it down with whipstitching. After that, take the next seam etc.
If you want to sew the mitten together first, I find it easier to work with my hand inside the mitten while felling seams. This way you can adjust the seam and seam allowance while sewing, and keep the fabric stretched out. You are also sure not to accidentally sew throught the next layer of mitten.
Stretching out the fabric and seam with my hand, while sewing with the other.
If you want to make a pair yourself, the pdf including a pattern, can be found on my Etsy and Patreon. If you have 2023 years Advent Calendar, you will find the pattern in there. If you have larger or smaller hands than size 9-11, you might need to make a mock up/test the mittens in cheap fabric to adjust the sizing (mainly the width and lenght of the front and back pieces).
Heh, see what I did there? Pattens- step to step, as you can step with them and this is also a guide and…
Yeah. Sorry, let us step to the actual content.
15th-century style pattens
I had been trying to get myself a really good pair of wooden pattens for a couple of years, only to discover that they didn’t fit very well. So I got my hands on a new pair of wooden soles, and this time I made the straps and fitted them myself. It is a little more work than ready-made, but Wow did this make all the difference!
This project was started over 3 years ago and along the way, I lost photos from the handcrafting process. This means that this tutorial is far from the best one I have made, but I decided to finish and publish it since some friends were asking for tips for making pattens.
If you want to know more about historical pattens, check out this blog post.
Good things to make medieval pattens.
Tools for this project:
hammer
scissor
pen
knife
ruler
awl
needle
leather clips
Materials you need:
wooden soles
thick leather 2,5-4 mm
thin leather 1-2 mm
waxed linen thread
nails
tape and regular paper
two buckles around 1-1,4 cm width (optional)
Wooden soles:
You need a pair of wooden soles first, and your medieval shoes. Measure your foot with your shoes on, so you know how long the wooden sole needs to be. I didn’t make my wooden soles so I won’t walk you through (hehe, walk…) how to do it, but if you have patience and a few woodworking tools just draw your foot on a piece of wood, and carve out something that looks like the historical pattens or my sole above. The joint is not a must but I find it really comfortable.
When you have a pair of wooden soles, it is time to connect the pieces with a joint of sturdy leather and nails.
Use a paper draft to fit in the joint, mark it and copy to leather. The leather should be as thick as the cut-out for the joint, between 2,5-4 mm.
Hammer the leather joint in place with nails, and then start working on your strap. Paper and some tape is a good way to test out the pattern and fit.
My goal was to make a strap that both looked plausible and was comfortable. I started by attaching my foot to the wooden sole with tape and then tried to move around. This was not the right fit.
But it was a good starting point to achieve something like this! I cut away the tape that was uncomfortable or in the way, until I got a fit that was working. Last, I taped the buckle in place to check the fit. Try to position the tape quite high on your foot, not over your toes.
When you are happy, cut off the tape and convert them to two pattern pieces, one for each side of the foot.
Next step is to cut them out in thin leather, 2 of each.
Thin leather needs some kind of reinforcement to last, so cut out strips of leather to sew on the edges.
Use an awl to make holes in the leather before stitching. Note that the strip should reach all the way up, this was just a test piece I made before doing my finished set.
Use a cobbler stitch and waxed linen thread to sew the leather strip in place.
Turn the piece to the inside, fold over the leather strip and sew it in place with a whip stitch. Don’t work through the leather piece, just enough to fasten the strip. To shape the edge and make it stay in place, you can hammer it down gently.
One piece is almost done, one to go. This was my finished pair, note how the strip goes all the way up and it is really narrow at the top to accommodate for the buckle.
After I made the reinforced pieces, I attached the buckle by sewing it in place, and made a hole in the other side for closing.
Trying out the fit of the finished pieces, by using a stapler to fasten the leather to the sole. You can also use some more tape. Love tape.
Hammering the leather in place with small nails. These are modern nails for roofing paper, but you can use any flat, shorter nails. It would be pretty to use historical nails, but I did not find any narrow enough.
That’s it! Give them some leather oil and then you are ready to go out adventuring.
Trying them outside in some water and grit.
There are lots of sources without buckles on your pattens. It is possible to just make a plain or decorated leather piece around the foot. The best part with buckles is not that they are pretty, but that you may adjust the fit to the shoes (or hose without shoes) that you are wearing.
