Hats, Headscarves, Kerchiefs, and Things on Your Head

Since I'm really really REALLY annoyed seeing women who would in period be wearing hats and hair coverings in period at SCA events with bare skulls, I went into this whole project to really make wearable peasant or working class garb from top to bottom. I fudged the underwear, but we'll talk about that later.

Pieter Brueghel the Elder's paintings are distinctive in their portrayal of peasant head gear, especially on women. Often in a Brueghel painting, the brightest eye-catching areas are those where a blindingly white kerchief (for lack of a better name) is atop a lady's head.

So here they are:



Some headgear from Aertsen:



Holbein's paintings are much more aimed at the wealthy upperclass and nobility, so I have left him off here because the headdresses are quite a bit different.

Incredible Northern German Woodcuts of Peasants

July and August

I've never seen these woodcuts before, or heard of the artist. Hans Sebald Beham. He was a German engraver who lived between 1500 and 1550 CE. His subjects range from the super religious to the allegorical to the bawdy peasantry. His details are exquisite. It looks to me as though most of his work was produced in the final 10 years of his life.

What is incredible to me is that these engravings have not really been "recognized" by SCA people who make 16th C. Flemish or continental peasant garb. I was put on the trail of them from a random web posting about the subject. So all credit goes to Michaela de Bruce at http://glittersweet.com for her answer to someone else's inquiry. Check her site out, she's an excellent art resource and her personal work is spectacular.

The SCA is a very tradition oriented organization. While people are finding new things all the time, most people focus on what others have found and the "bigwigs" have "approved". Hopefully, a new generation of SCAdians can shake some of these notions. I know that I'll definitely take any research I can get as long as I can verify it..


SO anyway, on to these most excellent engravings. They are difficult to link to because the best versions are at a site that has incredibly long http's. But I'll give some instructions:

1.) Go to http://collectionsonline.lacma.org

2.) Search for "Hans Beham" or "Beham Peasants"

There are also several other places to find large collections of his work. A Google search should bring them up.



I love this print because it is so bawdy. You've got groping, puking, reveling. This just reminds me of what actually goes on at SCA events. I'm sure I'm not the only one to suspect that we're all much more peasant than our automatic nobility status confers. Americans especially have never really gotten on the "proper behavior" bandwagon.

I love the SCA.

YiStTD,

Gillian

Cost of Constructing a Working Class 16th Century Flemish kit from head to toe

This is my run down on what is cost me in fabric and notions to put this kit together from skin out and head to toe. It's always good to give yourself a budget and stick to it. Include notions because the cost of thread and ribbon and other items can add up quickly and put you terribly over budget. I didn't have a budget for this project, but I did have a goal of about $40.00 because this project is for a class *about* building good, researched garb on the cheap. Since it looks as though this has worked in my favor, I'll set a serious budget for my next kit of this magnitude.


Smock:
-White quilting muslin $2.99

Bum roll:
-All scrap with scrap fabric stuffing: $0.00

Caul:
-White quilting muslin $0.99

Kerchief alternate:
-white quilting muslin $0.99
--jewelry wire frame from scrap $0.50

Partlets:
-White linen/poly remnant cut $0.99
--lined with white muslin $0.50

-Black wool suiting remnant cut $1.50
--lined with black cotton poly scrap ~$0.50

Sleeves:
-Gold-colored polyester brocade remnant cut $5.99
-Dark blue dyed linen scrap ~$2.00

Kirtle:
-Cotton canvas 10 oz scrap from tent-making ~$3.00
--skirt lined with blue cotton duck scrap ~$1.00
--outer layer black poly cotton Goodwill $1.99

Gown:
-Outer layer maroon 300 thread count cotton sheet Goodwill $3.99
--Skirt lining Blue cotton lightweight $7.00

Thread:
-donated thread $0.00

Lacing hooks:
-hook and eyes $1.89

Lacing:
-Ribbon scrap $0.50 (to be replaced with donated luceted thread)

Hosen:
-my own hosen from other garb: use Medieval Tailor's Assistant book or the many online sources for construction methods. Scrap fabric in linen, wool, and cotton sheeting. Cut on the bias.

