An Tir Culture Wiki And their pages on Clinton War.
Review Your Choices
For a good source of web links, the costumer's manifesto is a great place to start, at http://www.costumes.org/. I use the costumes sorted by history link: http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/costhistpage.htm.
http://www.raveness.com/costuming/renaissance/index.html
the elizabethan costuming site
Margo Anderson's site for line drawing of her patterns
See the previous page for links to online art galleries- look at actual examples
See this page for basic sewing techniques.
What is Rectangular Contruction?
This is the fabric saving layout our ancestors used. Fabric was very expensive and washing techniques were hard on fabrics, so they were well made. The woven edge of the fabric, called the selvedge, is never cut off; it is put in places where its strength is useful.
More about Fabric and Fitting
Fabric in the middle ages and renaissance was all woven, not knitted. Common modern fabrics are knitted- for example a T Shirt. Woven fabrics have less give to them when sewn 'on the grain' which is when the threads are placed square, but have stretch when placed on the diagonal, which sewers call the bias. Clothes were worn more fitted than now; the amount of extra room in clothes is called ease. The amount of ease in historic outfits is less, but there is some. Gussets under the arms allow a lot of the arm movement.
A Plain Lower Middle Class Outfit for a Man
An outfit has a few pieces, fewer for men than for women.
A shirt
-3-4 metres of a plain sweat absorbing fabric for shirt. See this demonstration link.
Shirts were most often white or offwhite, but colours did happen, just not often. For your purposes, choose a linen or linen cotton, or a cotton.
NOTE for a fighting shirt for the SCA certain areas must be double layer, like the underarm area. Check with Randy for the rules.
Covering for your Nether Reaches
Breeches
1.5 -2 metres of a bottomweight sportswear twill or plain weave, or a medium weight linen or linen blend for a fitted pair of breeches.
or 3 metres of a lighter weight fabric for drawstring breechespants [for lounging about]. See this link- its not historically accurate, but as they say, it covers your tail.
Underwear
Men would also be wearing braies- this is undies for boys. Try these links- underwear styles didn't change all that much. This is on recreating 14th century braies, and this one on clothing for 1403- look at the undies link, and this set of pictures from the Compagnie of Sainte George.
Stockings
Renaissance stockings went above the knee. You can make a garter of woven narroware or leather, or the bottom knee band of your breeches will hold them up.
Shoes
Buckle shoes or leather sandals. See this page on shoes. It's more than you want to know!
A Warm Layer
Usually a doublet or a cassock, or a short semicircular cloak, or a big cloak or a wollen blanket or piece of cloth to wrap up in. Remember, Clinton is cold at night. Sometimes it still freezes at night in the summer- this is high desert. In 2006, one night is was -2 C.
The least fitted layer a soldier might have commonly worn is a cassock. This is a cross between a doublet and a cloak- depending on how you button it. Takes 3 metres of medium to heavy weight fabric and 3 metres of lining. On the down side it uses between 40-70 buttons.
A cassock can be used as a fighting legal layer for SCA fencing combat, in the same way as a doublet.
Headcovering
This can be a flat cap on the Elizabethan Costuming site or you can get a felt hat in a variety of shapes. A big brimmed straw hat is also advisable as it is hot and sunny in the day- think field worker!
Online Demonstrations That May Help You
There is a great demonstration of making a shirt on the Renaissance Tailor at http://www.vertetsable.com/. This works for a Chemise as well; a chemise is a ladies longer shirt, with extra fabric added to ease over the hips. It is normally mid calf length. Shirts and chemises were worn as your nightclothes too, along with a nightcap.
Women's Clothes
Go to the Elizabethan Costuming site and go through her links- or those of others, see this great page on an outfit for a 16th century lower middle class woman .
It would consist of:
-A linen headcovering. A muffin cap used about .25m or 1m rectacular piece twisted to stay on. - Extra veils that you wet in the stream are bliss in hot weather- 2 m of fabric. Get a straw hat.
-A smock or chemise. This will use 4 metres of linen, linen cotton blend or cotton.
- A kirtle- this a bodice with an attached skirt, or a separate bodice and skirt. This will use about 5 metres of fabric, heavier cotton broadcloth, cotton linen blend, linen, or wool.
-A warm layer- a jacket, doublet or cloak. 3- 5 metres of heavier cloth, preferably wool.
-Shoes and stockings are the same as for men, but no underpants were worn by women.