Follow me to the National Gallery in London and experience great historical artwork! The bonus is you don’t even have to go there in person (even if it is amazing) because they have a great webpage where you can explore art and zoom in on details- great for all costume nerds wanting to know more about how a veil, seam or closing looks like from up close!
But if you do go here you get to walk through massive halls filled with art. Just saying…
And take selfies with celebrities! I asked if it was permitted to take photos/take a selfie and the nice, polite staff gave their permission. The Arnolfini portrait (Jan van Eyck, 1434).
Magdalen Reading (Rogier van der Weyden, 1435) was part of a larger artwork and this piece is all that remains from it, and it was so cool seeing it in reality. Here she is, with lots of details like the veil, the woven belt, the lacing on the dress… I could step really close and see all the details! You can also do that; here is a link!
To see the paintings for real is incredible, and you get to really experience them and the craftsmanship behind the painting. But as a historical fashion nerd, you can also see details that get lost in printing or are too small to notice on digital copies.
Look at her artful layers of veil and the small pins! A Woman (Robert Campin, 1435)
This great veil is incredible! Imagine all the layers of expertly crafted linen cloth, and the styling involved to make it look great. I also love her clasps on the front of her dress/coat, as well as the fur lining visible at the vrists and neckline. Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family (Swabian, 1470)
Beneath this lady´s sheir veil there is a visible fastening or support for the hennin (the basket-like headwear). Do you see it? Portrait of a Lady (Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, 1460)
Portrait of a Lady (Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, 1460)
Some paintings are not listed as made by a certain artist, but rather by his workshop. Artists during the medieval period belonged to guilds and learned their trade in workshops, rising from helpers to, if skilled and influential enough, eventually becoming masters themself. A master may not have made everything himself in a painting; often when studying artwork you can see there is a difference between the centre figures (the most important) and the background figures or landscape, these being made with another hand. for this reason, many artworks today are attributed to “the workshop of” an artist, rather than the artist.
An old woman (The ugly Duchess), 1513, Quinten Massys
The portrait above may be a satirical artwork, meant as a comment for contemporary society, but it is also full of details and fashion in an interesting mash-up. The dress is fashionable for the period but the headdress is old and compared to other similar ones, a bit on the big side. Maybe a symbolic way to portray vanity? But the dress is interesting with its lacing rings, what looks like a ladder lacing technique, and a shift peeking out from the neckline. The headwear looks embroidered and the veil is probably a long and rather narrow rectangular, as you can see the edge at the neck.
Detail of The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors (The Donne Triptych) by Hans Memling (1478) shows this fashionably dressed saint wearing pinned on sleeves in red and gold, on a green kirtle. I realise I may have to make another dress soon, maybe a green one. And a bunch of cool 15th-century veils!
These were just some highlights from my visit- there’s much more to see if you browse the website of the Gallery. You could follow the links from above, or use the search function for titles or names of the artists. Often when I am looking for sources I actually start searching for artists from a specific period and then start to collect their artwork to get a feeling for the period choice in colours, silhouette, cut of clothes, accessories etc. If you look at lots of art you will get a feeling for the period of interest, and it will be easier to create a historically believable outfit from that period. But beware of saints- they might be depicted in clothing from “back in the days” when they were alive, or what the painter imagined they would have worn…
Beeswax cloths are a really simple way of storing food or a picnic snack during your historical event, and they are also nice to cover bowls and jugs!
After this year’s Double Wars event when our encampments got overrun with aphids/lice, I really had it and promised myself to make some protective cloths for next year. And here they are! It was so easy and practical so we use them as everyday items at home, too.
To make some for yourself, start with measuring the sizes you want to have; I made two for covering jugs, a couple for bowls and some bigger ones for wrapping cheese in. I prewashed the linen fabric, cut it in squares, and hemmed the edges with linenthread and a whipstitch before waxing. (To be fair, I used scraps from earlier projects.)
You can wax cloths in different ways; by melting beeswax in a pot and scooping it over the cloths, or by distributing small pieces of wax on the cloth and then melting it in your oven or with an iron. The important thing to know is that beeswax tends to get sticky and may be hard to remove from your favourite pot, oven tray etc. Use baking sheets to protect your kitchen as well as your oven and iron. An apron might be good too, it is hard to get beeswax stains off your clothes.
