Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
Hydration is always important, be it at an SCA event, a fantasy-medieval LARP, or an afternoon at the Renaissance Faire, and while a wooden mug may not be the best way to store or transport water (see my waterskin post for an idea for that!), drinking from one is going to be a lot more immersive than using a plastic cup!
This mug started life as an 8 oz kuksa from Überleben, and while it certainly wouldn’t have stood out at an SCA or LARP event in its original form, I always like to personalize things a bit! Since this was a gift for a friend who occasionally participates in Viking reenactment, I took inspiration from a ceramic cup that was found in Gotland, Sweden.
I am not a talented enough woodworker to make a cup from a piece of wood, but I have the tools and the stubbornness to make a few tweaks to an existing piece! I removed the lower part of the kuksa handle, reshaped what was left, and sanded the outside down a bit.
If I had a belt sander, I would have taken it all the way smooth, but sandpaper just wasn’t cutting it! I also replaced the leather lanyard and metal clip with a piece of hemp cordage and a horn toggle that should keep the cup close to hand if tucked under a belt.
It’s certainly not a match to the extant piece in material or form, but it’s a bit more unique than an unaltered commercial product. Try as I might, it’s not reasonable to expect to become proficient in all the skills necessary to make every piece of kit you need from the ground up, and while it would be wonderful to commission all custom pieces (both for your impression and for artists!), that would cost more than many are willing or able to spend. Modifying purchased gear is a great way to both develop new skills and build a unique, immersive kit!
A coworker of mine who is involved with Living History at Agecroft Hall found out that I do leatherworking as a hobby and asked me to make her a leather mug. She requested that it look right, but didn’t mind if I used some modern means to accomplish that end.
In order to make a leather mug that looked like one from the 17th century (Agecroft’s Living History portrays the family in 1631), I had to figure out what a 17th century jack looked like! Making things a little more difficult was the fact that my coworker portrays a servant, so she needed a lower class mug to fit her impression. Until fairly recently, museums were mostly interested in upper class objects (looking at you, Victorians!), so lower class items can be hard to find references for in museum collections. I was able to find two auction house listings for 17th century leather mugs, though - one dated to 1680 - 1720 from David Charles Dodge Antiques and one dated to the 17th century from Hiscock and Shepard Antiques. It was the latter that I referenced heavily in my own mug -
Because I don’t necessarily trust antique sellers as much as I trust museums when it comes to dating objects (which is probably unfair on my part), I compared the general construction of the jacks I found to that of 16th/17th century leather bombards in museum collections. The Museum of London has one dating to the 16th or 17th century (item number 4566), and Warwick Castle has two massive leather bombards. Some common features between the smaller mugs sold by the auction houses and the larger bombards from the museums include the double rows of stitching and the odd triangular handles. It seems like round handles are more common on 18th century jackware.
I also found a bit of discussion about 17th century leather mugs in Oliver Baker’s “Black Jacks and Leather Bottells”:
“OF LEATHERN MUGS
In addition to the huge tankards known as bombards and the big jugs called black jacks, ancient leather pots are sometimes me with, which as so small as scarcely to be dignified by either of those names; neither have they their vaired contour nor their characteristic build. They are simply “mugs” of leather. Though always included in the term “black jacks,” these mugs during the 16th century were more frequenty called “gispens”… The term “Gispen,” usual in the 16th and 17th centuries for a leathern mug, is so spelt in Halliwell’s “Dictionary of Archaic Words,” and also in Nare’s Glossary. Palsgrave in his “Lesclaircissement de la Lange Francoyse,” printed in 1523, calls it “gyspen potte,” and translates it “pot de cuir.” There were “xiii lethern Gyspens” at Westminster Abbey at the Dissolution. They are mentioned in “An Inventory of the Buttereye remaynynge in the Custodye of Gabrell Palley to thuse of the late Abbotte.” (Printed in Transactions of Lon. and Middx. Archaeo. Soc., Vol. IV., p.356.)” - Baker, Oliver (1921). “Black Jacks and Leather Bottells”, p. 125
“In an inventory of 1540, now at Belvoir Castle, were among the goods of Lord Sande’s “In the Buttery. Item vii gallon potts of lether, and vii gyspins, one wt another iiiid.”
According to Bishop Kennet the gispen was a leather jack and was in use at Winchester (Lands. MSS., 1033.). In the Computus of the Bursar of Winchester College, jacks holding as much as a gallon are called gispens. The following entry occurs in 1569. “Sol pro iij lagenis de corio vocat ly gyspyns ad usum scholarium et serventium, iijs iijd.” (Annals of Winchester College, 1982, p. 227.)
In the Legend of Captain Jones, written by the Rev. D. Lloyd in 1648, is the passage:
“In this great disaster
Raymond the soldier’s mariner and master
Lost heart and head to rule; then upstart Jones
Calls for six gispins, drinks them off at once.” Etc.
