no subject

[taimatsu]

I have realised I am going roleplaying over Easter, and therefore I need to sort out costume. I've played Bladelands before (once) but the outfit I made was all wrong, and I've got to dream up something better this time.

My character is basically a medieval tomboy. The period is fairly strict - or at least, I'd like to keep it so, so I do want to make clothes which might plausibly have been worn in medieval times. I need to be able to run, fight, sneak and play the guitar in whatever I make, and it needs to not involve buying patterns.

Last time I made a cream cotton dress very roughly based on medieval styles - but I got the length wrong so it had a ruffle at the bottom. Then I made a ludicrous red muslin half-length skirt thing to go over the top, and a bodice thing. I wound up wrapping the dress skirt round my waist and tucking it under my trousers (which I brought for crewing) for most of the event, and wearing the red skirt round my shoulders. I need to not do that again. :)

So, what do emancipated medieval adventuresses (who are not interested in being sexy or attractive, but still have to make a living singing in pubs) wear?

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Is it feasible that this medieval tomboy has cottoned on to divided skirts? An apparently flowing skirt (perhaps with an apron or wrap to hide any obvious join) that is really palazzo pants would enable movement, at least. I'm not sure what period you're actually talking about (it's a wide brush, 'medieval', really) or how 'male' or female your character is, so it's hard to envisage anything more than that right now.

Coincidentally, I had a great idea for a knitted-then-felted tunic today which I'm going to make for a small boy who is very into Robin Hood (when I get through all the other knitting things I have to do). I assume you're not looking for something quite as male as that, though.

[taimatsu]

Not a bad plan, though I think very wide trousers would get caught on things. My crew trousers are very baggy, and are caught in with string at the ankle. I might have to make a better pair of those, and some more tunic tops.

This character is fairly female, just somewhat unusual in her hobbies and chosen path in life. She'd wear dresses except that they get stuck on bushes and people try to look down the front of them, that kind of thing. :)

Anything from the broad-brush 'medieval' period is fine. They'd just prefer not to have the Renaissance top-and-skirt outfits.

[suave-steve.livejournal.com]

So not a doublet and hoses then?

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

Why not bodice & breeches then?

OK, depends if you have a bodice yet - but if you don't, keep a look out for them at the trader's market if there is one, since a well-made bodice is an invaluable piece of kit - far more effective support-wise than a bra, and provides far more actual armouring against people who don't know how to pull their blows, even if it doesn't give you extra armour dots on the character sheet!

[taimatsu]

Bladelands is a small event and has no traders! But one of these days I will have to get myself a decent bodice, you're right. Good thought :)

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

I think should I ever get a PC, probably on a play & crew slot at the next event, I'm going to be playing a woman of practical bent too.

I was thinking about something culotte like, so that they can tuck into my boots to keep them in check, and a long tunic like dress. While I'm sure you can whizz out a tunic, Medieval Miscellany has a pattern for one here: http://www.mediaevalmisc.com/pp16.htm, and some of the photos of thta one look quite cool.

I have a costume timeline book that might be quite useful for inspiration - do you want me to scan some pages and email them to you?

I've also seen diagrams of a top described for musicians that was quite funky - it had large sleeves, with a traditional opening at the bottom, and a slit in the side seam of the sleeve for you to put your arm out when playing the guitar. Quie funky!

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Which bit of medieval is Bladelands using? I'm not very historically minded, and can't find a definitive definition of the time period.

If you're interested, we're trying to get a Ren Faire/Larp board on craftster - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=44990.30 - and I've asked Mieke about medieval dark ages stuff - she gave me a couple of links there...

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

It's basically "not rennaissance / tudor", the time period's relatively flexible.

Think Robin Hood ish

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

If you actually mean medieval rather than renaissance then it's quite easy as a lot of styles were worn by both men and women - there's no need to wear breeches, since men commonly wore [things like] dresses. The idea that skirts are less practical is pretty much a modern myth, I think - they're more practical when you consider things like the fact toilets didn't generall exist! The separate bodice and skirt thing didn't come in until about the 1550s, until then, everything would have been all in one.

What about a cotehardie? Like this (http://www.fluffhouse.org.uk/evil_nick/photos_2005/0501_01_Histories/Day_2/slides/Dsc01952.html) one of mine. I might be able to lend you the pattern (http://www.mediaevalmisc.com/pp21-23.htm) it was made from, but my parents are moving house at the moment so it might be hard to find. (If you want it and I do find it, would you be able to trace it? I'm not likely to have any use for the larger sizes but I'd rather keep the pattern intact if possible).

Made in wool, linen or suitable substitute, they're very practical and easy to move in, and it's only the details of styling that make them masculine or feminine. I don't know what they're like for people with a bit more in the chest department than me, but patterns usually explain that kind of thing I think.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

How did you find that pattern to sew? I'm contemplating getting it should I end up with a bladelands PC come June...

[taimatsu]

It's not a bad idea from the period point of view, and I might try to make one for more formal things, but for the usual sort of event I am genuinely worried about getting something flowing stuck on things. I spent a lot of time at the last one crouched in bushes, scrambling up ruined manor-houses, and running for my life over sand-dunes. Anything flowing means I *will* fall over, and therefore get killed, because one wound and I'm in serious trouble :) I want to not have to use my hands to hold up a skirt.

Did *peasants* wear that sort of thing?

(Also, if this comment was in response to my pointer on your journal, I was being needlessly confusing and meant to point you at this.)

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

You know, you've just reminded me I really need to sort out a replacement costume and an apothecary book ...