I chose to melt the wax in a pot that I have already used for beeswax, this was quicker and allowed me to just dump in a big block of beeswax at once. I melted the vax on low heat and scooped it from the pot over the cloths with a spoon.
To save time, I stacked all the cloths on top of each other, poured over a generous amount of wax, and then covered everything with a baking sheet and used an iron on middle heat to help distribute the wax over and through all the cloths.
As soon as the wax is melted into the fabric your first layer is ready- remove it, put it on a baking sheet to cool, and continue down through your stack. You can do this task on your oven too, just make sure you protect surfaces with baking sheets. The cloths gets darker with the wax on, and while they are hot they look shiny and smell nice!
Don’t use too much heat- you want a generous layer of wax to remain in your cloth rather than soak through. Too much heat or too much time in the oven/under the iron will not give you enough wax in your cloth. If this happens, the waxed cloth will look uneven, and won’t stay in shape after cooling down (try to fold it or make a shape with the cloth, it should stay in place and stick to itself). If this happens, just repeat the procedure; pour on more wax and melt it down.
If you have to low temperature, the wax will not melt in properly but lay in cakes/lumps on your fabric. Try to add a little more heat! Beeswax is nice to work with because nothing gets destroyed if you don’t get it perfect the first time, it will just take a bit longer time.
I calculated 2-3 tablespoons of melted beeswax for a 40*40 cm cloth, but this depends on the thickness/weight of the cloth. In retrospect, I would have liked my fabric to be a bit thicker (around 180-250 grams/meter) than this 120 grams/meter linen. It was so fine it had problems holding enough beeswax, but turned out ok for this round of cloths. Next time, I will make them from other scraps.
If you want to make lids for jars, jugs etc. from leather you could also use this process much the same way. Make sure your leather piece is vegetable-tanned and undyed, and get some extra wax since it often takes more to wax a leather piece than a fabric piece of the same size.
This year’s information and schedule for Medeltidsveckan
Vi finns förstås på Medeltidsveckan i Visby som vanligt- du hittar oss på Kapitelhusgården med butiken fylld av handgjorda hattar, dräktaccessoarer, smycken, bling och bra hantverksmaterial.
Speciellt hattarna är jag extra stolt över i år; de i ullfilt gör jag själv utifrån medeltida fynd och källor (de säljer slut på nästan alla marknader jag besöker!) och flera nya stråhattar gör premiär på veckan. Jag har lyssnat på era önskemål och det kommer finnas stråhattar i olika material, modeller och storlekar efter historiska källor, och även hattar i barnstorlek. Flera av de nya modellerna är också extra hållbara och vattentåliga- perfekt för dig som lever det tuffa medeltida livet!
Den populära och oftast fullbokade Grundkurs i Brickbandsvävning kommer på onsdag kl 12 och fredag kl 08 (tips på fredagskursen om du vill ha extra hjälp, morgonkurserna blir inte alltid fulla) boka på: https://medeltidsveckan.se/programme/# Grundkursen går igenom allt du behöver veta, steg för steg, för att du ska känna att du greppar brickbandsvävningen och kan fortsätta själv. Allt du behöver ingår eller finns att låna, och extra material mm finns att köpa. Ta med dig själv och ett snacks (inga nötter).
Nytt för i år är att toilekursen ersatts av en visning/föreläsning- perfekt för dig som är nyfiken på toile/mönsterkonstruktion men inte orkar med en intensivkurs i värmen. Du dricker kaffe och jag gör allt jobb och visar momenten steg för steg. Även spännande prat om den medeltida skräddaren, problemlösning av mönster och hur man tolkar en medeltida tavla till ett färdigt plagg. Passar alla kön/kroppar, och du behöver bara ta med dig själv! Torsdag klockan 10, https://medeltidsveckan.se/programme/# (förutom föreläsningen kommer man få ta del av kompletterande material, checklista och bilder för att kunna göra mönster hemma i lugn och ro)
Kom förbi och säg hej till oss! /Linda och vikarien Henrik
This is incredibly modern to be me, I know! My latest infatuation has totally been the 18th century pattern drafting, mainly jackets, gowns and a whole bunch of skirts. And hats. Who doesn’t love hats?