In the Roxburghe collection of ballads is one of about 1665 called “The King of Good Fellows or the Merry Toper’s Advice,” in which the same vessel is alluded to:
“Twas I that lately drunk a Pint pot
Filled with Sack unto the brim,
And to my Friend, and he drank his Pot
So merrily went about the Whim;
Two gaspins at a draught I poured down my throatl
But hang such trifling things as these!
I laid me all along, put my nose unto the Bung
And drank out a Hogshead-full with ease.”(Roxburghe Ballads, Part XVIII, Vol VI, p. 502)
The “gespins atte the Picher-house” are mentioned in the Ordinances of Charles II, while the purchase by the same King of three gispens, and of a “Gespin” and some black jacks by Charles I is mentioned in Chapter VIII of the present work.
It is certain that in old times, cups a mugs of leather were few in number compared to jacks of larger sizes, if it were only because of the immense number of wooden cups which were in use, till comparatively modern days.” - Baker, Oliver (1921). “Black Jacks and Leather Bottells”, p. 126
“It will be seen therefore that with wooden cups in such numbers the necessity for leather pots of small size would not seem to be great, and that in fact records of them are scarce, partly because in old documents the sizes are rarely given. The reference to a pint cup of leather already mentioned is quite exceptional, for though “pottillers of lether” and “gallons of lether” are often specified and leather tankards are distinguised from leather cans, any smaller than “stopes” are rarely met with.
LATE LEATHER MUGS
There is in Salisbury Museum a very small jack which is of especial interest as having a date upon it. It is of very unusual shape, especially for a small one, being tubby and globose instead of straight and mug-like. On a panel reaching right across the front are the letters R.S.M., 1658.” - Baker, Oliver (1921). “Black Jacks and Leather Bottells”, p. 128
So, thanks to Mr. Baker, I know that I should be calling the leather mug a gispen, and while small ones like the one requested by my coworker were somewhat unusual, it should be “straight and mug-like”, much like the Hiscock and Shepard example.
With all that in mind, I started work on the mug. I made it from three pieces of heavy leather (3/16th of an inch thich, or 12 oz) - a molded leather bottom, a single piece forming the sides and handles, and a handle-shaped piece to add additional strength and width to the handle. This first thing I did was mold the bottom -
I don’t know if the original bottoms were molded before stitching, but giving the bottom some structure makes the stitching easier. If the originals were molded, I imagine that wooden molds were used. I am no woodworker, unfortunately, so I used a lid and a thermos to shape the leather. I have since learned that folks making these mugs often use a piece of PVC and a hose clamp to shape this piece, which is brilliant, and definitely what I will use in the future!
After I let the leather dry, I trimmed it to shape and cut out the other pieces -
Next I punched stitching holes for the handle and along the bottom of the sides. After stitching the handle together, I shoved the bottom into the body of the mug and punched stitching holes with an awl into the bottom through the ones I had already made along the bottom of the sides.
Here it is all stitched together -
Since my coworker requested period looking, but not necessarily period correct, I used a modern thread to hold the thing together and modern Eco-Flo leather dye to turn the mug black. I sealed it with beeswax using a method similar to the described here, applying a thin coat to the outside and a thicker coat on the inside. Pitch would be more authentic, and while I have used brewer’s pitch before (for my costrel), my coworker was a little leery of it. If she changes her mind down the road, it will be easy enough to reline the mug, though!
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out! While it’s not terribly authentic, it looks right, which was the goal. If you’d like to see a black jack done extremely authentically, check out this write-up on Skill Cult - I was blown away when I found it!
Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
Hydration is always important, be it at an SCA event, a fantasy-medieval LARP, or an afternoon at the Renaissance Faire! Unfortunately, nothing spoils the look of an excellent kit like drinking from a plastic bottle. For medieval European impressions, there are a few options for historically appropriate canteens (such as a leather costrel), but if that is not an option for you, a modern bota bottle can be dressed up to look like a more old-fashioned wineskin/waterskin.
I converted this bota bottle for a friend of mine. He does an 11th century Viking impression, and he needed a canteen. The most defensible option that I can come up with (based on extent pieces that I have seen on the internets) for his impression would be a ceramic bottle based on the Winchester costrel (dated to the 10th or 11th century - see images/information here and here). Ceramics are not something I can manage, though (at the moment, at least), and are quite heavy and somewhat fragile - not optimal qualities for the historically-informed hiking and camping my friend does. The next most defensible option would be to make a leather bottel based on the Winchester costrel - the form and decoration (including what look to be faux stitching holes!) have lead some to suggest that it is a ceramic bottel made to look like a leather one. This is could be interpreted as evidence for the use and form of leather bottels in this period. I have made leather costrels before, but my friend is immunocompromised, so I was worried about giving him a wax/pitch-sealed vessel that might be a bit difficult to clean.
Since it seemed like more historically correct options weren’t going to be best in this situation, I decided to take a modern bota bottle (with its relatively easy to sanitize plastic bladder) and disguise it as something that wouldn’t call attention to itself when worn with 11th century clothing. I bought a 2L version for $14 on Amazon, since 2L is a decent amount of water to carry - enough for a day hike or the like without being terribly heavy or bulky.
