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This handout was designed for
the class that I gave at the
Canton
of Kappellenberg's meeting on 14 January,
2002. This isn't the scholarly research of a professional. It's just a bunch of things that I learned about sewing
and making garb since I started in the SCA (Society
for Creative Anachronism) in 1990. I'm planning on adding two
companion articles, which will be published on this site: "Basic Sewing Techniques" and
"Fashion Tips and Garb for the SCA." Stay tuned...
BORROW AND COPY
If you’re new to sewing, and particularly if you’re new to the SCA,
I strongly advise you to borrow some garb first.
Most of the five local cantons and the Barony
itself all have decent collections of loaner garb.
Visit your local Chatelaine, Castellan or Gold Key (or whoever is keeping
the loaner garb) and go through the pieces.
What do you like? What colors and fabrics?
You may find a piece that you can copy directly or a style that with
a few modifications in size, trim, color, etc, would be great for you.
You may discover that adding slots up the sides of your version
of that tunic will make it more
comfortable to move in. Borrow
garb from your friends, too.
Borrowing gives you a chance to test-drive different styles before going
through the work of making something you may not like to wear. It
also makes it less likely that you'll do a sloppy job rushing to finish
an outfit for your first event. Make
sure you return things within a reasonable amount of time.
More than two weeks is pushing it.
GO "GARBWATCHING"
Attend SCA events - bring a camera. Takes pictures of outfits that
appeal to you. Seeing the clothes on the people will tell
you how they move and if they look comfortable. Ask people about
their garb. Most people are happy to tell you all about it.
CLOTH TIPS
Cloth Sources (besides fabric stores) - If
you know anyone who sews now or used to sew, odds are pretty good that
they have a pile of fabric that’s been sitting around for ages.
See if you can wheedle it from them for cash or barter.
They may just give it to you to get rid of it.
Ask family, friends, relatives, and co-workers.
Ask at SCA meetings and events.
You could even organize a swap-fest, where people bring in their
extra fabric and garb to swap at a meeting, event or fighter practice.
Look in your closet. That
old corduroy skirt that’s been hanging in there unused could become a
great bodice or hat. An old sheer nightgown could become a set of veils.
I have a great children’s cloak that I made from an old wool
blanket, and a brown corduroy doublet that used to be a maternity dress. You can also find
fabric at yard sales and thrift stores.
Stay away from –
Fabric that requires dry cleaning (unless you WANT to dry clean your
garb). Velour.
Shiny fabrics. Common no-no's that I've seen include shiny
velvets and polished or "candy apple" finish cottons, which
are currently
popular (for some reason) for curtains and other home décor. Stay
away from anything that
feels “creepy” on your skin, and anything
with a plastic backing – like certain drapery and upholstery fabrics.
Most of our events occur in hot weather or involve activities
that heat you up. Ask
yourself if you’d feel comfortable sweating with this cloth against
your skin.
Pre-wash your cloth before you sew!
Especially cotton! Muslin is particularly prone to shrinkage.
Use HOT water and HOT drying.
(Unless you’ve chosen dry-clean only.) (See the chart
below.) Pre-washing usually softens up fabrics that are stiff when
you buy them.
Don't try to save a few bucks by cutting back on fabric.
You'll end up putting the same amount of work into something that will last for years, but
you'll own a lesser quality garment.
Don't rush or cut corners on construction.
If you're going
to pay for the materials and put the work into something, you might as
well do it right. It will last longer and will look more like clothes
that someone would actually have worn, and not like a bad Halloween
costume.
Matching colors and
finding what you want can be tough.
For example, I once bought some red broadcloth and found that I
needed more of the same color. I
went back to the same store the next day and was unable to match the
shade of red. Be very sure
about how much you will need. Then get more. Allow
for shrinkage and the fact that the end of the piece you bought may not
have been cut straight. Also,
you may go to the store with a certain color or type of fabric in mind
and be unable to find it anywhere.
Often it's the fabric in the store that dictates to me what I'm
going to make. I once went shopping for velvet for a green 16th
Century Italian gown, and came home with mustard-colored broadcloth to
make an heraldic surcoat. I made the broadcloth into Italian gown
with matching detachable sleeves and hat. Several years later I
finally cut the gown into simple pleated skirt and dyed it and the hat a
more flattering rust brown (see photo below).
| Dyeing
can change a fabric you hate into a fabric you love.
