Capsule wardrobe: Viking-era

Things being what they are, I'm returning to the SCA, albeit on a limited basis. A deep dive into my storage unit revealed almost no clothing of use, which prompts a flurry of activity in the ambry. 

The first question was "era?" I considered several factors; Gothic is my "main", but is time-consuming and requires some resources that I don't have. Byzantine-era is my "second", but the cost of materials gets prohibitive. My other "second" is the Viking era, which has the benefit of being cost-effective, relatively simple construction, and adaptable to my changing body size. And it's perfect for a capsule wardrobe. 

Clothing

The benefit of a capsule wardrobe is that a small selection of pieces can be interchanged to create different outfits, and different class impressions depending on need. My plan is as follows: 

• Smocks for each day
• serks, linen or wool (2 or 3)
• wool hangerok (1 or 2)
• Jorvic or Coppergate cap
• linen headscarf (1 or 2)
• cloak (optional)
• kaftan (optional)
• jewelry - domed brooches, necklaces, Saxon chicken brooch
• shoes & socks

Progress and plans

In short, I'm sewing 10th century Birka clothing, because it's simple, elegant, cost effective, and will accommodate my changing body size. 

My cutting pattern for the serk is the Birka pattern on Carolyn Priest-Dorman's page. I'm using Nille Glaesel's pattern for the hangerok - not the one in her book, but one I found on line but can't find again. 

A couple of useful wool remnants were sourced from Ebay- a tabby woven dark blue and a woolen heather purple for two hangeroks. Viking-era clothing being rectangular construction, small yardages do well and I was able to secure both for a modest investment. Fabrics-store.com supplied linen for serks, one a cool green and the other a wheat yellow, although there is limited evidence of colored linen. All colors are interchangeable for different looks on different days. 

A storage unit dive also supplied a couple more pieces of linen, but I'm not certain that there is enough for serks - I need 3+ yards for Priest-Dorman's Birka serk. I purchased 3 yards of each length of linen, which turns out to be just long enough for ankle-length, but promises to leave oodles of waste due to it's lovely width. 

Dress accessories

I am missing almost all of my Viking-era dress accessories and will be eventually replacing them until and unless I find my kit. The up side is that I have been provided an opportunity for some research. The down side is that I've already invested in domed brooches, beads, and a tiny Saxon-style laurel medallion (which I apparently can't replace). While I'll need to replace my domed brooches, I'm taking the opportunity to make my bead accessories more authentic. 

The Vikings provides visual resources regarding beads, which is super helpful when sourcing beads for a swag or necklace. Gemstones used include quartz (rock crystal), carnelian, and jet, although lampworked beads were more common. Gemstone beads are always either spheres or faceted and I've been able to source good approximations of period gemstone beads. For lampworked beads, I have a small handful on order from a well-known SCA laurel and am excited to see what he sends me! The lampworked beads are mostly for the modest swag that I usually wear, and the others will be mostly for a necklace or two. 

I will need to sew another Coppergate cap. Maybe a couple. However, a simple linen veil would be easy and authentic.

I have Viking-era shoes. 

Switch!

In anticipation of Crossroads in Time (may the fates be beneficent), I've switched the workshop from Steampunk to 1340.

I'm currently working on a second-quarter fourteenth century wardrobe based on the Luttrell Psalter and Romance of Alexander. This twenty-five year span is interesting to me not just because it seems quintessentially Medieval - in terms of clothing, it represents a shift from the earlier rectangular construction to forms that become increasingly more fitted; as far as cookery goes, it marks a notable milestone in recording the foodways of Medieval kitchens and medicine. One of the very earliest English manuscripts, Doctrina faciendi diversa cibaria, dates from 1325 and is the basis for Ancient Cookery (1381) and Forme of Curye (1390).  [1] From across the Channel, we have Le Viandier de Tallievent, with content dating from 1300, and then Le Ménagier de Paris (1390's).

The plan is to create a mix-and-match collection - what I call the 'Medieval Professional Wardrobe' - of kirtles, gowns and accessories which will carry me through a week-long event with a bit of minimal laundering. Fortunately, laundry is a historically-accurate activity.

Interesting, Inspiring, Provocative... or just plain Cool

I've added a gadget to the right margin of blogs that I find interesting; ones that focus on historical re-creation and re-enactment. Interestingly, they're largely European.

Enjoy.

Battle-less

So, I didn't go to Battlemoor. And you know what? I'm pretty happy that I stayed home.

Viking dress - the hangerock, specifically

Just when I had some confidence about what is and is not an "authentic" hangerock...

I have found two European sources that suggest that the two-part, split-front hangerock is re-enactor quality. I have to admit that the arrangement is fetching and goes a long way toward explaining that trim-only-between-the-broaches thing.

Spindle whorls

I am developing plans to make spindle whorls. My first ones are Viking-era style, per

http://www.stringpage.com/viking/spindles.html

These are soapstone, which is easy to get and to work, and mark them as typically Viking-era.

I'm starting with 1.5" whorls, and the next set will be smaller. The slabs are 9mm thick which seem to be on the lighter weight of stone whorls. Since these are soapstone, they will be discoid in shape. Stone whorls were probably made on-site in the homesteads and there is some indication that they were made of recycled soapstone cooking pots.

I'm using hand tools on these, to keep them from looking manufactured. Saws, drills, sandpaper, etc. (Yes, I know that sandpaper is modern.)

The spindles are going to be oak, which is easy to get at the hardware store; the widest thickness is 8mm.

More pictures later. 

Next? Pewter. And ceramic. 14th century. 

Authenticism under the Big Tent

Companie Golden Lyon members have long struggled with the affliction of high purpose; we are all the sort of people who are driven. In short, we're geeks. We geek at parties over details discovered in a fifteenth-century painting, over discoveries in Menagier, we reminisce fondly about an almost otherwordly feast that happened on a long-ago September night. We are excited by what we're learning and making and doing.

The real fun happens when like-minded folks join us. We often refer to that feast night because we all experienced that "medieval moment", when we dined in the candlelight, conversed about our purpose, and spent a few hours just being part of our setting - the tents, the tablewares, the food. Like a play, the setting of a period encampment absorbs the people into the milieu; the feeling of reality transcends the show.

Three Stags, 2005

We hope that our joy - our entertainment - inspires others. More people to have fun with! The resistance to our approach is frankly rather baffling, but then again, we've got these high ideals. Striving is valuable; intellectualism is laudable, good enough is seldom good enough.

To us, mediocrity is failure and success is beating our own personal best.

It's unapologetically elitist, I suppose. And this paints a bright red plastic target on our backsides, because in our society (the greater Western one, not the SCA), success is frequently resented. Certainly non-ethical success should have no expectation of respect, but for those who work hard, study hard, and strive, surely there is value? Not so fast, Cupcake.