The first thing I did was unscrew the cap and pop off the red piece of plastic covering where the cover and the opening meet. It’s just stuck on there - a little wiggling will take it right off.
The suede and plastic bag cover is held close to the mouth piece with a little piece of synthetic twine. I untied that, popped a few stitches at the opening of the cover, then pulled out the bladder.
The bladder has a little moisture in it - that’s because I filled it up to check for leaks before disassembling the bota bag. At this point I was pretty much done with the original cover. I could have potentially replaced the grey plastic parts of the cover with strips of leather, which would have reduced the amount of leather I needed, but I decided to just make a whole new cover.
Before I started on the new cover, though, I wanted to make something to disguise the plastic mouth piece. My woodworking skills are fairly nonexistent, so I didn’t want to start from scratch. That’s why the mouth piece started as a 1 5/8″ wooden candle cup with a 7/8″ hole from the craft store.
I sawed off the bottom and used a knife to flatten out a bit of the curve at the sides. I used it in it’s original orientation - the curved, finished top became the top of the mouthpiece and the sawed off side would be covered up. I also filed a groove into the bottom to give the new leather cover a place to grab onto the mouthpiece.
A test fit showed me that everything was going together. A better, faster, easier way to do this would be to find someone halfway decent with a lathe to turn me a mouthpiece (or even better, teach me how to turn my own!), but that wasn’t an option at the moment. This worked, though! I used some Gorilla Glue to attach the wooden mouthpiece to the plastic one. Gorilla glue expands as it dries, which gave me a good connection and seal, and is waterproof and food safe after drying.
I probably didn’t need to, but to re-enforce the seals where the wood met the plastic and where the rigid plastic met the plastic bladder, I wrapped some silicone tape around the plastic mouthpiece. I don’t think it was really necessary, but I had some from another project, and it also seemed like it would make it easier to bind the leather cover to the plastic mouthpiece.
I made the cover by tracing the bladder, adding in a bit for seam allowances, and transferring the pattern to a cowhide split I had around.
I used a split because my understanding is that (at least some) wineskins were/are made by cutting the shape out of a goatskin with the hair still attached, sewing it with the hair on the outside, turning it so that the hair is on the inside, and then coating the hairs with some sort of pitch mixture (here’s a video of the process). That means that the outside of the wineskin is the flesh side of the hide, rather than the top grain. The finish of a cowhide split doesn’t look exactly the same as the flesh side of a goat hide, of course but it seemed like it would be closer than smooth, top grain leather. Splits are also relatively cheap!
If you don’t want to use real leather, you could probably use a microsuede, but I would back it with canvas or another sturdy fabric, just to give it some strength.
I stitched the two panels together, adding loops (for the shoulder cord) between the two panels as I went.
I used mostly linen thread, but I ran out towards the end and swapped in some fine hemp cordage I had around for beading. It worked quite well! Make sure to sew the loops between the panels, pointing towards the middle so they will be correctly oriented when the cover is turned right-side out.
Now for the hard part - turning the cover and sliding the bladder into it! I wish I had some secret for this part, but I don’t. To turn the cover, you just have to force the bottom through the opening and work it slowly. It’ll give your hands quite a workout! You could wet the leather to make it stretch, but that might deform it. To insert the bladder, I folded it like an accordion down its length and fed it into the opening, then blew into it to inflate it into its unfolded shape.
Now that’s starting to look like something! To attach the cover to the mouthpiece, I wrapped hemp twine around the top where they met.
Leather or rawhide would work, as well, but I had some decent hemp twine around, so I used that. I added a cork to close it up (a carved wooden stopple would be more appropriate, but see my comments about woodworking above) and a hemp cord strap, then called it done!
Not at all authentic, but it’s a functional (and relatively easy to clean) water carrier that doesn’t call attention to itself in a medieval European-inspired setting. It’s also relatively inexpensive and simple to put together, and different size bota bags can be used, depending on how much water you want to carry. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out!
Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
Hydration is always important, be it at an SCA event, a fantasy-medieval LARP, or an afternoon at the Renaissance Faire! Unfortunately, nothing spoils the look of an excellent kit like drinking from a plastic cup (except maybe brightly colored sneakers), and while I have eaten my fair share of protein bars and the like, I find eating “in character” food with appropriate utensils to be a relatively inexpensive way to get more immersed in an event!
There are plenty of places to purchase feast gear online, and you can find a wide variety of pieces in terms both of authenticity and price (although spending more money doesn’t always mean you’re getting a more authentic piece!). If you are assembling your gear with a particular time period and culture in mind, it would be no bad thing to do a little research into what sort of eating equipment was used in that time and place - I highly recommend Karen Larsdatter’s linkpage on Eating Utensils and “Feast Gear” as a place to start! While exacting historical replicas are probably not going to be available to folks on a tight budget, you can keep the basic design elements in mind while you look for more affordable alternatives.