Jacket in green wool twill and skirt in deep blue wool twill
Anyway, after my first attempt making a 18th century ballgown, I wanted to dive deaper and learn more about 18th-century pattern making and clothing styles, so I have spent the last couple of years on learning a bit about different 1700styles on my free time.
First out after the corset, shift and petticoats came these two jackets, based on an original piece and a drafted pattern from Costume Close-up (which is an incredible interesting and fun book that I recommend). I altered the pattern a bit, both to fit my measures but also to another style that fitted the extant pieces and fashion plates I was inspired from. Then I made a jacket in printed cotton, lined with linen and with linen ruffles on the sleeves. It came out really well both in pattern drafting and seams, and I was happy…
Reproduction cotton printed fabric with flowers
So I just had to try to make it in wool to experience the difference in fabrics. I choose a scrap from an old project; a thin wool twill that I lined with striped linen from another project. I love small but complex projects that means lots of sewing on a small fabric budget!
Green wool jacket, front.
Since I found the pattern with the stomacher pinned onto the jacket difficult to put on fast, I tried another style for the wool jacket with the stomacher fastened behind the ribbons in the front. To make it even easier, I basted the stomacher to the jacket on one side, and added two hooks and eyes to the other side to be able to fasten it before pinning and tieing the ribbons. The hooks are not a historically based solution as far as I have seen but a very convenient and fast one.
Front lacing before stomacher.
The cotton flower jacket was laced in the front before pinning the stomacher over, covering the lacing and the corset. It is perfect for adjusting the size and the lacing strips with the eyelets where fun to made.
Pinning the front in place.
Fashionable autumn outfit to keep warm
I made a whole outfit to go with the jackets (except shoes, I need to get me good shoes)
linen shift
corset
under skirt
wool skirt
fishu
bergere hat in wheat straw
linen cap with a lace edge
cape/cloak in red fulled wool
white fine knitted socks
The linen shift and corset are the same that I made for my ballgowns, but since they are not showing I intend to go with them until I do more serious 18th century adventuring than a photoshoot or a picnic.
The underskirt is a simple cotton skirt, and the overskirt in wool is slightly longer and wider to make the silhuette nicer and make sure the undergarments are not showing. I had to piece the skirt together from several scraps of fabric, which of course is historical even if it doesn’t show in photos. I am planning to make an apron to go with the outfit in the future.
The fishu was great for consealing a modern tattoo
The fishu (scarf) is a trangle of thin silk which you tuck into your jacket to look modest and warm (and fashionable too!) The hat I made with wheat straw and silk fabric cut and sewn (and maybe a bit of glue too) to the hat in a fashionable pattern, and then I added broad pieces of silk fabric to tie it in the back.
The linen cap pattern comes from the American Duchess book, but I adjusted it a bit to fit well. The cloak pattern comes from a pattern diagram from Costume Close-up but I had to adjust that too, to be able to use it with the piece of wool fabric I had left. I also added slits for the arms and a small, almost invisible closure with hooks and eyes at the front in order to be able to wear it closed while doing things outside.
The garments are handsewn with the exception of some longer inside seams machinesewn to save time, and I used linen thread and silk threads for everything.
Dressed and ready for autumn!
The redrafted pattern for the jackets in size Eu 36-38 is available, send me an email if you are interested!
This is an open letter, mainly to all organizers for historical events, and specifically new ones. I choose to write in Swedish since these are the grounds I know best, and to make it easier for new organizers to read.
Här är mina tips till dig som arrangerar (eller precis ska börja) historiska marknader och event såsom medeltidsdagar, vikingahelger och liknande. Jag skriver både utifrån mitt perspektiv som tidigare arrangör, besökare, volontär och marknadsförsäljare, med förhoppningen att du ska kunna undvika tråkiga misstag och få ett bra event!
Vilken känsla och period vill du ha på ditt event? Medeltid, vikingatid, vendeltid? Tänker du dig att lokala barnfamiljer ska ha picknick och titta på festliga framställningar, vill du ha återskapare som bygger en historisk marknad eller något av en festival? Bestäm tema och känsla och kommunicera sedan det tydligt!
Hur får man tag på marknadsförsäljare? I början måste du nog annonsera i grupper på sociala medier, men i takt med att ditt arrangemang återkommer borde försäljarna droppa in automatiskt, om du gör rätt. Gör de inte det? Då kanske du måste förbättra din service, kommunikation och det du erbjuder.