(examples below) Because it's the only dye I've bothered
to use, I can only tell you about RIT dye, which is found in fabric
stores and most grocery stores in the laundry detergent
section. There are other brands of dye and other methods -
this is just the one I know. I follow the directions on
the box for the washing machine method. I dissolve a
LOT of salt into the dye to help the color set. If the
salt and dye crystals aren't completely dissolved before you add
the fabric, you'll get blotches of darker color on your
fabric. After the piece has been dyed, I air-dry the piece overnight, then I soak the
cloth in a mixture of cold water and white vinegar for an
hour. (I use a 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water
ratio). Then I rinse and machine dry. Note:
when you dye a garment, the thread that sewed it together will
probably not change color, since the thread you'll commonly use
has a high polyester content to keep it from breaking.
This means that if possible, you should dye before you
sew. (See the yellow thread showing up on the inside of
the hat below.) |
This fabric (muslin)
used to be white. |
This fabric (poly-cotton blend)
used to be off-white. |
This brocade tunic used to
be powder-puff blue. |
This heavy cotton weave used to be spicy mustard yellow. |
Cloth usually comes
in 30” wide, 45” wide (often actually 44”) and 60” wide.
When calculating yardage for your project, calculate how many yards
you'll need for each of those fabric widths. It'll save you time
in the store when the 60" wide cloth you were expecting to find
only comes in 30" wide.
Measure 3 times,
cut once. There are
ways to correct most mistakes, but this is agonizing and time-consuming.
Take your time.
Another Disaster Warning - Double, triple,
nay - QUADRUPLE check that your pattern is laid out on the cloth with
the correct side up and that the fabric pattern and the direction of the
weave are arranged correctly before you trace and cut. Especially
if you are tired, in a bad mood or in a hurry. I know better and
I've still done this several times and will undoubtedly do it
again. Beware or you too will experience the sensation of the
blood draining from your face as you realize that you've just cut two
left sleeves out of that expensive and hard-to-find brocade.
TYPES OF CLOTH
Note: When
I use the word "period," I mean something that was used in the
period that the SCA is recreating (something like 600 - 1603 A.D. )
| Acetate |
No!
Bad. Looks modern. Feels creepy. Makes you
sweat. Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers),
technically cellulose acetate. |
| Broadcloth |
Comes in
lots of colors. Good for
shirts, tunics, underdresses and
banners. SHRINK ALERT - if you get 100%
cotton, pre-wash in HOT water and dry hot before sewing!
Cotton/polyester blends are also good – and cheaper.
They’re a bit more durable and colorfast.
Make sure the cotton ratio is higher, otherwise you’ll
get a more modern-looking and less comfortable garment. |
| Brocade |
A jacquard
weave with an embossed effect and contrasting surfaces, often
with floral or plant designs. Can also be woven with silk,
synthetic or man-made fibers. Metallic threads are often
used in brocades. Good for late period garb (1300's and later). |
| Chamois
Flannel |
(Pronounced
"SHAM-mee.") Great stuff!
Strong, very comfortable, comes in great colors.
Can be used for lots of things.
Looks more like wool as it ages. Good for all
periods. |
| Corduroy |
A pile-corded
fabric in which the rib has been sheared or woven to produce a
smooth, velvet-like nap. Use in some
late period (like Elizabethan) outfits and skirts. |
| Damask |
A jacquard
weave - a raised reversible rich weave, patterned in satin or
plain weave. Good for late period garb (1300's and later). |
| Duck |
A heavy,
durable tightly woven cotton or cotton blend fabric. Heavy
weight drill is used in awnings, tents, etc. Lighter duck is
used in summer clothing.. Good for skirts, pants, and rapier hoods and jackets. |
| Hemp
Cloth |
More comfy than cotton.
The finest hemp for fabric is produced in Italy. Hemp fabric is
made from the (non-narcotic) stems of the hemp plant, and looks
and feels similar to linen. Hemp fabric withstands water better
than any other textile product. It wrinkles easily and should
not be creased excessively to avoid wear and breakage of the
fibers. |
| Knit
Fabrics |
Avoid sewing
with stuff like synthetic knits (polyester, etc.) and T-shirt
and sweat shirt fabrics - except when making tights.
Cotton or cotton-Lycra blend T-shirt fabric works great for
tights (cut your pieces on the bias of the fabric for a better
fit - with the rows of knitting oriented diagonally instead of
up-and-down). |
| Linen |
Very
period. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers,
with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. Not only is the
linen fiber strong, it's smooth, making the fabric lint
free. Linen is made from fiber taken from the stalk of the
flax plant The luster is from the natural wax content.
