The Elizabethan Costuming Page-this is the best!
Constructing a 16th Cent. Flemish Outfit-well researched & detailed
Dawn's Costume Guide-patterns and photos
And Wear it Well-patterns and tricks, photos too
Life in Elizabethan England-know how to address the nobles at the faire!
While I've been to many Renaissance Faires over the years, I just last year started attending in costume. It's a whole different experience. You really get a feel for what it was like to live in that time. And boy do I have a new appreciation for mothers then!! There's nothing quite like climbing over a 4ft. high fence while wearing a chemise, 2 ankle length skirts and a laced bodice!!! Why would I do such a thing? Well, my daughter (who was able to fit under the fence) thought it would be neat to pet the wooden horse that was being used for the jousting ride and was about to get whacked in the head by it!! The real fun came when I tried to get back over the fence while holding a screaming 2yo!
Despite experiences like that, it's really a great time for kids and they really love getting into the fun of "dressing up" for the fair! So I've made this page to share some of my hints, tips, tricks and most of all, mistakes in making Renaissance costumes for children. It's actually easier than you think, especially if you go as a peasant family like we did! Here are a couple pictures showing my daughter's costume. I'm having an arguement with the scanner about my son's picture. It will be up soon I hope!
Costumes for boys I think are the easiest. A pair of brown or khaki cotton pants with no visible pockets or fly and a drawstring
waist is all you need for bottoms. If there are pockets or a fly it's okay since the shirt should cover that part anyway.
For the shirt, find an adult size, white cotton button-down shirt. It needs to be way too big. I waslucky enough to
actually find a 100% linen shirt at the Goodwill!! LInen and wool of course were the fabrics actually used in that time-period,
however usually they are too expensive to use on children nowadays!
1-Cut off the cuffs from
the sleeves. Fold under aobut 1/2inch and sew the sleeve ends, then fold under again, this time 2inches or more depending on how
much of a ruffle you and your son want (boys can get picky about this!). Remember though that the sleeves need to be too long so that
when they are gathered and tied they look poufy. Sew around 2 seams about 1/4 inch apart, leaving a gap in one to
put the lacing in. Use leather lacing to gather and tie the sleeve once the shirt is put on. Just let the ends of the lacing hang down.
2-Cut and hem the bottom of the shirt to that it is straight all around. but still long.
3-Cut off the button plackets and sew up the front to about 5 inches(maybe more depending on your son's size) from the top.
Then put in some eyelets at the edges of the opening (found in the
sewing section in little packages with a tool to hammer them in) and get some leather lacing to lace it up.
4-Carefully cut off the collar, leaving the stand up part of it. If you found a shirt that has a stand up collar anyway you won't need to do
this part.
Now, you have a shirt that resembles a so-called "pirate shirt". Your son can just wear the shirt and pants, or he can add a sash around his hips
to blouse up the shirt. He can also wear a plain vest in some solid color like brown, dark green, etc. to be a doublet. The vest material needs to be
cotton, wool, linen. or leather to look right. Now that you've worked so hard for a reasonably accurate costume, don't ruin it with horrible Nikes or
Reeboks if at all possible!! Sneakers are okay if they are solid black or brown. Moccasins will look good too. Basically, the less obtrusive the shoes the better.
I'll have more details about how I made my daughter's costume up soon. Meanwhile, look at the pics here and on the other sites in the links list for ideas and instructions.