Hur får man tag på underhållare? Samma här, annonsera i början och hoppas på återkommande proffs. Har du en begränsad budget; var tydlig med det. Kanske finns det personer ändå som precis börjat lära sig gyckla, kommer från en ideell kör eller vill träna eldkonster, och som gärna ställer upp för en symbolisk summa eller gratis mat och boende.
Hur får man tag på volontärer? Hör av dig till dina lokala historiska föreningar, om det finns sådana. Fråga om de vill hålla i demos (såsom hantverk, bågskytte, fäktning) under ditt event, och erbjud något tillbaka: har ni liten budget i början kan gratis fika (och givetvis gratis inträde, parkering osv) vara lämpligt. Det viktiga är att visa uppskattning och respekt; var tydlig med er vision och vad ni kan erbjuda, och försök uppfylla behoven hos de som kommer och bidrar.
Inträde eller inte? Det här är nog främst en ekonomisk fråga, men se om du kan lösa intäkterna på andra sätt; besökare är mycket mer benägna att bara titta förbi, de handlar mer, och är ofta mer nöjda över en “gratis” upplevelse. (Ansök tex om bidrag från kommunen, stiftelser och föreningar.)
Logistik: se över behovet av parkering, toaletter, hygien, rinnande vatten, el och handikappanpassning noggrant. Ingen vill göra sig känd som arrangören som inte erbjöd rullstolsramper eller råkade ut för en eldsvåda. (Och ingen besökare vill upptäcka att det inte finns möjlighet att tvätta händerna ordentligt efter en småbarnsolycka. Det har hänt.)
Jag behöver logistikpersonal? Volontärarbetare som kommer från andra föreningar (tex scouterna) eller bara privatpersoner fungerar ofta bra för enkla uppgifter såsom att ta hand om parkering, fylla på vatten, tömma soptunnor och liknande. Ta hand om volontärerna; erbjud dem lokal, fika, dräkt eller väderskydd att låna och se till att schemat tillåter att de också får ha roligt. Då kommer de tillbaka! Till tyngre eller svårare uppgifter samt hantering av livsmedel kan det vara värt att ta in betald personal.
Sälj kaffet. Själv. De flesta erfarna arrangörer har upptäckt att besökare blir fikasugna. Väldigt fikasugna. Att vara den primära försäljaren av kaffe, enkel dryck och fika leder till stora intäkter. Om du inte kan täcka upp hela behovet själv; bjud in andra försäljare och se till att de kompletterar utbudet.
Kanske det viktigaste av allt: besök andras arrangemang och se hur de löser sina utmaningar. Hur många toaletter har de på området? Vilka avtal erbjuds underhållare? Hur har de skapat en trevlig marknad och hur fick de tag på de där uppstoppade drakarna som barnen klättrar på?
Marknadsförsäljningen då, hur gör man en bra marknad?
Var tydlig med tema, period och riktlinjer. Alla ska förstå vad som är ok och inte, så du slipper diskussioner med försäljare som anländer i blå plastponchos och vill sälja kaffe bredvid de anmälda honungsburkarna.
Fundera på vilken yta du har till marknaden, och kommunicera det till deltagare. I trånga inomhusutrymmet betalar deltagare ofta per bord eller meter, medan en stor äng gärna får fyllas ut med rejäla paviljonger, lägerplatser och långa rader med vackra föremål. Vad vill du ha?
Ta ansvar för utbudet; bjud bara in ett visst antal tygförsäljare, keramiker, korgmakare osv. Besökare vill se olika saker, och ingen försäljare blir glad över för mycket konkurrens.
Skäm bort dina försäljare! Besökare älskar marknader, och glada försäljare kommer igen (ofta tillsammans med sina volontärkompisar) erbjud vatten, toaletter, köp av el, duschar och en station där de kan hämta kaffe utan att behöva stå i 30 min kö. Kan du erbjuda boende eller ska de bo i sina tält? Finns det vakter under natten eller måste de spendera flertalet timmar med att plocka ihop varje kväll?
Be försäljarna att förbättra ditt event: bifoga länkar ifall de vill göra reklam och sprida ditt event i sina kretsar. Fråga om de vill visa upp hantverk/hålla modevisning/erbjuda kortkurser mm- massvis av extra aktiviteter för besökare kan uppstå med hjälp av rabatterat pris, en gratis lunch och möjlighet för försäljarna att tjäna in en lön.
