Another Rainy Day

It is another rainy day in Dun Abhon. Unfortunately rainy days for Belegarth mean practices called off, but that doesn't mean you have to be un productive. Rainy days can be a good time to repair weapons, build new ones or to complete that garb project your been working on and just haven't had time to finish.

In my case i decided to take a little time and work on a piece of garb that I have had on the back burner for some time. I am making a fur mantle. This project started with a surprise find that I had one day when I was in a thrift shop. An old fur coat in poor repair that was being sold for $15.

At first I wasn't sure what to do with the fur but it occurred to me that our toasty August weather doesn't last and as things cool off I might need something to keep me warm.

Well the first thing that I did was remove the sleeves. I'm thinking that there is enough fur on the sleeves to add decoration to the paldrons on my armor and since I've been doing a black and red color scheme this works perfectly.

Next I need a pattern for my mantle. A mantle is basically a short cloak that hangs around your shoulders. So I did a little hunting online to see what I could come up with. Basically what you want for a cloak is a fan shaped pattern like in the picture below. Since I am using an old coat I decided that it is already cut and sewn to hang well around the shoulders, and while is isn't a full fan like the picture, it does have the basic shape already.   If you are starting with a fake piece of fur, a fur hide or even an old coat like me and need to do some cutting a word of warning. use scalpel or a razor knife of some kind. It is a bad idea to use scissors on fur. The fur will mat between the blades and give you an uneven cut.

My next step was to sew up all the holes in the coat. It was in a very poor state when I got it so it needed some work. I got a large leather needle and some black artificial senew. I also got some leather mending glue. I used some really thin scraps of leather in some spots and glued them under the fur to reinforce it. I sewed the arm holes together and sewed up all the other holes that I found.

Once I had it all sewn up I had to find a way to fasten it on. So I ran down to the local fabric store, peaked in Michael's and even went to Walmart to see what was available. I settled on two large fancy buttons and a piece of silver chain for my Tibulae. 

Here is a picture of the completed Mantle. Hopefully I will get out to some cold weather events this year so that I can show it off.

I realize that it is still a little plain looking. So maybe for my next rainy day project I will add a red liner to the inside of it. For now I have some swords that need fixing so I think I will get to that. 

Have a great rainy day and be sure to tell me all about your rainy day projects as well. Our readers would love to hear about them.

Thorne the mercenary.

Coming soon: How to make a period sky gazer chair or what some call viking chairs.

Advise on Garb

One of the big arguments that often comes up in Belegarth is over garb. Belegarth bylaws state that we are to attempt to wear pre 17th century style clothing. Often people balk at that thought but I really don't understand why?

After spending some time around the SCA I can tell you that I have seen some great garb. I realize that our group is Belegarth but out of all the reenactment groups I have met with in my experience SCA people put the most effort into their costumes and personas. Below are a couple of photos I took at an SCA event just to show the detail and work that some have put into their look.

Garb can be one of your greatest costs but it doesn't have to be that way.  Of course it is really up to each individual how much effort that they put into their look. I've seen people who have authentic costumes, camping gear and armor that must have taken them years to accumulate. On the other side of this extreme I have seen people who just come up with a couple of outfits that work and they focus on the fun of fighting. And that is just fine all we need to do is make an attempt. I'm going to give you a few tips on how you can come up with some basic garb at bargain prices.

First stop visit the second hand stores. You know like good will and salvation army. These places are a treasure trove for a smart shopper. Look at the section that sells sheets and drapes. A lot of times you can find fabric with interesting medieval style designs that can be easily converted into a tunic. For a beggar look find plain cotton shirts with no markings, cut off the hem around the neck and off the sleeves. Maybe even put a tear or two in the shirt to make it look more ragged. Martial arts pants, Pajama bottoms, and sweat pants without elastic in the bottom work well for garb pants and they are inexpensive. I have even found old halloween costumes, martial arts uniforms, and old fur coats in Goodwill that can be converted to make great costume additions. If you are looking to actually cultivate a look from a time period here are a few tips. 

