Tunics, tunics, tunics!

I've been sick again this week, but where possible I have been working on the suite of tunics for the Baron.

It is also getting quite chilly here, so I am thinking about cold weather clothing. I often have a low grade fever, so I don't have a large amount of warm weather clothing. Since coming off of one of my medications about eighteen months ago I have been almost continuously sick with infections -including chest infections. So a cloak or shoulder cloak with a nice fur collar seems like a sensible item to have in the wardrobe.

Last year I experimented with dyeing an old blanket. The plan was to achieve some blue wool, but I ended up with a pale purpley-grey colour. I cut out a short circle cloak from it and lined it in some very bright pink linen, and left it to hang.
It has been hanging for a looong time! Time to finish it off so I can use it for winter wear. It will be nice to finish off some UFOs that have been hanging around for far too long!

Second Newcomer's Tunic

A second t-tunic for the College newcomers, based on the same basic pattern (below).

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

A pattern such as the one below would be more authentic and waste less fabric, but also take longer to make up, and time was something that was in short supply with this project as the tunics were needed for a newcomers event in a couple of days.

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

This tunic was made at the same time and in the same way as the one that I posted about yesterday. The sleeves were pieced from scraps as the fabric was not wide enough to allow for sleeves and I wasn't sure that newcomers would be wearing undertunics, so longer sleeves were needed.

Wherever possible I enclosed the seams so that the tunic would last longer. The guide below explains the process:

Image from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/200410252144075736/

The neckline was finished with a handsewn rolled hem.

When finished, I saw a bit of a problem with the bright fabric- the garment was looking alarming like a soccer guernsey. I was on a very tight time deadline and I was pretty desperate. I decided to stencil or stamp a design.

 I had some woodblock stamps that I had never used, and gave them a try. I had trouble matching up the design and very quickly realised that I didn't have time to master a new skill with the deadline looming. Also there was a lot of potential for things to go disastrously wrong very quickly.

Next I drew a quatrefoil design on a piece of cardboard and  cut the design out with a craft knife. I used a removable pen to mark the design at measured intervals and painted it in with craft paint mixed with a fabric fixative to make it washable.

The design looked OK but needed a yellow dot in the centre to break the design up a bit.
I put quatrefoils on all the green bands (arms and hemline).

The finished tunic. The colours are not to my taste, but I worked with what I had available and the garment should last reasonably well and be easy to care for.

Sewing for Newcomers' Month

March was SCA Lochac Newcomers' Month, and as part of the festivities I went to my local College group to teach a basic garb making class. I had a big box of donated fabric scraps and some purchased fabric and unfortunately no attendees as everyone wanted to learn rapier. So I busied myself making some scraps into t-tunics for newcomers. I ran out of time and took some projects home, thinking it would be a quick job. Which it probably would have been if my sewing machine had not decided to break down! I have more to do at a later time when my machine is fixed.

Basic t-tunic pattern from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/570901690249020212/

The pattern above is the basic shape that I cut my fabric pieces into, although I had to piece the sleeves.

Putting all the pieces together

 The tunic was machine sewn with enclosed seams wherever possible for durability.

Hand sewing a narrow rolled hem for the neckline

The finished tunic ready to go back to the College