Ska du ta betalt? Många som börjar med arrangemang erbjuder försäljare att komma gratis, dels för att man inte vet vilken statestik eventet har (hur många kommer totalt, hur mycket försäljning kan ske?) men också för att locka fler att satsa på ett nytt event. När du börjar ha siffor på antalet besökare och hur mycket varje försäljare omsätter (fråga efter eventet!) kan du lättare sätta priser för att stå på marknaden.
Om du tar betalt: informera om priser i förväg, samt ev servicekostnader (många arrangemang tar alltid ut en symbolisk avgift för sopor, el, vatten osv).
Det finns olika metoder för att ta betalt av marknadsförsäljare, vissa tar en viss procent (5-6%) av den totala omsättningen, eller vinsten. Är det trångt, kan du istället ta betalt för antalet bord/meter försäljarna vill ha, men räkna då med att medeltida tält osv kanske inte kommer brukas- har du marknadsstånd att låna ut? Tak? Vissa tar en symbolisk summa (serviceavgift) av alla som säljer för att de anser att marknaden lockar besökare och bidrar till eventets känsla. Ytterligare andra låter försäljarna stå för delar av eventets kostnad genom att ta ut höga avgifter av dem, och istället ha gratis inträde.
Det finns för och nackdelar med allt. Höga avgifter skrämmer bort små personliga företag, medan begränsad yta gör att inga försäljare av rustningar, tyger och tält kan närvara. Många arrangörer tillämpar individuell prissättning där ett grundpris kan sänkas med tex visning av hantverk, ett fint marknadsstånd osv, medan priset höjs om försäljaren behöver el eller säljer över en viss summa. I slutändan handlar det förstås om ekonomi; en försäljare har råd att betala högre avgifter om omsättningen är hög (tex medeltidsveckan) medan andra event erbjuder gratis plats, kaffe och boende för att locka försäljare till små event där de inte gör nog stor omsättning.
Tänk på att försäljare (och historiska volontärer) ofta redan haft omkostnader innan de kommer till ditt event. Transport, boende, mat, dräkter och tält är stora kostnader som historiska marknadsåkare måste få täckning för, om de ska kunna dyka upp och tillföra värde till ditt event!
Själv önskar jag att marknadsarrangörer i år ska börja uppskatta sina försäljare mer och underlätta för de som driver seriösa verksamheter och betalar skatt (och se oss som viktiga för marknadens liv!) Det är omöjligt att “konkurrera” med företag som dumpar priser i och med att de inte betalar skatt (vare sig här eller i hemlandet). Med det sagt har jag förstås också seriösa kollegor från andra länder som jag ser fram emot att träffa. Jag hoppas också på att få se många nya, seriösa hantverkare i framtiden. Kanske kan man underlätta för nya hantverkare genom att låta dem komma gratis första året?
Jag hoppas också på att arrangörer ska fundera mer kring vilken arbetsmiljö de erbjuder marknadsåkare i år. Korta avstånd för att slippa bära tungt, tillgång till rinnande vatten och tvål vid toaletter, närvaro på marknadsområdet i form av vakter/frivilliga nattetid och rimliga öppettider står på min önskelista. Många arrangörer gör ett bra jobb; Torpas medeltidsmarknad hade till exempel toaletter enkom för arbetare, för att man skulle hinna gå på toa utan att behöva stänga en längre tid. Oslos Middelalderfestival erbjöd ett säkert, upplyst område som gjorde att jag som ensam marknadsåkare kunde känna mig tryggare. På Kapitelhusgården fick jag en kopp kaffe eftersom jag inte hann gå och köpa dryck under arbetsdagen. I Skellefteå var marknaden vid boendeområdet så att det alltid rörde sig frivilliga i närheten. Sådana här saker gör mycket för att man ska orka arbeta på marknader!
Vill du veta mer? Är du en ny arrangör som vill få hjälp att lyckas med ditt event? Eller vill du också prova att sälja produkter på historiska marknader i år? Efter tunga pandemiår saknar jag många branchkollegor och hjälper dig gärna att komma igång eller bygga upp en verksamhet. Maila för att boka in ett digitalt möte!