Creamy white to light tan, this fiber can be easily dyed and the
color doesn't fade when washed. Linen does wrinkle easily but
also presses easily. Highly absorbent and a good conductor of
heat, this fabric is cool in garments, which is great for hot
weather.
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| Muslin |
Cheap!
A sheer to coarse plain woven cotton fabric. Muslin comes in
"natural," (cream), bleached (white) or is
occasionally found dyed. The heavy weights can be
scratchye - HOT
washing and drying using fabric softener will soften it
up. SHRINK ALERT – shrinks like crazy! |
| Polyester |
100%
Or high polyester content looks very modern, makes you sweat,
and is a static magnet. In a low-polyester ratio blend
with cotton and wool, it lends strength and stability. |
| Poplin |
A plain
weave fabric. Heavier than broadcloth, with a cross-wise
rib. |
| Rayon |
Made from
cellulose (plant fiber). Begins
to pill and will not age gracefully if machine-washed often and
if you use hot settings. Best if air-dried and then tumbled in dryer on low heat to
fluff. Heat causes rayon
to shrink. Can be found
in great colors. Wrinkles
easily but easy to iron. |
| Satin |
Satin weave
fabrics are characterized by threads that usually float over four
to seven threads before being interlaced with threads laid in the
opposite direction. The floating threads along the surface reflect
light, which gives the fabric its luster. Satin fabrics can be
made from silk or man-made fibers like acetate or polyester.
Requires dry cleaning to maintain in good condition. Silk
satin is period. |
| Silk |
Expensive,
but period.
Silk is a natural protein fiber, like human hair, taken from the
cocoon of the silkworm. All silk is washable. Technically,
silk does not shrink like other fibers. If the fabric is
not tightly woven, washing a silk with tighten up the weave....
thus, lighter weights of silk (say a crepe de chine of 14 mm)
can be improved by washing as it will tighten up the
weave. A tightly woven silk will not
"shrink" or will "shrink" a lot less.
Silk garments, however, CAN shrink if the fabric has not been
washed prior to sewing. When washing silk, don't wring, but roll
in a towel. Silk dries quickly but should not be put in an
automatic dryer unless the fabric was dried in an automatic dryer
prior to sewing. A good shampoo works well on silk. It will
remove oil and revitalize your silk. Don't use an alkaline
shampoo or one which contains ingredients such as wax,
petroleum, or their derivatives, as these products will leave a
residue on your silk and may cause "oil" spots. If
static or clinging is a problem with your silks, a good hair
conditioner (see above cautions) may be used in the rinse water.
Silk may yellow and fade with the use of a high iron setting.
Press cloths and a steam iron are recommended. Silk is also
weakened by sunlight and perspiration. Silk is used to
make many other kinds of fabric. |
| Tweed |
A rough
textured wool, originally homespun and slightly felted. This
fabric is sturdy with a mottled color. |
| Twill |
A cotton or
cotton blend similar to poplin and duck. |
| Velour |
A
modern-looking synthetic that’s highly static-prone. Blech. |
| Velvet |
A horror to
sew, as it likes to creep as you sew it – use LOTS of pins.
Stay away from the shiny kind - it looks glaringly modern
and is a magnet for static electricity.
Cotton velvet is great and comfy. Some synthetic
velvets look good. Stay away from the shiny stuff and
anything with vinyl or plastic backing. |
| Wool |
Good for
cloaks and winter outerwear.
Lighter weights can be used for most garb that’s not
worn against the skin. SHRINK
ALERT! - Shrinks if machine-washed or dried and in hot water,
especially if it's fuzzy and/or a loose weave!
Can be itchy. Wool
blends are good and less prone to shrinkage and itchiness.. Stays
warm whether wet or dry. (See Tweed). |
PATTERN TIPS
Getting Patterns - You can borrow garb
and use it to help you draft a pattern. Make any adjustments needed to
make it fit you. There are costume pattern books in the library
and tons of resources online. A great place to start is The
Costume Page. Simplicity now has a decent line of "period"
costume patterns, (follow this link, then click on
"Costumes" from the menu on the left, then click on
"Period Costumes".) These can be found year-round in most fabric
stores.
Pattern Materials - Use paper grocery bags to make patterns.
You can tape them together to make bigger pieces.
You can also use rolls of brown craft paper.
Newspaper also works, but it's not as durable and your markings aren't as easy to
see.
Take Your Time With Fitting - For closely fitted patterns, like
bodices and doublets,
make a cloth mock-up of the pattern with crappy fabric that you
don’t like. Figure out if you need to make any adjustments – if so,
make a new paper pattern. Repeat
until you’re completely satisfied with the pattern.