Garters:
-my own garters, but fabric scraps tied under the knees are what I've been using for a year.

Shoes:
-my own shoes from other garb, but shoes can be had from Lady Oren's Medieval Shoes for as low as $45.00 with shipping.

Total without shoes, garters and hosen: approximately $38.32

Total with new shoes, garters, and hosen: approximately $90.00 But shoes are a one-time purchase. And if you get a flexible style that will travel across several time periods like I did, you can use them for all your garb if it manages to span time and space like mine does. Or you can wear whatever shoes you happen to have in the closet. Anybody that cares enough to say anything to you needs to have an attitude adjustment.

Good luck!

YiStTD,

Gillian, the exhausted

Flemish Garb for the class is coming together

Basically, I just need to sit down and make an organized plan for how I'm going to complete this project. Right now I feel like I'm paralyzed because I don't know where to begin.Plus I enjoy research and collecting fabrics a lot more than actually putting together the garb--even though I always love the finished product.



I figure this is as good a place as any to give myself an outline that will ease my mind.

1.) Officially rework my patterns and layouts for the kirtle, gown, caul, bum roll, kerchief and both partlets. Sleeves are fine and ready to be cut, lined, and sewn. Smock needs hemming and neck finished.

2.) Choose fabrics and notions for each item and officially designate them. Make a list of fabric and notions cost.

3.) Pattern out bodices of kirtle and gown on grid fabric--fit onto outer shell of each piece--fit to body.

4.) Pattern out one partlet on grid fabric, use for both. Allow for simple ruffle on white layer.

5.) Cut other bodice layers for kirtle and gown. Baste and fit--allow an inch for fitting. Use weaving cane to stiffen any areas with lacing loops. Finish and leave bottom open for skirts.

6.) Cut flat front for kirtle skirt, cut 2 cartridge pleat back panels for kirtle skirt.

7.) Cut 3 panels cartridge pleating for gown skirt.

8.) Cartridge pleat kirtle back panels and gown skirt panels until eyes bleed.

9.) Attach skirts to bodices--swear profusely because fitting pleats (and setting cartridge ones) is a bitch like none other. Add lacing loops and check everything for tensions--refit after crying about fitting errors.

10.) Cut and fit partlets with white linen partlet getting the small ruffle, starch, and press. Sew on a hook and eye for each closure area.

11.) Measure, cut and fit caul.

12.) Measure, cut, and fit kerchief,

13.) Wing it on the bumroll. Scraps are out friend. Make it smaller than a Elizabethan roll.

14.) Put everything on for final fitting. Be proud of myself and proud of the fact that I can now teach other people to make these and how to not wear wench gear--I HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE.

15.) Freak out with stage fright at teaching people about this class.

YiStTD,

Gillian

Explanations for the move

I started this as a separate place to put all of my class work for the Flemish garb. It was cluttering up my two other garb blogs and it was just not fitting into them like I thought they should.

Over the next few days I'll get my posts for this blog up to date. Tonight I'll get the first one up. Hopefully, I provide a resource for other garbers with an eye for the authentic.



To those of you just getting here: I was asked to finish and present a concentrated 1/2 hour version of the class I began last summer for presentation, twice at Squire's Revolt. The event is at the end of April this year, which means I have to buckle down and finish this project and the class set-up in about a month and a half.

This is good and bad for me. Bad because I usually wait until the last minute to work on any garb--which is why this class went unfinished last year. Good because it has forced me to seriously dig into the research and creation. At home, there is a pile of fabric with this project's name on it--which is farther than I got last year.

My goal is to fit and finish everything myself with only the help of Bryan to pin and fit. I'm nearly ready to start measuring and cutting. I hope to get to that by this weekend. Cross your fingers.

So that's all for now. More updates soon.

Yours in Service to The Dream,

Gillian de Chelseye
Deputy Chronicler, Canton of Ealdnordwuda