Let's garb up.

You know, we should really insist on people wearing some kind of garb especially if they have been playing for awhile it's time to garb up. This is a medievalist group right? The more medieval we look the more people will take an interest. No garb and people think 'oh, its just a bunch of kids playing'. But with garb the first thing the inevitably aks is "are you a rennaissance group or medieval group, etc'. Why yes we are, we are Dagorhir, which means 'Battle Lords' from the Lord of the Rings. We fight full contact with foam weapons of medieval design.

Simple garb, a Tabard. It is about 2 yards of cloth, any color, preferably cotton or broadcloth cotton which is light and durable. (2 yards at Walmart is about $5.00. Joan's is more expensive but they have so many more types to choose from and Linen which is about $15.00 a yard!) All you need do is cut a hole for your head right in the middle then buy a cheap leather belt. (Saver's anyone, or thrift store).

Maybe the realm should carry about 6 tabards in either a single color or two tone in the livery of the Realm. A tower badge on the chest with belts. These we could offer to those who do not have garb, and to anyone who wishes to try the game out we could also have them wear the tabard's from the get go so they feel 'medieval'. Could make simple small round shields for loaners too.

Maybe we should start a realm fund and use these funds for promotion and loaner garb, etc.

konradr

We were kicking around the idea of charging a 'battle tax' (like $2 or something per practice) who's funds would be spent on exactly those things. What would everyone's opinion of that be?

K-

I got some cloth which I'm trying to put together using this design.

I just need to get some new thread (the thread I had didn't fit into the machine) and one of those snazzy belts.


The 2$ fee doesn't seem like a bad idea. You guys could use any surplus cash to help pay off registration and travel fees to events (like ragnarok).

I think it's a good idea.

Konradr

Hey Alex, I like that tunic. I might have to try and make one for myself except I don't have a sewing machine so I will have to do it all by hand. Won't be pretty. If it wasn't for that I'd challenge ya to a tunic making contest. See who could make it the quickest or who could make it the best and have the officers judge. Might have to by some trim and add that too. Hmmmm.

I'm gonna have to make new drawstring pants too. The ones I made were a little tight (bad measuring, well, I was doing it by eye mostly) They lasted two fighting Saturday's though, but after this last saturday, the crotch ripped out pretty good. That could be a contest later. Ha! Take that.

Konradr

Yes, let's hold a competitive sewing contest. FIRST ONE TO MAKE A TUNIC SHALL PROVE HIS MANLINESS AND WORTH! I shall prove my fearsome sewing skills when I shall be the first to sew a human finger onto his garb.

Sarcasm aside, I, personally, would like to see a bunch of flags set up. The only problem I see is that we would need some sort of symbol, or at least a unified color, so we could be identified as a single group.

There is actually a badge for our realm, Surt, Kurn and Heretic have worked up a design and color scheme.

Im all down with paying a small fee so we can get together some Royal Army Tabards.

We have a symbol? What is it?

...

That's a nice symbol, I like it. Where'd you link that from, I hadn't seen that. I remember someone showing a drawing of a tower. Kurn or knubbs I think.

Hey, how come the link says starwars and jedi? You trying to fool and old guy?

Lol yeah it's the jedi academy symbol. Our real symbol is a big tower, like a cross between sauron's tower and the stratosphere, in front of a rising desert sun from what i recall.

so do we have any designs on it? Stencils? Crude drawings?!?

Im going to have a couple roughs with me down at the practice this week.

Ill be mainly drawing this week. I hurt my knee @ work and dont want to push it.

we do have designs..Kurn and surt have been going over them back and forth to get to the final designs for everything....

and if you want to make your own pants, use your regular pant size as a guide

like a 36 32

36 is the measurement around your waist....32 is your inseam (for the seam in between your legs..from your crotch to the floor...
and I recommend making the crotch (from your waist to your...ummm...manly parts ) atleast like 8-10 inches....so you can breath and fit and not have any blow outs...

(and not flash me...I don't wanna see that )

D~

just came across a garb website with prices that aren't too bad.

http://www.thornyrose.com/lords.html

I like the baggy viking pants, but hey those tights with the codpiece! Any blow out would be by design.

Found a pattern online for those puffy viking pants.

http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/draekter/vherreman/pdf/dvmpasbyxor.pdf

Alas....my computer does not like adobe acrobat reader....But anyways...
I just used the gypsy costume pattern from simplicity for women.
.and altered the pattern to make pants for kurn...


And I shall bring my extra set of patterns for you, konradr, on saturday...I
bought, like 3 sets of these patterns.....so you can keep it and use it to make garb..
.it has patterns for pants, tunics, shoes, a hat, i think, and skirts too...


D~

Sounds great. Hmmmm, skirt huh? I'm thinking kilt for sasquatch. Big kilt. I'm going to make some T-tunics for my kids too, and baggy pants. I made some earlier by eye and they were tight and the first night they slept in them, some stitches popped and then the washing machine did the rest of them in. The kids like to make their own trim. One used krayon and drew a dragon, the other used marker and put 'pretty princess' on it. I'll let you think about which one did what.

Saw your post on Kohl's about PJ pants. Might get some for my older kids when I have allowance again (next payday) and some of those really long sleepover type T-shirts and add some trim or something. They really aren't into the garb thing but I keep trying to stress it. I spent this payday's allowance making a few short shorts and a hand axe. My son's friends didn't like my other weapons because their too heavy, but they liked my short sword so I making some for them to use. The hand axe is for me, I started with the idea of two viking style hand axes and ended up with one that looks like an Eygptian bronze age hand axe but with a stabby tip (love those stabby tips) I'm an old Norse dude that got around alot and has picked up this and that during my travels. I'm looking forward to making a tunic but I like the late roman fashions with the clavii (trim running down both sides of the tunic rather than just on the neck and hems.) Yeah, strange Norse dude.

Konradr

yup yup..thats where I started.....kohls pj pants...pre-made..easy to wear, and they usually have some plaids going on....even pockets....and from there i went on to just make my own pants....


you haven't seen my full..um...I'll call it a collection of garb....its vast...
like a whole extra wardrobe for this stuff...and I keep making more....

ahh...thats what happens when you get a sewing machine
and too much free time on your hands...

D~

Hmmm, just about done with my new pants and I see a similar problem. I made extra room in the waist and legs, but the crotch is still, um, shallow. I added extra inches and put a 3 by 4 gusset in there like the pattern said (downloaded from website of SCA person) but it still seems at first glance a bit shallow. Not quite done yet. Still got to put in the drawstring waist and some tie tabs at the ankles. Then we'll see.

My daughter has requested of me, a T-tunic and my son a hobbit hood. He wants to look like Frodo. (Personally, I like Sam)

The master pattern I am giving to you has all of those patterns in it...so wait till saturday and then you can go hog wild making stuff for your munchkins....

another one of my tips i tell most people is to go online to joanns and sign up for their newsletter that gets shipped out every week or so..it has coupons in it, and tells ya whats on sale...

this garb making can get mighty expensive..

D~

I just finished my pants. Hmmm, a few errors, but I'm still learning. I bought the plaid at Joan's. A little more expensive than walmart, but so many more types to choose from.