The Armour Archive

Tailoress

I highly recommend addall.com for searches like this.

Here's what's on offer under the author's name.

-Tasha

Tailoress

My notes say that secondary sources citing this passage are: Gerry Embleton, Medieval Military Costume Dave Rushworth, Handbook on Jacks ffoulkes, The Armourer and his Craft Perhaps one or more of those would have a MS number and location. I don't have the last two but my copy of Embleton's book say...

Tailoress

I am not assuming the itch factor. The last time I wore wool against my skin, it itched. Plain and simple. I didnt wear chausses (or split hosen, whichever term you prefer) on bare legs, I am talking about my arms, chest and back.... itchy. Anyway, that was some time ago, and I already said I was g...

Tailoress

I agree with Kass and Tasha. Unlined chausses. Braise would extend down to almost the knee, so it is pointless to line the hosen/chausses in that area. I have been assiduously avoiding that argument, but now you've gone and dragged me in! Here are some points I guess I should put forth... I remembe...

Tailoress

Tasha, The reason I want to line them is the itch factor. I know wearing the "undies" will help with that but...well... I will see how my skin responds to it. I used to get all itchy....but the last I wore wool was some time ago. Now..... Patterns.... braies, shirts, cottes, chausses, houpplandes.....

Tailoress

I think your list is starting to sound quite good. You really don't need to line every single wool cotte, btw... And, you can use silk (broadcloth, tape, or twill are the suggestions I'd make) to face the neck opening and cuffs. Do you have the Museum of London books -- Textiles and Clothing , Dress...

Tailoress

I haven't answered because I don't really KNOW the answer. Your numbers seem okay (but I agree with Kass -- one pair of shoes is probably enough to start with, and you might want pattens to go with them, if you plan to walk around outside or in the rain/mud). Also, I agree that sticking with linen ...

Tailoress

THANK YOU, TRACY!!! I was scouring my brain trying to remember where I'd seen that one, and even looked through my Runklestein pics, but missed that one. <SIGH> I know there is at least one other one that I know of that hasn't been mentioned yet, and it's either Italian or German. I'm just having a ...

Tailoress

Hhhmmm! I'm surprised Kass hasn't responded to you yet. Doesn't seem like her at all. I'm sure there's a good reason.

Thanks for the explanation, but just so you know, I wasn't chiding you -- just making sure you knew of a direct way to contact her.

Best wishes,
Tasha

Tailoress

Okay, I did a cursory look through my books for German examples from the late 14thc and found a few good ones, but they're from disparate sources. No one source that I have is German-heavy, or if it is, it's not clothing-heavy. Art Treasures in Germany edited by Bernard S. Myers and Trewin Copplesto...

Tailoress

Looks like I'm still not done going nuts on this thread. The now-lost sleeveless chemise pictured in Kohler's A History of Costume was dated to the 14thc and found in Thuringia (Germany). The chemise had been found with other items dated to the 14thc (I don't know what those were.). It's unknown if ...

Tailoress

That people, both women and men, did not wear hats or cover their heads. Hhhmmm. I've been interested in correcting the opposite problem -- the assumption that people *always* wore hats. They simply didn't in various times and places and circumstances. Just as bare heads aren't universal, neither a...

Tailoress

I find linen fairly easy to work with when sewing. It has an inherent 'stickiness' when put through the machine. I don't enjoy hand-sewing it, though because the needle seems to catch on the fibers. Wool is easiest for that, I find. Are you machining or hand-stitching? Anyway, wool is breathable eno...

Tailoress

Rolland, I sent them to you. Now I'm feeling guilty about the backlog of requests still unanswered in my email box from the website...

It just takes soooo long to send these pdfs out (even with DSL) and way more folks requested them than I thought would. <sigh>

-Tasha

Tailoress

Did you email Kass McGann, the creator of those patterns? I believe she reads this forum also and will undoubtedly address your questions, but I am wondering if you tried asking her directly first? Her email, from her website, is: historian@reconstructinghistory.com Good luck, -Tasha (Edited to add:...

Tailoress

Depends on how you get your comfort -- if you're worried about heat, you may want to experiment with both versions. The long-sleeved linen chemise may make no appreciable difference to you, because linen is known for wicking sweat away from your skin and has a reasonably good 'breathability' factor....

Tailoress

I hadn't planned to line this garment untill I saw this post and it made me pause. Wearing a tank style chemise, the pull over cote and a sidless surcoat over it I felt was enough layers to preserve modesty and allow for breathability. Is this a fair understanding of acceptability? It sounds quite ...