The feast gear set pictured above is one I assembled for about $20, mainly of purchases I made from nearby bricks-and-mortar stores. It’s not going to win any prizes for authenticity, but it has a generic European medieval feel to it that would blend in well at SCA or fantasy-medieval LARP events.
- Ceramic Belly Mug from World Market, $7
- Treble Clef Spoon from World Market, $4
- Tondo 9" Acacia Wood Plate from Crate and Barrel, $8
- Stonewave oven (without the dumb lid) as a bowl from Goodwill, $1-3
I find Stonewave ovens at thrift stores very frequently, and they work well as both a bowl and a small pipkin for campfire cooking!
Speaking for thrift stores, I’ve thrifted quite a lot of passable feast gear over the past few years!
I have the advantage of living in Virginia, so stuff from Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and various other historic sites finds its way to Goodwill fairly often. The blue and white tankards and the green and yellow pitcher are examples of that, but most of the other stuff is just old-fashioned looking modern pieces. I find mugs most frequently, but I’ve also found wooden and ceramic bowls and pewter plates. A note on pewter - older pewter sometimes contains lead, so do yourself a favor and get a lead detection kit from the hardware store if you decide to go in the thrifted pewter direction! As always when it comes to thrifting gear, thrift early and thrift often :)
Feast gear can be an inexpensive way to add some depth to your kit and to increase your event’s immersion, both for yourself and others!
Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
A lot of pre-15th century reenactors and LARPers wear a tunic with a belt. The belt helps keep the tunic from looking like a nightshirt, and gives you a place to hang lots of stuff! Sometimes a modern belt gets pressed into service when someone is starting out or has overlooked this piece of gear until the last minute, but there is an easy way to make a modern belt look instantly less modern - tie off the tail!
I used my medieval-style belt for these pictures, but it works for a modern belt, as well! It also forces the tail to hang downwards, instead of flopping away from your body (since your tunic doesn’t have belt loops to keep it in check!). The amount of tail necessary is going to vary depending on the width of the belt, but if you’re using a 1.5″ belt, you probably want to get one that is at least a foot longer than your waist measurement.
You can find plain leather belts at thrift stores, or a belt makes a great beginner leatherworking project!
Lost Colonies LARP (also on Meetup and Facebook) is an upcoming game (beginning in September 2018) in the VA/MD/DC area that I’m hoping to participate in, so I’m working on a costume. The game setting combines fantasy with 18th century aesthetics and technology, so my kit will reference 18th century clothing heavily, specifically 18th century longhunters.
I decided to model my waistcoat on the longer styles of the mid-18th century, as opposed to the shorter ones fashionable during the Revolutionary War. It is worsted wool lined with linen.
I started with the Common Man’s or Sailor’s Jacket pattern from Reconstructing History. They have patterns for long waistcoats, but I already had the jacket pattern from a previous project, so I just went with it. I knew that I was going to have to make a lot of alterations, so instead of cutting the pattern out, I traced it. I don’t have a tracing table, though, so I improvised:
It worked surprisingly well! I transferred the pattern to tracing paper, cut it out, and then made a mock-up. And then another mock-up. And another. And another.
If anyone reading this is able to just cut out a pattern, use it to make a garment, and then have that garment fit correctly, you are very lucky! Or I’m just oddly shaped. Or both! I probably could have cut a couple mock-ups out of the process if I had a duct tape double, but I haven’t gotten around to making one yet.
In any case, after I got my pattern where I wanted it, I was able to move to my “real” material - dark drab lightweight worsted wool from Burnley and Trowbridge and unbleached linen from Joann’s for the lining. This was my first time working with worsted - it felt a lot like modern suiting fabric! I cheated and sewed the inner seams by machine with cotton thread and used a modern lining method (since this waistcoat is for a LARP, not reenacting), but I did hand-sew all the visible seams. I also hand-worked the buttonholes:
I used a product called Mandarin Floss in dark beige for the buttonholes - I would have preferred to use linen thread, but the wool proved a tough color to match. The floss is made from bamboo and comes in 6-ply, but I split it down to 3-ply for the buttonholes. Like I said, it wasn’t my first choice of fiber, but the color is almost perfect! I bought some of Townsends’ small pewter button 2nds, so they’ve already got a little character to them.
Here’s the finished garment on a more talented model:
I’m quite pleased with how it turned out! It definitely needs to be lived in a bit, but I’m hoping it’ll work well.
Flint and steel firemaking is a fun and relatively inexpensive skill to learn!
I call this a “medieval(ish)” way to start a fire, because I used charcloth that was baked in a tin to catch the spark from the steel. This is a modern method for producing charred material, but it’s very convenient and consistent, making it great to learn with!
