Kathleen Gillies wrote: > Hi, I think I posted before. I sew regular clothing > and "stuff" and was approached by some new friends to > make them some garb for their pirate act/ren fair > jobs.... >
> My question, if you could use 3 books for this (these) > eras, which would you buy? > > The ones I have in my cart are Jane Arnold's Patterns > of Fashion 1560-1620, as well as her 1660-1860, Janet Arnold is wonderful, but limited. These books only cover selected women's outer garments. > The Tudor > Tailor by Ninya Mikhaila, Another wonderful book, but with more depth, it covers men and women from the skin out. However, it is only for the Tudor period. It is not Renaissance, and it is not "pirate". > and Costume Close Up: > Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790 - Linda > Baumgarten. Again, a very good book, with a variety of patterns for men and women, from the skin out. Again, neither renaissance or "pirate" era. > Susan Khalje's Bridal Coutoure book. > > Not familiar with this title, but if you are looking to improve your 'quick and dirty' sewing then a couture manual is a good place to start. > I have purchased a package of Margo's patterns which > have some wonderful guides in them. I plan on working > with them today. These are very popular patterns and can produce some spectacular results, even from beginner sewers. They would be good for renaissance festival wear, and basics like skirts, shirts and shifts can carry over into "pirate". There really is no good costume pattern book for the Golden Age of Piracy period, 1680-1720. You'll find a few pieces in the 2nd Arnold book, but it's not what people think of when you say 'pirate costume'. You might want to look up Norah Waugh's _Cut of Men's Clothing_, and the accompanying book for women. There are scale diagrams of clothing from the 1680-1720 period, and you can put together a reasonable outfit from what is available there if you can size them up, fit them to your customers, and work without instructions. I also recommend the Gentlemen of Adventure website for an introduction into what real pirates wore and how they acquired their clothing. Dawn _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