Mark Your Patterns - Mark each pattern piece to indicate what it
is and who it’s for. Mark
it with the date AND the time. If
you make several versions in the same day, you’ll know which is the
current one.
DECORATION
Trim - There are an amazing variety of trims available in fabric
and craft stores, but they can be expensive. If you trim
an entire outfit with store-bought trim, it's likely that you'll spend more money on trim than the
fabric. When buying trim,
bring the cloth to be trimmed to the store with you so that you can find
something that looks good with it.
One cheap alternative is using strips of a good patterned fabric,
or even a complimentary solid color. There’s a great article in
the Known World Handbook about how to make flat trim follow a curve
(such as on necklines and on curved hems).
Hand Embroidery - Time consuming, but period, and a great way to show
off your skills.
| Appliqué
–
Here is one type of appliqué technique. I use it on banners, wall
hangings, and heraldic garb. Draw
the design on the cloth. Cut
it out – LEAVE AN INCH AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE DESIGN.
Pin the cloth to the piece of garb or the banner and sew around
the outside of the design with a tight zig-zag stitch, the trim away the
excess fabric close to the stitching with a pair of SHARP,
POINTED scissors.. Use a zig-zag stitch to do as much of the inside of the
design as possible. If
there is a lot of detailing, you can use a double layer of cloth for the
design piece and do the inner detailing on the machine before you attach
it to the banner or garb. For
lines too delicate for machine stitching, you can use paint or hand
stitching. The detailing on this tiger (right) was done with latex
paint. The tiger was attached to the banner with this kind
of appliqué technique. |
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| Painting
Fabric is Period – Instead of buying expensive fabric paints in
tiny bottles, use flat latex house paint instead.
(Have you ever tried to wash house paint out of your
clothes? Didn't come out, did it?) The
exception to this is metallics, which can be difficult to find
in larger amounts. Look for latex and acrylics. You may want to
thin it a tiny bit with water. You can buy stencils in fabric
and craft stores. You can also find them in hardware
stores in the paint and home improvement sections. You
can also make your own stencils by photocopying your design onto
clear plastic overhead transparency sheets and cutting out the design with an X-Acto
knife. You can also do
wooden or linoleum block printing. Make
sure that you put down plastic or several layers of newspaper when you
paint fabric. It will
bleed – through two or three layers of cloth. |
These
ermine spots were done with gold paint using the laser
transparency method dabbing the paint on with a sponge. |
Tracing Designs – I made myself a makeshift light table by
placing an old glass stereo door across the seats of two chairs spaced
about one and a half feet apart, and shining a desk
lamp up from underneath. This
is how I trace the patterns for my banners onto the cloth.
You can see through even black broadcloth well enough to trace
with this method. On some of the
designs, instead of tracing the design onto the cloth and then painting
it in, I just started painting right onto the fabric on the light table without tracing
first, which saved a lot of time.
Jewels and Studs - There are kits available in fabric and craft
stores that allow you to attach jewels and metal studs to cloth
and leather. A quicker and easier method of attachment is Aleen's
OK to Wash-It Fabric Glue, which has kept the jewels on Countess
Brigit’s gowns
for 7 years and counting. It's available in fabric and craft
stores.
| Buttons as Decoration
– One possibility is to sew decorative shank-type buttons along a line of solid trim. Note: buttons used on
the neckline love to get caught in long hair. For this
reason, I removed the buttons from the back of the neckline
shown here at the right.
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MISCELLANEOUS
SEWING TIPS
Get a pair of SHARP scissors just for cloth.
Don’t use them for anything else.
Hide them so no one else in your house uses them.
My kids dulled three pairs of scissors before I started hiding
them. Dull scissors make
ragged cuts and pull on the fabric threads, and they take longer to do
the job.
Get a seam ripper! - This is a cheap but essential tool. I
have two in case I misplace one. This is for when you make
mistakes (and you will), and you need to pick out the stitches. It
also helps remove buttons, etc.
Other Essential Tools – Measuring tape, a
yardstick, a clear plastic ruler marked both in inches and centimeters.
Buying Thread in Cones (not spools) is cheaper - An average spool of
of thread (250 yards) costs about $1.95. A cone of thread (3,000
yards - that's three thousand yards) costs about $2.99. You’ll need to buy a cone
thread holder (available in fabric stores for about $5.69), but it pays for itself quickly if you sew
a lot.