I’ve had trouble finding information on appropriate tinders for 14th century Europe, but I’m working on transitioning to tinders charred over an open flame and then smothered. Amadou/touchwood and charred linen can be documented back to at least the 16th century - “Take those great things which are called olde Todestooles growing out of the bottomes of nuttrees, beechtrees, okes, and such like trees, drye them with the smoke of fire, & then cut them into as many peeces as you will, and hauing well beaten them, boyle the in strong lie with waule floure, or saltpeeter, till all the lie shal be consumend. After this laying them in a heape uppon a boorde, drie them in an oven which must not be made verie hotte, and after you haue so done, beate them well with a wooden mallet, and when you shall haue cause to use any parte of those Todestooles (now by the means above declared made touchwood) rubbe well that parte betweene your handes for to make it softe and apte to take fire. But when you will make tinder for a Gunners tinder boxe, take peeces of fustian, or of old and fine linnen clothe, make them to burn and flame in a fire, & suddenly before the flame which is in the doth die, choke the fire, & keepe their tinder so made in a boxe lined within with clothe, to the ende that it may not be moyste at any time.” (from the English translation of the first three books of Niccolo Tartaglia’s 1546 “Quesiti et Inventioni Diverse” - “Three Bookes of Colloquies Concerning the Arte of Shooting” by Cyprian Lucar, London, 1588) I found that quote on A Woodsrunner’s Diary by Keith Burgess. Amadou is mentioned in an article on earlier period firestarting methods by the Viking Answer Lady, so it seems like it may have been in use through the whole middle ages.
I haven’t had any luck finding conks in the woods I wander, though, and I’d prefer to use natural tinders, so I’ll probably be focusing on using charred punkwood! Using punkwood (or “spunge”, which is a good description of what dried punkwood resembles) as tinder goes back to at least the 18th century - “This induced me to resolve not to travel more by land without my gun, powder and shot, steel, spunge and flint, for striking a fire…” (Patrick Campbell, Canada/New York, 1792), so while it may not be appropriate for the 14th century, it is at least a non-modern method.
Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
There are a lot of tutorials written up for the basic T-Tunic out on the internets. It’s not an authentically medieval construction method, but it’s simple and quick - 2 seams and some hemming and you’re done! Cotton flat-sheets or tablecloths from thrift stores are great, inexpensive fabric sources that can help keep this piece of garb very cost-effective, as well. My personal favorite combination of tutorials is this image and accompanying instructions for the body of the tunic and this tutorial on sewing a keyhole neckline with a facing (but all of the tutorials on “Ilsa Makes Things” are worth checking out!). Some folks have a hard time following pictoral instructions, though, so I made a quick video using a paper mock-up to demonstrate the folds and cuts necessary to make this style of tunic.
Whether it’s LARP, reenacting, SCA, Renaissance faires, or another related activity, one thing that connects all these hobbies is the desire to feel “there”, wherever “there” may be! While imagination is always going to be important for immersion, creating an environment that looks “right” is going to make it easier for it to feel “right”. While I’m a big believer in the idea that the best way to make something look real is to have it BE real, that’s not always possible, usually due to a lack of funds. That’s where “budget immersion” comes in - affordable ideas for creating a more believable atmosphere, or ways to avoid making it less believable, at least! Since most of these ideas are going to involve camouflaging or repurposing modern items, they will likely not be appropriate for events or groups focused on maintaining a high level of historic authenticity, but groups like that should have their own resources to help members meet their standards.
Water is critical for any outdoor event, but if you’re going for a pre-modern look (such as the pseudo-medieval European settings so many fantasy LARPs use), it can pose a challenge. If there is reasonably accessible potable water available, participants can always carry canteens, but to keep everyone hydrated it can be a good idea to have lots of water very easily available. Most folks, when thinking about large pseudo-medieval European water containers, are going to immediately imagine a wooden barrel, but those are quite expensive. So what else could we use?
More easily available are plastic water coolers, but those don’t exactly blend in...
Since most of the events I host only have a few participants, I just have a small 2 gallon water jug. It would be easy enough to throw a tarp or blanket over it, but I wanted to do a little bit more.
That’s better! Okay, so a cloth sack in the woods still stands out, but add some tarp tents and some folks in funny clothes and it’ll fit right in.
I used an old canvas drop cloth to make a bag large enough to fit the cooler in, then padded the corners and top with some scraps of cloth to soften the cylindrical shape of the cooler. The “patch” at the bottom hides the hole for the spout.
The “patch” is sewn down on two sides, and a sew-on magnetic clasp holds it in position when the spout is not in use. I just used more of the drop cloth for the “patch”, but if you wanted something more visible, you could always use a contrasting fabric.
It would probably take a couple folks to wrangle a larger water cooler into a sack, but it should still work! Obviously you’ll need to tell folks that the sacks have water coolers in them, but they will certainly be less of a distraction when they’re disguised like this.
Lost Colonies LARP (also on Meetup and Facebook) is an upcoming game (beginning in September 2018) in the VA/MD/DC area that I’m hoping to participate in, so I’m working on a costume. The game setting combines fantasy with 18th century aesthetics and technology, so my kit will reference 18th century clothing heavily, specifically 18th century longhunters.