My yellow dress in thin wool with buttoned sleeves
After my project with the Luttrell Psalter, I got interested in earlier medieval times and clothing and fell for the Morgan/Maciejowski Bible. The illustrations are so awesome! Also, the 13th century really is quite fashinating with its garments and ideal style differing so much from the 15th century that I have been into the last years. So here’s a short fashion/garment summary based on my studies of some mid-late 13th century manuscript.
Quick caracteristics of the mid 13th century female dress:
Overlong dresses: Reach the ground even with belts. The wearer hold the skirt up with their hand or drape it over the belt when moving.
Loose fit: The folds created in artwork indicates a loosely draped dress with lots of fabric.
Large armholes: Loose armholes on garments both with the sleeves sewn on, with partially open armholes with the sleeve half attached, and with open armholes without sleeves.
Sleeves: Loose upper sleeve, with tightness around wrist. S-sleeves and regular sleeves are both represented in finds (Söderköpings kjortel/kirtle was constructed with S-sleeve)
Whole outfit:
Shift (probably in linen) wool dress and wool overdress/gown, silk for elite society. Hose or socks in wool, shoes in leather. Apron (probably linen) when working, doesn’t appear to be a fashionable item. Hood and cloak for warmth, as well as overdresses lined with another fabric layer or fur. Lots of different headstyles; loose hair, hairnets, caps, wimple and veils, fillets, barbettes etc. If you want to check out more sources, my SCA mentor wrote this Interesting blogpost about Isabella de Bruce’s wardrobe from the end of 13th century.
Before I started this project I collected notes on ways to achieve the correct look:
Make the dresses and gowns much longer than usual.
Make the garment wider than my usual simple dresses, but with a fitted neckhole, shoulders and sleeves. Or rather; make the front part wider to drape across the body, but keep the width of the back piece to avoid bulkiness over the shoulder area.
Add gores both in the sides, front and back of the skirt. Lots of width is needed for the upper class look.
Add width to the garment from the armhole, instead of starting at the waist.
Choose a thin, tightly woven fabric with a dramatic drape; the folds should be deep and clearly visible.
Make the armholes and sleeves wider than you need, and then finish them snugly by the wrist, or add buttons for tight closure.
Here is my construction adjustments; the drawn lines is the blue 14th century dress, and the dotted lines are the adjustments I made while drafting this dress. The sleeve hole is larger, the dress front piece wider, and the dress longer than full length while standing. To save on fabric, I decided to not widen the dress from the armholes but make the front and back panels straight. The width of skirt is made with the help of the 4 gores.
The silhouette is rather straight, without female curves or visible bust, and the easiest way to spot a woman is to look for the pooling dresses, My SCA mentor told me that women seldom show their feets in period artwork, while the men have gowns leaving the feet visible. I found that interesting and so far everything I have seen from this period fits with that description!
So far, I have mainly focused on the gown. I used my 14th century linen shift, wool hose and shoes to complete the outfit enough for wearing. I also made a belt from tablet woven silk and a buckle and belt end in brass. This was also made for the 14th century outfit, but it does well enough here. The brooch is made in brass and coloured glass, and the hair band is tablet woven in the same silk colours as the belt, backed with silk and decorated with small fittings in brass. The veils seen in the photos is my old ones from my 14th and 15th century looks. A future step would be to create a fun headwear typical for the period, if I want to explore it further. The belt bag is an old one in historical brocade from the late 11th- early 12th century if I remember correctly, with silk tassels and cord.
Aha, no feets!
To achieve the right silhouette a loose garment is the best, as well as wearing the belt below the natural waist and arrange the folds to drape nicely. If in need of a modern bra for support, choose one that doesn’t separate or enlarge the bust, but rather a soft bra.
A note on linings: Used in overdresses, gowns and cloaks. Fur, wool or linen are mentioned in sources, and also blends; wool/linen and cotton/linen which might be an option for cooler garments. The patterned linings in white and gray/blue is a representation of squirrel fur, the white being the stomach of the winter coat and the most expensive. (Actually, squirrel fur was so popular that the poor animal went extinct in areas during the medieval period.)
Would you like to check out more from this period? Kongshirden is a reenactment group focusing on the start of the 14th century in Norway, and they have some great clothing guides for free on their website! (in Norwegian, but there’s lots of pictures to check out).
