Early-Medieval Dress

Since I finally got up some photos on my Picasa-account, here´s another project I´ve been working on lately.

As some might know, because I´ve told it before, I work at an archealogical themepark as a person who intrepretes and explains how people lived in the Middle Ages. My dress is Early Medieval, since I work in the part of the parc where we have several early medieval buildings. One could say this was around 850 AD.

When you work at the park, you´ll get clothes made by our clothing shop. These clothes are actually quite modern and not historically at all, because they´re made using modern ideas on how to use fabric and such. Though to our guests they really look real and authentic, I prefer to wear something that is, for a fact, authentic.

This dress is still in the making. Last sunday I and the woman who is learning me the craft of making historic and authentic clothing cut all the parts of the fabric and sew them together. This was done by machine, because it´s a lot of fabric... But, all that still has to be done will be done by me, by hand. Among this handsewing part will be several things on the neckline and putting together the sleeves.

The fabric the dress is made of is twill woven hemp.

Well, more then enough talking for now, here are the pics.



Here you see the neckline with an inlay of linen.

And here´s the whole dress

That looks really good. Your job sounds so interesting! I'd love this kind of job!!!
Also I think it's amazing that you're learning historical costume making, I'm jealous!!

Yeah the job is fanatastic, but it pays really bad. I'm thinking about quitting that job, taking another one and then do living history just for me and for fun. I got asked to join a Viking Reenactment group friends have been in for several years, and since the Viking Period is one of my favourites, I think I'll join So more costume making on the way!

And making historical clothing/costumes is, in the Middle Ages, easier then it looks because back then they were only using straight lines. So the whole dress is made out of squares and triangles. You don't use a pattern, only your measurements and some math.
And it helps that the seamstress who is teaching me has been doing this for about 15 years now :-)