Get several packs of bobbins - It’s annoying to have to
unwind a bobbin because you need to change thread colors and have no bobbins
for your new color.
Save those old soap chips - Use old bits of bar soap to draw
pattern lines on fabric. The
lines wipe away when you’re done and the residue washes off. The lines don’t blur as easily as chalk.
Let them dry and keep them in a zip-lock bag in your sewing box.
Get LONG dressmakers’s or quilting pins with large balls on the ends
- The tiny ones aren’t as useful on heavier fabrics or multiple
layers. The large plastic
balls make dropped pins easier to find than the plain steel ones.
When ironing pinned fabric, be careful not to melt the plastic
balls on the pins.
Pin ACROSS the seam line and just sew over the pins - Don’t pin
parallel to the seam line. You’ll
have to stop and remove each pin. You may bend or break a few pins
this way, but it's worth the time saved. There
are many cases, particularly with certain kinds of hems, where you won’t
need to use pins at all. Experiment
a little to find out. This
will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Use a magnet to pick up large numbers of spilled pins and needles.
You will need an iron and an ironing board
- If your iron
takes forever to heat up and forever to iron and does a crappy job, get
a decent one. You need an
iron to flatten out the new fabric that you’ve just pre-washed, and I
can’t imagine making anything with seams, hems, collars, plackets,
dags, etc. without one. Ironing without an ironing board is way
too much work.
Use plastic photo film canisters to store sewing needles,
beads and other small notions. Label
the canister with a permanent marker.
You can also store 4 bobbins of popular thread colors (black,
white, and other colors you wear a lot) and several needles in a film
canister to make a great emergency sewing kit to have at events.
Use zip-lock bags and/or small clear plastic sealable containers to
organize the junk in your sewing box. It won’t matter if you drop your sewing box – everything
will stay organized. The
clear plastic will help you find things quicker.
Fray Check is Your Pal – This is a light fabric glue that
keeps small
tears and accidental cuts from getting bigger and ruining a
garment. Available in fabric stores.
Sewing Supply Prices - Here's a good website (Hancock
Fabrics) to help you gage the current average cost of sewing
supplies.
THE SEWING MACHINE
Learn Then Buy - If you don't already have a sewing
machine, your local Chatelaine, Castellan or Arts & Sciences Officer
should be able to hook you up with someone who has a machine
and is willing to let you come over and show you how to use it.
One-on-one is the best way to learn. You can also attend
"Sewing Machine Driver's Ed" classes at SCA meetings, Collegiums or Universities. If there isn't a
such a class class scheduled, you
can request that one be held.
Learning to Use a Sewing
Machine
You can’t use a sewing machine by yourself unless you've learned how to:
-
Thread
the machine.
-
Wind
the bobbin.
-
Insert
the bobbin.
-
Take
up the thread.
You should also
know how to perform the following basics:
Make sure that you can do
each of these things several times while your "expert" is
there. This should take about an
hour, including practice time. Practice on scrap fabric until you're
comfortable.
Finding a Machine
- You can find machines in the
classified ads for as cheap as $50. Just keep checking the newspaper!
Most newspapers these days also post their classified ads online, so it’s
even easier to find what you’re looking for. (Try
this link for the Triangle area.)
I found my current machine brand new in the want ads for $75 – it had been a
gift to a person who wasn’t interested in sewing.
You can also put the word out and ask on your local
SCA mailing lists.
There’s bound to be someone with an unused machine out there.
Repair and Adjustment -
If your your machine isn’t
working, take it to a professional.
The culprit is usually the tension needing adjustment, but parts can also wear down or break. Expect to pay about
$60 to have it repaired, tuned,
oiled and tested.
If you have a weird machine (none of your friends can tell you
how to thread it or insert the bobbin and you don't have a manual), have
the repair person show you how to thread it, etc, after they've fixed the
machine before you take it home.
Make a set of how-to diagrams while you're there (it’s easy to forget) and thread it, insert the
bobbin and take up the thread a few times
while the "expert" is watching.
If your machine doesn't have a manual - you can probably locate the
manufacturer online and download the manual for your machine or ask
them to send you one. You can also contact a local dealer and ask
them how to get one. Make sure you have the brand and model number
handy when asking.
Cleaning and Oiling Your Machine
-
Again,
it’s good to have a manual so that you know what to clean and oil.
You’ll need to do this periodically – more often if you use
your machine a lot and more often if you sew fabric that generates a lot
of fluff. Cleaning and
oiling makes the machine work better and last longer.
The difference is quite noticeable.
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