Tailoress

Equusteacher, I will email you a PDF of paper I wrote a few years back which addresses a number of your questions. It's not boring, I promise. There are also a nice number of pictorial examples included to illustrate my thoughts. Though this paper sticks to later stuff than you appear to be doing (m...

Tailoress

All righty! Now we're cookin' with gas. You are in luck; that's the easiest version of feminine sleeveless garments to make, IMO, because you are not stuck having to interpret the complex folds/gathers/pleats seen in the later queenly versions. It really can simply be two panels, front and back (or ...

Tailoress

Wulfe, these are questions which could be answered with long essays, but I'll give you some short answers anyway. No, all cottes were not lined. If lined, linings appeared to range from thin/medium-weight linen to silk, to fur. A LOT of garments were lined in fur in the late 14thc. Even poor people ...

Tailoress

Are you asking about a military garment, or a male or female civilian garment? I can't tell from your question. A lot of SCAdians say "sideless surcotte" and they specifically mean those later 14thc fancy queenly ones with the fur plackets and jeweled brooches down the center front. It's a common an...

Tailoress

Wow, never went there before. Their wool selection looks excellent. Did you see their pattern page? I'm curious to know how those rate by folks who might try them out...

-Tasha

Tailoress

While this is not *exactly* what you're looking for, chances are you will find it useful: m This site, From the Skin Out, has a useful collection of very early 15thc clothing and accessories worn on the body, including head coverings. You can see some hair, so there's a start. I can name lots of sou...

Tailoress

Since you're interested in the socio-political context of your persona's placement, I recommend The English Fur Trade in the Later Middle Ages by Elspeth Veale. Not only will it give you a sound grounding in understanding how fur was used in clothing during your time period, but it'll give you excel...

Tailoress

MigueldZ wrote:The cloth piece, is that a 16th cent arming coat? Hope it's all still up when I get home tonight to download them.

That was my guess -- a doublet made for wearing with the armour (under it, presumably?) Am I seeing what looks like semi-detached sleeves?

-Tasha

Tailoress

Wow, it must be in the air... I just had a thought yesterday on the Hansa and Novgorod in another thread here... I posted this: As an example, Novgorod's deeper soil layers are littered with the remains of continental trinkets circa 14thc, when the Hansa were cashing in on the fur craze. There is a ...

Tailoress

What do you knowledgeable historical-book-folks think about the following books? Can you rate them for accuracy/usefulness? The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding, J. A. Szirmai, Ashgate, Brookfield, Vermont, 1999 The Medieval Book, Barbara A. Shailor, Medieval Academy of America, Toronto, 1991. A ...

Tailoress

Thanks Karen, The thought about layers over the Cotehardie came up after a laurel friend of mine teased me by saying, "good job, but it looks more like underwear." She was referring to my 100% Irish Linen garb. The fabric is a damask woven with off white and pale yellow threads creating a subtle pa...

Tailoress

Okay, I think my question was just partially answered... I am, however, still curious to know what particular procedure has been illustrated.

-Tasha

Tailoress

Okay Grimstone Bar, I'll bite: what the heck is that drawing at the bottom of the second image?

-Tasha

Tailoress

The piecing of the sleeves on the Rogart shirt appears somewhat similar to the sleeve piecing of the Kragelund tunic (minus the elbow gore), which is Danish in origin. Carbon-dating places it around 1040-1155. I'm adding this to point out that construction methods, especially non-fitted/geometric on...

Tailoress

Hi Eleanor! Welcome to the Archive, btw. Unfortunately, I won't be allowing video or photography, but that's because I will be publishing this and so much more in the future in book form. I don't want to withhold the information, but I hope folks are patient enough to wait for "the book". In the mea...

Tailoress

Hi Guy, I've only got two hours, so I intend to do a fitting and then as I go discuss (as much as possible) how to finish constructing the garment, but I won't be able to show that part, obviously. I'm hoping to finish with 15 minutes left at the end for questions/discussion. And, it's important to ...

Tailoress

Morristh, I need an email address to send you a copy.

Tailoress

Not sure if you're joking about signing up in advance, but there will be no need for that, as there's no limit on size. It's a demo, so as long as you can see and hear what's going on, you're in. **** THIS JUST IN**** Class begins at 10AM on Monday the 15th and goes until 12noon. Class schedule is n...