I made these two different Viking tunics for a 2 day Viking themed event a number of years ago. Quite a large part of the event was an outdoor tourney, and the weather was pretty cool, so I wanted something with light layers that would still be warm. So I opted for a pair of braies (trousers), a linen undertunic, and two different over tunics to wear on the 2 days. When I was involved in the historical re-creation group "The Society For Creative Anachronism" I always wore full Elizabethan, so when I rocked up in Viking it it certainly amused everyone.
Best of all it was fun to research and make something different. The thing I was most proud of was the shoes, which sadly went mouldy after years in storage and I chucked out a few years back. They were natural vegetable tanned leather, and authentic reproductions of a pair of bog find shoes complete with long laces that crisscrossed up the legs. I'm pleased with the embroidery on the tunics too, and although I made up the motifs they are based on designs from other Viking era finds, and the techniques I used were documented.
I based these bird motifs on the design of some Viking cloisonne jewellery that was uncovered from a grave find.
There was a wonderful wool mill in South Australia which created woven blankets from recycled and end of run wool, and I bought one of these slightly rustic blankets in burgundy red to wear as a cloak. I had a great handmade cloak pin too, which has somehow disappeared over the years (probably to return next time I move house).
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After a short dalliance in Viking, back to my more familiar stomping ground. I made this Elizabethan suit to wear as a more 'every day' set for outdoor events, and when we went away to Rowany Festival, a week long camping event. This may not look 'every day' to you, but it's made out of more robust fabrics than the silk suits I made, with less elaborate decoration, and the style of breeches called "Venetians" rather than the elaborate paned "slops".
I usually wore this with a fairly simple white shirt and the ruff shown here, or with the 'falling collar' shirt that I showed with the green silk suit in my previous blog entry.
This suit was cooler and easier to care for than some of my other suits, so I wore it quite a bit back in the day. It's actually made of two different but coordinating upholstery fabrics, with metallic gold braid applied.
The sleeves are slashed along their length and held closed with buttons, to show glimpses of the white shirt underneath.
The tie in sleeves meant that I could take the sleeves off and wear this over another suit in cold weather. Elizabethan men often wore a second sleeveless jerkin over a doublet underneath. Sometimes I would actually tie in a different set of contrasting sleeves to give the same look, but without the double layers, Let's face it, it doesn't get as cold in Oz as it did in Elizabethan England.
So, here endeth the second installment! This is fun playing show & tell.
