TUNICS FOR EVERYONE! Claire Knudsen-Latta
ABOUT ME Historical costumer with nine-years experience. BA in Linguistics, BA in History, and a Certificate of Medieval Studies Active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism Maybe slightly goofy
WHAT S A TUNIC? From Latin tunica, possibly related to Aramaic kittuna and Ancient Greek khitṓn. A long-sleeved, loose garment worn by men and women. Popular throughout the Medieval and maintained its popularity through the Early Modern Period (and later) as an inner-layer garment. Constructed using what we call rectangular construction Other terms you might see include kirtle, gown, or sark.
WHAT S THIS RECTANGULAR CONSTRUCTION THING? An easy to draft and easy to sew method of constructing simple garments. All shapes are based on straight lines (except the neck opening). Construction is simple because you re not having to sew around complex curves. Great for saving fabric because you re not having to cut funny shapes. Historically accurate! Basic rectangular construction cutting diagram
VOCABULARY Gore triangular skirt insert. Make these bigger to make your skirt swish more. Gusset triangular under-arm insert. Body Block the main part of the garment. Gore Slit the slit you cut in the body block to insert the center gores.
MATERIALS Inner Tunics Cotton Midweight cottons are good, homespuns tend to work very well. Linen Lightweight linen is so pleasant. Linen Blend Linen/Rayon blends from JoAnns will do the job. Silk China silk or silk twill are expensive, but warm. Outer tunics Linen Mid to heavy-weight plainweaves, twill, and fancy twills Wool Light- to mid-weight wool in plainweave, twill, or fancy twill Linen Blend Silk Heavy silks, silk twill, and silk brocade are *expensive* but so fancy.
AND NOW FOR MEASUREMENTS Front Back Neck - Chest - Waist - Hips - Arm length - Upper arm circumference - Hand - Neck to waist Neck to hem Shoulder Point to Shoulder Point -
BOCKSTEN BOG-TYPE TUNIC Nockert Type 1
THE BOCKSTEN TYPE TUNIC Found in a bog in Varberg Municipality, Sweden. (BOG BODIES!) The find is generally dated to the 14 th century. Though some push this to the 15 th century. Bocksten man was found wearing a hood, shirt, cloak, and hose. The tunic is made of wool.
MEASURING YOUR BODY BLOCK (YOU LL ONLY WANT ONE OF THESE) ½ chest or waist, whichever is larger + 2 Neck to Hem (front) + Neck to Hem (back) + 2 Neck to Hem - Neck to Waist +1 Neck circumference (I usually trace around a t-shirt neck)
MEASURING YOUR BODY BLOCK (ALTERNATE) (YOU LL WANT TWO OF THESE) ¼ chest or waist, whichever is larger + 2 Neck to Hem (front) + Neck to Hem (back) + 2 ½ Neck circumference (I usually trace around a t-shirt neck)
MEASURING YOUR SLEEVES (YOU LL WANT 2, OR 6 IF YOU RE DOC OCK) Upper Arm Circumference + 4 Arm Length Hand Circumference + 2
10 15 (depending fabric) MEASURING YOUR GORES (YOU LL WANT 2 OR 4 PAIRS) Neck to Hem - Neck to Waist + 2
Whatever the other side was MEASURING YOUR GUSSET (THE HARD PART) (YOU LL NEED AS MANY PAIRS AS YOU HAVE SLEEVES) Like 4-6, ish
ST. CLARE-TYPE TUNIC Nockert Type 5
THE ST. CLARE TUNIC Believed to have belonged to St. Clare of Assisi (Patron Saint of Television and my name saint) Garment dates to around 1250 Made of wool Kept at the Basilica di Santa Chiara in Assisi, Italy.
MEASURING YOUR BODY BLOCK (YOU LL ONLY NEED ONE OF THESE) Neck to Hem (front) + Neck to Hem (back) Shoulder to Shoulder + 2 Neck circumference (I usually trace around a t-shirt neck)
MEASURING YOUR GORE (YOU LL ONLY NEED TWO PAIRS OF THESE) (Total Body Block Length Total Top of Sleeve Width)/2 + 1 10 15 (depending fabric) ((Chest Circumference (Shoulder to Shoulder x 2))/4) + 2
MEASURING YOUR SLEEVES (YOU LL WANT 2 OF THESE) Upper Arm Circumference + 4 Arm Length Hand Circumference + 2
LAYING IT OUT The practical math exam
STEP 1: TREATMENT OF THE FABRIC 1. Wash your fabric (I wash mine on hot for the first round if it s going to be for me, it s going to need to take a beating.) a. If you re going to dye your fabric, do it now. (You can also dye the finished garment, if that s your preference.) 2. Iron your fabric. Ironing ensures that you ll get a nice crisp cut.