A tricorn might be more immediately recognizable as an 18th century hat, but this one should keep the rain and sun off more effectively than a tricorn.
I started with a 100% wool woman’s floppy hat from Target.
Not really my look, I think!
I removed the weird metal hatband thing and trimmed the brim down to about 3 inches.
Much better!
I’m not usually a fan of distressing clothing artificially, but I want this kit to tell a story in the way my other impressions don’t really need to. With that in mind, I pulled out my trusty arts and crafts cutlass and took a swing at the brim. Haha, just kidding! My cutlass wasn’t sharp enough, so I used one of my wife’s seaxes. The resulting slash in the brim had a slight curve and unevenness to it that I don’t think I would have gotten with scissors. I then repaired it with a quick baseball stitch in linen thread.
That was a close one!
To finish up the hat, I added a twine trim hatband and macaroni’d it up with a couple feathers from the craft store.
The hat still looks too crisp and new, but I’ll wear it while I walk the dog in the rain and use it to fan a few campfires into flame and the like, and that should fix it right up!
Lost Colonies LARP (also on Meetup and Facebook) is an upcoming game (beginning in September 2018) in the VA/MD/DC area that I’m hoping to participate in, so I’m working on a costume. The game setting combines fantasy with 18th century aesthetics and technology, so my kit will reference 18th century clothing heavily, specifically 18th century longhunters.
The base layer of the kit will consist of a linen shirt, a worsted wool waistcoat in the longer 1750′s style, and wool knee breeches (most likely modified from modern pants, because I really don’t like making pants). Hoods aren’t historically correct for the 18th century, but this is a LARP, not reenactment, and I’ve gotten accustomed to wearing one out in the woods. This one will be made of wool and split in the front and fringed in imitate the look of the capelet of a hunting frock. In addition to the hood, a floppy wool hat will help keep the sun and rain off.
For footwear, I’d like to make leggings and center-seam moccasins, but if I run out of time, I have a pair of knee-high Minnetonka mocs that I can use. Belt pouches had fallen out of style by the 18th century, but longhunters may have still used them, and the belt and sash combination over a waistcoat seems to fit the overall impression I’m going for. And of course, I rarely go out into the woods without my trusty haversack!
Depending on the weather, I may go without the waistcoat and hood and wear a neckerchief instead, or add a wool hunting frock (probably this one from Crazy Crow). If it’s very cold, I can also pin a wool half-blanket on top of all the rest. Hopefully all these options will make for a very adaptable, “modular” sort of kit!
Plausibly medieval undergarments are a little tricky to construct, because many of them were made from linen, which biodegrades more quickly than wool, and because they aren’t depicted as often as outer garments in medieval art (they are underwear, after all!). I did my best, though!
A few images of shirts from close to my period of interest (1350s Cheshire) can be found in “The Taymouth Hours”, an illuminated manuscript made in England (possibly London) in the second quarter of the 14th century. I found these images on Karen Larsdatter’s Material Culture Database.
The shirts in both images appear to be slit from the bottom to the waist, and the one on the left appears to have a round or slit neckline.
For more details on the construction of a 14th century shirt, I originally looked to the extant St. Louis’ shirt, but it’s dated a little early for my impression (before 1270). I’ve also made a version of that shirt before, and found the central placement of the gores difficult.
I then found documentation of a French or German 14th century alb. The original has been lost, but I was able to track down a couple of photos.
While an alb is a religious garment and not the best reference for a secular shirt, beggars can’t really be choosers. This garment has appears to have gores sewn to the side seams (pleated ones, no less, but I didn’t pleat the ones on my shirt), and based on the size of the head opening and the trim, I think it had something like a buttoned keyhole neckline (but that’s just my own guess).
For my shirt, I decided to use a keyhole neckline, side gores, and slits up to the waist. I don’t remember my exact cutting method, but I believe I cut the fabric something like this:
I tried to minimize fabric waste, both to emulate the practices of medieval makers and because I’m cheap! Linen shrinks quite a lot, though, so I had to account for that when purchasing my yardage.
All the seams were hand sewn with linen thread, first with a back stitch, then flat-felled to prevent fraying. The neckline was finished with tapes I cut from the leftovers that I wrapped around the raw edge in a way meant to imitate the seam finish on St. Louis’ shirt. I’m not sure how authentic that method is, though.
Here is a picture of the shirt taken right after completion -
And here’s an action shot after a year or so of wear -
The second picture was taken at a Middle-earth reenactment event hosted by the Middle-earth Ranger Forum, which is why I’m wearing 18th century glasses, 17th century breeches, and a fantastical pouch. I typically wear a cote over this shirt at historic reenactments.
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how the shirt turned out, and it’s proven comfortable and durable. The documentation is not as complete or as solid as I would like, but it rarely is!
Leather costrels of fairly similar design were in use for at least 400 years, so when I decided to make a water bottle that I could use for a number of periods, it seemed like the obvious choice!
This is the second costrel I’ve built, but the construction method I used the first go 'round resulted in some leaking spots that I just couldn't seem to fix, so I took another stab at it. I even remembered to take pictures this time!