Style

Era	Women	Men
Roman	Tunica, Stroticum (Breast binding), Stolla optional, Palla, & Sandals	Tunic, Cloak, Sandals
Access.	Many thin bracelets, broaches to close tunica, simple rings	Broach to close cloak
Viking	Tunic, Apron dress, hood (or not), coat	Tunic & Pants
Access.	Beads, metal bracelet, matching broaches to close apron	broach
12th C.	Bliat (angel wing dress), veil with barbette & filets	Tunic, underwear, tie on hose
Access.	Long belt, simple rings, pins	broach
13th C.	Tunic, Overtunic, veil over barbette	Long Tunic, tie on hose, hanging sleeve gown
Access.	Simple rings, pins	broach
14th C.	LS Fitted Dress – 2nd layer. Plain dress or Sideless surcote or overdress w/tippets, hood/head wrap	Fitted Cote, overcote with tippets, long underwear, tie on hose
Access.	Rings, plaque belt	Decorative broach, rings
15th C	Fitted Dress, V-Neck Gown (later) or Houppelande, hood or fancy hat	Doublet, Gown, Full hose
Access.	Rings, necklaces,	Decorative broach, rings, paternoster, paternoster
16th C	Doublet, skirt, ruff, partlet	Doublet, Jerkin, Breeches, knee hose
Access.	Teardrop and animal shaped pins, pearls, top hat styles, French hoods	Pearl accessories, decorative broach, rings, purse

my thanks to  http://www.historiclife.com/pdf/newcomers_clothing_073108.pdf for the chart. Also visit her site for more tips on garb, patterns, and sewing tips.

Second hand stores can be a good place to look for other additions to your medieval persona. I've found wooden plates, goblets, canvas tarps, antique, etc. just looking around the places. It is really just a matter of what you are looking for and a little imagination. Anything to enhance your experience and make Belegarth more fun. Other great places to look are yard sales, antique shops, flea markets, and of course on line.

One way to look at garb that I like is the basketball analogy. Think of joining Belegarth like joining a basketball team. Many teams require that the players purchase a team Jersey and proper basketball shoes so that they can play. While it is true that a person can play basketball in their yard without purchasing the team jersey and shoes they will not have the same experience that they get from playing on a team. It is just part of the experience but if you follow my advice it is a part of the experience that doesn't have to bust your budget.  

Hope to see you on the field.

Thorne the mercenary

Another Great Practice

It is Sunday 8/24/14 and it is absolutely beautiful out. The sun is shining and it isn't to unbearably hot. We were hopeful for an SCA turnout but unfortunately our brothers and sisters in the SCA made other arrangements for their practice. I do hope they will come and visit with us soon as it is always good to see them when they come out. I was a little worried about fighting a second day after going toe to toe with the fantastic fighters of Amtgard in their tournament yesterday, but I was OK. I was a little tired but I was just fine.

We had around ten people show up and quite a few of those were faces that I haven't seen in a long time. I hope this heralds a trend and that we will start to see more of our old friends coming back around. We had one fellow show up with a bow and he managed to take me out a couple of times with some very good shots. (Thanks Alex) I got to try out my new red sword and I think it made a good impression. I'm thinking of making a second one and trying to florentine with them. Anyway thanks to everyone for showing up today. I had a great time.

Here is a picture of a few of us just chilling out at the end of the day.

Hope to see more of you next time.

Thorne the mercenary

What's new in Dun Abhon?

Today I paid a visit to Madoc's Keep, the local Amtgard chapter. MK was having a tournament of arms which was both fun to watch and to participate in. While I don't claim to be a great fighter I was happy to have placed second in the great weapon event. I used to consider this a weak event for my skills I believe that I will be doing more of it in the future. My thanks to the warriors of MK for making me feel welcome. I had a great time.

Tomorrow due to conflicting schedules with the Iron Man we may have a few guests on the frisbee field. SCA may be stopping by to practice along side which is always a treat. While our practice differs in many ways, both our groups (Belegarth and SCA) share a love of history and melee combat.

Up and coming events. This is a mix of events from Amtgard, Dagorhir, and Belegarth that I know of and that are happening soon. If you know of anymore let me know and I will post them on my blog thanks.

8/5/14-8/24/14 Five Armies-Byesville, OH.-Dagorhir
9/11/14-9/14/14 Equinox-Montgomery Bell State Park, TN-Belegarth
9/18/14 Keep on The Border-Winsor, IL-Amtgard
10/3/14-10/5/14 Hollow's Havoc V-Morgan Hill, Cold Friday Rd., Corydon, IN-Dagorhir
10/8/14-10/12/14 Oktoberfest-Hudson, IL-Comlara Park-Belegarth
11/18/14 Mittlemarch's War- Paul Ruster Park, Indianapolis, IN-Dagorhir

Hope to see you on the field
Thorne the mercenary