The Mediaeval Dress

I have an upcoming fair that is sponsored by the Mediaeval Trust and will be at Dragon Hall in Norwich. This is a recently restored building that was a merchants hall in the 1500's. Mediaeval Trust itself is an organization working toward creating a reenactment village in Norfolk. We merchants all have to dress mediaeval style, though they are not being that strict about just how authenticly we do it.

In any case, I see it as an oportunity to make contacts in the whole area of reenactment, which is a direction I want to take my makings because I could give free reign to the old handskills I love practicing and even maybe have the oportunity to pass them on.

So I've been making myself a medieval dress using a very basic pattern, all triangles and rectangles, that I found on the web. The fabric I'm using can not be said to be authentic. I went with a cheaper option for this first dress. But then I'm handsewing it. I have a sewing machine, but it's US electricity and getting a proper transformer has not been a financial priority. There are all too many of those. (So, of course, I find the time to handsew a medieval dress.)

And thus my eternal dilema enters the picture once again. I find, as if I couldn't have expected it, that I enjoy handsewing. In fact, in case making a mediaeval dress for the first time wasn't challenge enough, I've taken an interest in the seaming techniques of the time (I blame this on Felicity Withers, my friend the glass bead maker, who introduced me to a whole section of books in the Forum library on fashion and dress, including one on the subject of all the ancient textiles that have been unearthed and what can be told from them about techniques that were used.) Next, I shall be dagging all over the place. And no modern person should even know that word. It's downright dangerous for folks like me.

I hope that people who come to this show will take an interest in all the old hand techniques that I use in my craftwork, enough to buy something, or better yet (dare I hope?) commission something fabulous!