River Haven Clothing Challenge

Sorry about the delayed posting; a hard-to-kill chest infection and corresponding brain fog are making everything that much harder lately.

I have decided to enter the SCA River Haven Clothing Challenge. Here is some information about it-

"Ogres are like onions -they have layers.

And so does this clothing challenge.

THE BASICS:

From 1st October 2023 to 31 March 2024 River Haven will be running a clothing challenge.

The main focus of it is to encourage garb making within members of the group, but there will be prizes. How good will depend on Sponsors (more on that later).

Based loosely on the Calontir Clothing challenge and the IRCC, the challenge is to make an outfit of at least three layers during this time. It can be from any time/place that SCA covers.

Prior to the challenge you can research, source patterns, do mock ups, make toiles, source your fabric and other necessities, but fabric for the outfit itself is not to be cut until 1st October. This is also the date to nominate and put in your plan (late nominations/plans will be accepted, but end date for making the outfit is final.)

There will be check in points on 1 December, 1 February, and 1 April (final date). One layer is to be submitted at each of these. More on processes to come.

There will be three divisions. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Please look honestly at which category most suits your skills and nominate for that one. The three categories will be judged separately."

I am not entering for prizes, more for accountability. I need new garb, but don't enjoy the process so hopefully this will help to motivate me.

I had to start late because I had other deadlines that must take priority, so I am already quite behind.

'Is this wise?' I hear you say. Probably not. :-)

'Is it sensible to take on another project when you are drowning in unfinished projects and battling health issues/starting a new round of appointments with a new specialist?' Also No.

Blue T-Tunic with Knotwork Embroidery

Here is another t-tunic from the suite I mentioned in  the last post. It is a blue cotton base fabric with white and green embroidery incorporating  the recipient's heraldic elements.

The majority of the stitching is done in split stitch with a small amount of double running (Holbein) stitch.

The stitching was traced out using a chalk sheet and worked in DMC floss.

I started the embroidery on the weekend that my dog got sick - I got the phone call to say that she had been admitted while I was working on it. I originally planned to do the embroidery on a smaller scale around the arms as well, but working the design had so many sad emotions associated with it that I did an alternative decoration.

The tunic had big seams sewn by machine, with all the hems and necklines sewn by hand. I try and (at least) finish everything by hand, even if I don't have time to entirely sew everything by hand.

I like to draw marks on my fingers to help me get the stitches even when I do running stitch as a hem decoration.

I tried a green running stitch on top of the bias decoration on the arms, but didn't like it.

The blue tunic worn over another grey undertunic that I made. The tunics were all designed to be interchangeable wardrobe pieces and many can be layered.

Grey Linen Blend T-Tunic

This is one of the suite of tunics I made for a friend in 2018 and 2019. My friend wanted a traditional t-tunic design, which was a bit challenging because I usually like to add a gusset under the arm. The fabric was cotton linen blend. I made a pattern based on his measurements.

The seams were all machine sewn and hand finished. The neckline and hems were hand turned and hand sewed. The trim was commercially produced. The aim was to end up with comfortable tunics that could be worn mix and match style, layered if needed, and thrown in the washing machine.

Deciding on how to trim the neckline.

Hand sewn hems and trim.

The first finished tunic.

A Plan for A Suite of T- Tunics for a Friend

A friend needed a suite of under tunics and over-tunics so I offered to help. He provided the fabric and I offered to sew and decorate them. It has been a long process; not because the design was difficult or the fabric hard to work with, but because I have been having ongoing sewing machine issues for the last six months or so and my health worse than usual.

The recipient specifically requested traditional SCA-type t-tunics - no gores or gussets, and just  the simple t-shaped design that so many SCA participants start out with like the one shown in the image below.

Image from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/570901690249020212/

He is a tall guy, so the waste of fabric usually associated with this style of tunic was not really a problem as the sleeves are wide and comfortable and I used the 'waste'side pieces to extend the length of the arms. Fittings and checks happened last year to make sure the design would fit and be comfortable and to meet the recipient's needs. My furry helper also inspected all the fabric (as usual) and deemed it acceptable.

I cut out about six tunics in a variety of fabrics provided by the recipient. There was quite a lot of piecing involved in the sleeve areas. I expect these garments to be heavily hand washed so I enclosed the seams to make them last longer and prevent fraying.

On a more historically accurate tunic (designed with gores) such as the one below

Tunic pattern from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/460282024388882275/

I machine sew the seams and then turn each side of the seam fabric under and hand sew it down.
It is a time consuming process, but makes for neat seams and long-wearing garments. It is also easy because all the shapes are triangles and squares and rectangles with nice straight lines to work with. I couldn't bear to leave the edges zigzagged on these tunics, so I have been sewing the seam excess under. I find this sort of hand work calming, but it really is less so than normal when felling the curve of the seam under the arm. No nice straight lines here, so it is important to allow for the fabric to move and stretch a bit by stretching it as you go and not sewing the seam too tight or using too small stitches. I don't want the seam to rip when he puts his arms up, after all.

The neckline is a simple v-shape with a small hand-sewn rolled hem. The process is essentially what I did recently for the College Newcomer tunics as shown here http://broidermebethan.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/second-newcomers-tunic.html

On most of the tunics, I am at the fun part - decorating! The recipient is an understated guy and is not the type who likes to be in the spotlight, so I have gone for darker and more muted colours. There is not much in the way of good trim available locally, so I originally planned to embroider several of the tunics. A knuckle dislocation in March and subsequent rheumatic hot spot that won't settle have slowed things down even more, so on a couple of the tunics there will be purchased trim. The recipient had some that was gifted to him by a friend, so I will use that. I also found some online that seemed appropriate.

Several of the plain coloured tunics will have embroidery. I have a nice design of interlocking knots coming along veeeery slowly, and plans for another design incorporating the recipient's heraldry. There is a lovely wool waiting to be made up also (I'm saving that until last because I am always afraid to cut expensive fabric, even after all this time!), which would look great with a design based on one of the Mammen textile designs, below

Image from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/335588609710150485/  

Of course, I will post pictures when they start to get finished. You know, I still find it nerve-wracking making items for other people, even after all this time. Male garments are especially stressful, because my experience is mainly with female late period clothing and accessories. I would like to branch out in future with more complicated male clothing, but the idea is very daunting especially as I really only have made t-tunics for men before.