STEP 2: LAYOUT Tools: Chalk Dry-Wall Ruler (7 Ruler) Yard Stick 1. Square off the corners of your fabric. 2. Measure out the body block from the top left corner. 3. Start fitting the sleeve, gore and gusset pieces in around the body block. 4. If you make a mistake, just brush the chalk off.
STEP 3: CUTTING Tools: Scissors Nerves of Steel 1. Take a deep breath. 2. Line up your scissors on a chalk line. 3. Cut, you fool! Cut!
OPTIONS If you have a serger, you can serge the edges of each pieces to stabilize the edges and make sure they stay nice and clean. I usually like to cut and finish my neck opening now, before there s a lot more fabric to deal with. A rolled hem is an excellent way to finish the neck opening. To do a rolled hem, fold approximately ¼ of the raw edge over and then over again so that it s rolled up in a little spiral. Then use a whip stitch to finish the hem. The whip stitch
PUTTING IT TOGETHER Introducing Power Tools
STEP 1: ATTACH TRIANGLE THINGS TO SLEEVES Brocksten Man-type Tunic St. Clare-type Tunic
STEP 2: SET CENTER GORES (TRICKY) (BROCKSTEN MAN-TYPE TUNIC ONLY) Sew two of the gores together along the middle length edge Cut a small Y in the top of the gore slit
STEP 2: SET CENTER GORES (TRICKY) (BROCKSTEN MAN-TYPE TUNIC ONLY) Pin the gore in place (right sides of fabric together) Make sure a bit of fabric at the point of the gore extends beyond the opening of the gore slit. Sew the gore in place with the machine, stopping about an inch from the top on both sides. Use the whip stitch to finish the gore by hand on the right side of the fabric.
STEP 3: ATTACH OUTER GORES TO BODY BLOCK (BROCKSTEN MAN-TYPE TUNIC ONLY)
STEP 4: ATTACH THE SLEEVES TO THE BODY BLOCK (BOCKSTEN BOG-TYPE TUNIC)
STEP 4: ATTACH THE SLEEVES TO THE BODY BLOCK (ST. CLARE-TYPE TUNIC)
STEP 5: MAKING IT WEARABLE 1. Fold the tunic in half (hamburgerstyle!) and sew from the wrist to the hem on both sides. 2. Finish the wrist and hem with a rolled hem and whip stitch. 3. Alternatively you can use bias tape to finish the hem. 4. If you used the Alternate Bockstentype body block, you can now bring the dress in at the center seam to create a more fitted tunic.
OTHER NOTES Whee!
SOME SEWING TIPS Give yourself about ¼ to ½ seam allowance. Use moderate, consistent pressure on the sewing machine pedal. If you place your pins perpendicular to the direction of sewing (and you re careful) you can sew over the pins. Take your time and be patient. Be prepared to pick seams out the first few times, it ll be okay. No sewing after midnight!
HAND SEWING Stitches for construction Running Stitch Back Stitch Stitches for finishing Whip Stitch Blanket Stitch Herringbone Stitch Running Stitch Back Stitch Blanket Stitch Herringbone Stitch Whip Stitch
NECKLINE OPTIONS I would just pick one at a time
DECORATION Trim, trim is good! Simple trim works very nice Block printing Examples of block printed fabric show up in the 14 th century in Italy and Germany and in the 10 th century in western Russia. Contrasting fabric Simple blocks of contrasting fabric (match type to type) can make a simple but elegant addition. Embroidery Simple embroidered designs survive on a couple of extant pieces. More complex designs survive on religious or ceremonial garments. Beads and Pearls Early medieval ceremonial clothing and Russian clothing from throughout the middle ages show use of pearls and precious stone beads.
LINKS AND SOURCES T-Tunics the Period Way http://www.forest.gen.nz/medieval/articles/tu nics/tunics.html Viking/Norse Underdress http://viking.snapshotstacy.com/underdress.html Introduction to Garb http://www.virtue.to/articles/in_depth_garb.ht ml Introduction to SCA Clothing http://thehoodedhare.com/clothing_intro.htm Fabrics-Store.com http://www.fabrics-store.com/ Gray Line Linen http://www.graylinelinen.com/ Shipping can be tricky. Lacis (embroidery supplies) http://www.lacis.com/ Calontir Trim http://www.calontirtrim.com/ Gala Fabrics https://www.galafabrics.com/