I hate pleats!

Sewing for festival… again!  This is my fourteenth or fifteenth festival?  I’ve lost count.  But with so many years experience at doing the whole medieval camping thing, you’d think I wouldn’t be spending the weeks leading up to the event slaving over the sewing machine.  Yet… each year there always seems to be something that needs making.  If it’s not banners that need painting, or tabards that need applique work or tents that need decorating (well it probably didn’t need it but it looks fucking speccy!) then it’s people who’ve never done festival before that need outfitting!

And OMG, what a trial that is.  Building an entire wardrobe to see someone through a four day medieval camping event, allowing for a few extras in case of rain, and you’ve quite a task at hand.   And it’s always (always!) boy garb.  ‘Tis a rare man who can handle a sewing machine with any expertise and that, ladies, is ever such a shame. Because it means I have well and truly made more men’s medieval garments than I have made women’s garments!

In the past three weeks I’ve made three anglo-saxon tunics, five early period under tunics, two 15thC Burgundian jackets, three late period shirts, one matching hood and a bright red wool 15thC chaperon hat!  I was trying to work out how many of those damn 15thC Burgundian mens jackets I have made, and I believe I have quite literally lost count of how many I have created for my husband, my son, my once consort and a few friends.  So many jackets.  So many simply horrid pleats!