Since my primary period is 14th century England, I based my costrel on a few images from medieval artwork and a couple extant examples:
Even though most of those examples look to be round (although the extant ones are kind of squashed), I decided to put a flat bottom on mine so I wouldn't have to worry about it rolling around too much. That's pretty common in later (18th century) examples, but I don't know when that started.
In order to make the ends of the costrel fit without cutting or folding them (that's what caused the leaking issues in the first one), I made a (very) rudimentary jig to shape the ends:
Woodworking is not one of my gifts...
Here is a piece of wet leather being shaped in the jig:
I cut it deliberately large so I could trim it after the fact and not have to worry about precise placement. The jig wasn't pretty, but it got the job done!
I forgot to take a picture of the main body of the costrel before stitching the top, but it was effectively a long rectangle with matching shaped ends. I punched all the stitching holes, then stitched the top of the costrel to make it easier to fit the sides into place.
I trimmed the excess leather off the shaped ends:
You may notice the end does not have stitching holes punched - due to the curves of the ends, the space between the holes needed to vary to match the outside holes, so I punched the holes with an awl as I went.
One end in, one to go!
After attaching both ends, I wet the costrel thoroughly then packed it full of barley:
This stretched the leather outwards a bit, slightly increasing the capacity. It also helped prevent the ends from collapsing inward during sealing.
A LOT of barley fit in that sucker!
Shaped and ready for sealing:
The creases at the base of the neck were bothering me, but then I saw that they were present on some extant examples, so it may just be a product of the stretching process. I sealed the costrel with a mix of beeswax and brewer's pitch. I aimed for a mix of 1 part pitch to 2 parts wax, but it was all by eye.
I initially used a cork to close the costrel (it worked well enough for an overnighter), but I wanted something more authentic, so I carved a stopple out of red cedar. I don't know how long it'll last, since cedar is a little soft and it already seems to have a small crack in it, but I figure I'll use it till it starts giving me trouble.
It holds about 2 liters/half a gallon, which was more than I was expecting! It doesn't seem especially bulky for how much it holds, though, and it rides pretty well on my belt. The “wings” on either side of the spout that the leather strap runs through are a little flimsy, so when I make another one down the line (because I know myself well enough to know it’s bound to happen), I’ll sandwich another piece of leather between them to beef that part of the build up a bit. Otherwise, I’m quite happy with how it turned out!
- “The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue”, lines 101-117
Here are a couple pictures pictures of a kit I put together based on Chaucer’s description of the Knight’s yeoman, a forester. My sources of inspiration include “The Romance of Alexander” (MS. Bodl. 264, c. 1338-44) and the “Livre de Chasse”, both the Musée de Cluny (Ms. fr. 616) and the Morgan library (MS M. 1044) manuscripts, c. 1407-10 and 1407, respectively. I also reference extant garments from the Bocksten man (14th century) and Herjolfsnes (14th-15th century) finds.
Here’s a modernized translation of the above passage (from http://www.librarius.com/canttran/genpro/genpro101-117.htm):
A yeoman had he at his side,
No more servants, for he chose so to ride;
And he was clothed in coat and hood of green.
A sheaf of peacock arrows bright and keen
Under his belt he bore very carefully
(Well could he keep his gear yeomanly:
His arrows had no drooped feathers low),
And in his hand he bore a mighty bow.
A cropped head had he and a sun-browned face.
Of woodcraft he knew all the useful ways.
Upon his arm he bore a bright bracer,
And at one side a sword and a buckler,
And at the other side a dagger bright,
Well sheathed and sharp as a spear's point in the light;
A Christopher medal on his breast of silver sheen.
He bore a horn, the baldric all of green;
A forester he truly was, I guess.
My arrows are fletched with turkey feathers, not peacock, and they’re fitted with modern target tips. I also have a knife, not a dagger, and I don’t know how bright I would call my bracer. The dye job on my baldric came out uneven, and I need to bling it out with some brass mounts and strap ends. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied, though.
Pictures taken by S, who says she is willing to rent me out for Robin Hood-themed birthday parties :)
I really love Harry Potter, and Ireally love making costumes, so naturally I want to make Harry Potter costumes. However, there comes a point in your life when you realize you’re too old to dress up like a wizarding high school student and it’s getting a little creepy. I was able to stretch dressing up as a Hogwarts student till I was just 22, when the DH2 came out (I went as a Hufflepuff Quidditch player to the midnight premiere). I look young for my age, but I knew that was the last time I’d be able to get away with it.
With that in mind, I began thinking about what sort of wizarding adult I could portray. I don’t like to portray named characters; I find it restrictive. I greatly respect costumers who do, but I like to put a personal spin on my outfits. I could dress as a Ministry of Magic employee, but suits aren’t my thing. A professional Quidditch player could be fun, but not as customizable. Besides, I’d already made a Quidditch uniform. While I was thinking about all this, Pottermore came out, and I unexpectedly got sorted into Gryffindor. It made sense, but I’m such a contrarian that I had never even considered being in Gryffindor. Then it came to me – if I’m a Gryffindor, I should be an Auror.
