Thrifting Your Own SCA Couture

Creating garb from what you have

Master Katryne MacIntosh the Strange, OP

So, you’re interested in the SCA? Congratulations! You’re now on your way to enjoying a very time-intensive, resource-expensive hobby!

What’s that you say? You have a budget? Or, you have no budget but you’d really like to play anyway? The audacity!

Honestly, though, most people who begin attending SCA events start from a baseline point before jumping full into the land of high-end period couture. It’s OK - we’ve all been there, and there are still individuals who stick with the tried and true everyman version of SCA clothing.

The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Organizational Handbook, including what we call Corpora (our governing documents), requires little to participate at SCA events.

B. Requirements for Participants at Society Events  Anyone may attend Society events provided they wear an attempt at pre-17th century clothing, conform to the rules of Society, and comply with any other requirements (including but not limited to site fees or waivers) which may be imposed. At business meetings and informal classes, the requirement to wear pre-17th century dress may be waived. All participants are expected to behave in an appropriate and respectful manner. 

So what does that entail? Pay the site fee (if any), sign the waiver, and wear things that could plausibly be worn before the year 1600. 

For those who are new to our area, we have loaner gear and garb (garb being the informal word we use for clothing) available for people to borrow. We also have events such as Newbie Collegium, where many of us use the opportunity to pass along garb that doesn’t fit us, whether our current persona or our size, and to divest ourselves of items that could be used by others, that are instrumental in helping some get ready for events.

Away from these resources, I have ideas for you to help get you on your way to a lifetime of SCA events and participation.

The basic T-Tunic. For many of us who started our SCA careers decades ago, this has been and always will be the base for SCA participation. Unlike a T-shirt, which tends to be stretchy and conforms to modern couture, this is a base constructed item that almost anyone with any level of sewing experience can create. You will need at least enough fabric to cover your top portion - something at least 30 inches wide for most people for short sleeves, and at least 45 inches wide for longer sleeves, that is at least twice the length of the distance of the top of your shoulder to below your waistline. For femme-presenting individuals, the T-Tunic can even be a T-gown, with the same width of fabric needed and the length being approximately twice a person’s height.

To make - fold the fabric lengthwise once, and crosswise once. Take a T-shirt that fits you, and fold it in half. Lay it so the neckline of the T-shirt (the rounded bit) lies flat with the top seam of the shoulder along the shorter edge of fabric and the middle seam of the shirt along the longer edge.

Measure out approximately four inches from the armpit of the T-shirt, diagonally from the corner of the fabric. Mark this point. Draw a line, either straight out to the edge, or at an angle of up to 30 degrees, to the edge of the fabric from that mark.  Then draw a line from that armpit mark up to 30 degrees or, if it’s easier, from that mark to the far corner of the fabric. Now cut the triangle you just drew, away. Cut along the line of the neck of your T-shirt (the fabric, not the shirt) to create a neckhole. Remove your T-shirt. Cut a two inch slit down one layer of the folded side of the fabric, right at the fold. Unfold the fabric, put your head through the hole, and try it out. Congratulations, you have the basis for your first T-Tunic.

To finish it out, you can use bias tape to trim the neckline (easier done before you sew the whole thing together) or you can face the neckline in a fancier way. You can even just do a simple stitch to turn the edge of the fabric inwards so the raw edge of the fabric does not show. Turn the T-Tunic so the side you don’t want on the outside is on the outside, sew up the long triangle sides, turn it inside out and sew the bottom edge. Congratulations - this is a basic, finished T-Tunic!

But wait - you don’t have the patience to sew? Head to your local Goodwill or thrift shop. Go looking in the section set aside for scrubs - the clothes folks in the medical field wear. Look for tunic tops. Get a size larger than what you wear. You’re set for your first event!

Pants. Sweatpants are often the first pants many SCA folks wear. They’re usually loose, and most of the pants can be covered by shoes, socks, and the bottom hem of whatever’s on top. Look for neutral tones like black or brown, or solid colors like yellow, blue, or red, without logos or stripes. These can be purchased new for under $10.

For more advanced wear, look for linen pants. Women’s pants from fancier stores often fit this - they tend to be somewhat formless and flowing and they were popular a few years back. Eschew the $80 new versions and look in thrift store racks. Read labels and search for products that are mostly linen based. If linen is the first material listed, you’re probably OK.

Avoid modern patterns and unlikely medieval colors (day-glo green and yellow are modernly obtrusive) and look for clothing a little larger than your body size.

To make your pants look even more medieval, cut out ankle elastic and add bias tape straps. Or cover it all up with long, single-color socks.

Shoes. There has long been a joke around these parts that “anything is period below the knee.” Shoes tend to be more expensive than other items. In a perfect world, we’d all be able to wear period shoes, but we all have different feet.

The easiest way, when you start, is to get cheap but decently soled sandals. Leather or simulated leather in black or brown tones will work well. They will provide protection against rough surfaces like gravel. Ballet shoes or flats work okay, especially if you are indoors, but may lack the soles to protect your feet. And believe me, protecting your feet is essential.

