Burda Style For people who sew

Description

Every spring, there is a huge Renaissance Faire in the very next town over from me, and every year more and more people go and have a lovely time in the imaginary village. Plus they sell roasted turkey legs! So this year I determined to go.

Faires are set in different times and places, and the authentic clothing of that setting would be the most appropriate thing to wear. This particular faire is set in the late 1600s in England, so when researching clothing I stuck to that period. I chose to make peasant clothing because I only had about 2 weeks to make everything. I did all of my research online, although there are several very good books on the subject in print.

To our modern eyes, these are not the most becoming clothes in the world – they are not particularly fitted or body-conscious – an element of many folk patterns! However, we tried it on the other day and it actually looks pretty spiffy – loose but not oversized or baggy. As you rise in class the jerkin becomes more fitted and elaborate. The peasant version of this garment evolved out of a simple tunic – two rectangles. It eventually developed by the mid 1600s to have a neck slit that went all the way down, and slightly shaped armholes. I closed mine with lacings through small button holes, as metal grommets did not exist at that time.

This page covers only the men’s peasant jerkin, but the overall project consists of the following elements:

male biggins
female biggins
jerkin
bodice
chemise
male shirt thing
shin wrappings
male hat
breeches/slops
underskirt

Needless to say the past few weeks have been a sew-fest, as the Faire is this coming weekend.

I did not make a full-on, museum quality reproduction garment, but one that would appear to a casual observer to be fairly authentic. I used a machine to do the stitching and the button holes, and a poly-cotton blend for the lining.

Material Notes

twill, heavy linen, duck

Difficulty

Intermediate

Categories

For

Men

Garment Type

Costume

Style

Romantic

Material

Cotton, Blends, Leather/Fur, Linen