Aurors don’t really have a uniform, so I wanted to make a badge to make it more clear who I was. Wearing a badge openly seemed like a good way to get killed by dark wizards, though, so I decided to make it look like an undercover police officer badge. For the actual badge, I got a Department of Magical Law Enforcement pin, then made a leather wallet for it to go on.
For the ID to go in the wallet, I downloaded a customizable Ministry of Magic booklet from here. I threw in my picture, filled out the information, and printed it on card stock paper, then got a purple inkpad to put in my fingerprints.
Carmilla Web-series Silas University T-shirt design
So, I desperately need a Silas University t-shirt to wear ALL THE TIME, so I nicked the school logo from the Carmilla official merch page and made this:
I don't know what year Silas was founded in the show, but the story "Carmilla" began to be published as a magazine serial in 1871, so I used that year.
People who make Carmilla, please take this and sell this shirt to me. I want to give you money.
A while ago I posted this description of the beginnings of a ranger kit based on 14th century clothing that I would also use for Middle-Earth ranger-ing (absolutely a word, by the way). I've made a lot more progress, so here is an update:
Below the break is a layer-by-layer description of what I'm wearing, with pictures (all taken by my wonderful and very patient fiance).
Undergarments - Shirt and Braies
Sensitive souls may want to avert their eyes, as the following picture shows a man in nothing but his underwear.
Quite scandalous, I know, but I wanted to show the base layer because it is important to the way the rest of the outfit hangs. That, and I'm proud of it. The shirt is based on the remnants of an extant shirt believed to be owned by St. Louis. It is made out of a relatively thick unbleached linen. The braies as based on numerous illustrations from the 13th-14th centuries and made using a pattern from "The Medieval Tailor's Assistant" by Sarah Thursfield. They are effectively a linen cylinder with a gusseted waistband with a drawstring sewn in the middle so that the leg openings are perpendicular to the waist opening. This makes them very baggy in the seat and front, which is great for movement. I've tried making braies more in the shape of modern boxers, but they were more restricting than I liked.
Cote and Chausses
My cote is light green and made from a drape that I bought from Goodwill. I think it was something like 75% linen, 25% synthetics. I need to replace it with one made from 100% linen or worsted wool, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The chausses are made from a lightweight dark brown wool, and are tied to the braies through eyelets at the top. Currently, I'm just using leather cording to tie them; I need to replace that with proper points. My fear of making closely tailored garments is evident in this picture, since both the cote and chausses should probably be more fitted. However, the cote and chausses worn by the builder in the illustration from the Bedford Hours also appear to be a little loose, so I can make myself feel better about my poor tailoring with that image.
Surcote and Boots
The surcote was falling out of fashion for men in the early 14th century, but I feel that it would still probably be used for an extra layer of warmth when necessary. Mine is effectively a rectangle with a hole for my head stitch closed at the sides My boots began life as generic Ren-faire boots - knee high with a cuff. They were a pain to put on and take off, so I pretty much stopped wearing them until I decided to try to adapt them to something more appropriate looking. I cut off the cuffs and used the leather to make side gussets and straps so they would look more like something resembling 14th century buckled boots, but they still have a modern sole. I'll be replacing them with these turnshoes from Boots by Bohemond. I've already bought them, but they are my Christmas present so I can't play with them yet. The pieces of fabric at my knees are garters. The hold my chausses tighter to my knee, since that is where they are the most loose due to the straight back-seam I used to construct them. I bought the pouch for $20 at a Ren-faire, so while I can't say that it is correct for the period, it was inexpensive and doesn't especially call attention to itself. The belt is a modern one I had around, and I hope to replace it with something more appropriate, like one of these from Revival Clothing.
Hood, Gloves, and Sword
I discussed my hood here, so I won't talk about it much, but it is a fairly generic 13th-14th century hood. Not especially fashionable, but it works. The gloves are rose gardening gauntlets. They were very, very green when I got them, so I put a coat of saddle tan leather dye on them, which has toned them down a bit. The sword is the Norwich Falchion by Valiant Armory, and I love it. It appears to have been heavily inspired by the Thorpe Falchion, which is on display in Norwich Castle. The sword belt is very basic, just leather straps stitched in two loops around the sheath. I like the set-up, but I'll be replacing it with something a little longer with a more appropriate buckle and a strap end.
Cloak and Bow
The cloak is just a rectangle of wool pinned at my shoulder with an iron penannular brooch. This conserved fabric and makes it easy to use as a half-blanket. The bow was made by Joshua Albanese at Bowskins.com. It is hickory with horn nocks, and has a draw weight of 54 pounds at 28". I still need to make/buy some arrows to go with it; I'm currently using modern aluminum arrows since I seem to be losing them fairly often.
So, that's my kit so far. Questions and critiques are always welcome!