If you need to wear modern shoes for any reason, choose black, brown, or gray in solids. Long dress hems cover well. Don’t sweat it.

The cape. A simple cape or cloak can elevate your appearance drastically - and it’s incredibly easy to create - even if you have no sewing skill whatsoever!

The basic cloak or cape comes from a single piece of fabric. The width of a piece of fabric is your length - the wider, the longer. It needs to be at least twice the length as the width. 

Fold your fabric in half. Now, fold it again, but this time fold it from corner to corner, joining the folded edge corner to the long edge. Now, cut a curve across from one corner to the other through all four layers. Unfold - you have a half-circle of fabric! If you’d like this to be an early period cloak, wrap it around you and secure it with a pin at the neck. Later period? Cut a half-circle where your neck goes. This simple cloak is the easiest!

Except - it’s not! Want an even easier cloak? Get a round tablecloth with a width of at least 45 inches. Fold it into quarters. Make a mark at the center. Now cut a straight line through one of the layers of fabric from that mark to the edge. Unfold. Behold - a cape or cloak, ready to be worn or trimmed!

Draped fabric. Throughout history, fabric draping is a common element in clothing. The Greeks and Romans had togas and chitons as their primary and sometimes only clothes. Hindi folk still drape with saris and dhotis. Shoulder capes, outerwear - showing off extra fabric gives the impression of being rich. 

Wearing a pair of shorts and possibly a sports bra or sleeveless T-shirt as a base layer is a good idea when you’re starting out making one of these.  Find cording, belts, pins, and other items for accessorizing.

To make a chiton - take a piece of fabric that can wrap all the way around you at least twice. That’s your width. It should ideally be as long as you are tall. You will need two pins or brooches and a cord or belt. 

Lay the fabric out with the width from side to side. Fold a portion of the width over along the entire length, equally - a quarter to a third is ideal. Now fold the width in half so the folded-over bit is inside.  Find the center of the lengthwise edge, measure out about four inches from that point either way, and pin it. Turn it inside out and pull over your head between where the pins are. Now you can add brooches to the top side of where the pins are, and belt it. Congrats, that’s a chiton!

A toga is even easier. Take a plain bedsheet. Tie together the two corners on one of the two short ends. Pull over your head and put one of your arms through. Now, grab the two corners on the other short end, pull them up to the waist on the same side the knot is on your shoulder, and tie them together tightly, using the short end as your waistband. Boom - you’ve created a quick toga.

Want to look fancier? Choose fancier fabric. Saris are good for this - they look flashy and can be organized in many different ways. 

Be sure to have pins available to keep bits together so your bits don’t show.

Moving on up to hats. The best way to show you’re serious about your garb is to top it off with a hat. Hats don’t have to be hard - you can wear a simple straw hat or felt hat and you’re going to be good. 

A simple fabric hat can be made by cutting four circles of fabric at least 12 inches in diameter. Take three of those circles, fold them into quarters, and cut out a circle with the radius of the circumference of your head. Don’t math? Take a piece of string, wrap it around your head, then fold it into three. Use that to cut a circle from the center of your fabric rounds. Sew one of the cut circles together to the uncut circle on the outside edge. Sew the other two cut circles together the same way. Now turn both of those circles inside out and sew the inside edges on two sides together. Put your head in on the side that has the opening. Boom - a flat cap!

You can also cover your head with loose fabric by fashioning a turban. While emperors and high-ranking officials were depicted with huge turbans, yours doesn’t need to be. Simply find a large scarf or loose piece of fabric large enough to reach from one fingertip on one hand to the other on the other side, over your head, when you have your arms outstretched. Twist the end of one side of your fabric from where you can gather it on one side of your head, and roll it up. Take this portion and wrap it around the front to the back of your head, slipping the end of the fabric under the twisted bit by your ear. Now roll up the other end of the fabric, repeat, tuck - you’re done! 

Belting. Belts allow you to hold your clothes together, on your body, and carry things. Pockets were, in most cultures, things worn on the outside - pouches and such dangling from your bet. Choose leather-looking belts or long pieces of fabric that looks like sashes to make things that wrap around the waist. Alternately, you can use these over the shoulder to suspend your bags of holding.

Conceal! It is AOK to wear your glasses! But items such as wallets, car keys, beverages in things that don’t look like they belong in the middle ages, and other items should be concealed beneath layers of clothing or within pouches. 

Remember - As you spend time in the SCA, you’ll be able to see what other people are wearing, and be able to adapt your clothing to a couture you want. You can do all sorts of things with the materials provided. Creativity is what puts the C in the SCA!

If you have questions about a type of garb, ask someone. Most SCAdian folk love to talk about what they wear and how it was made or obtained. You may be surprised how much you learn!

Above all, remember, it’s the attempt that’s the important part. We want you to enjoy your time here. Learn as you go along - there are plenty of us who are happy and willing to help you obtain the look you want.

Feasting, Feeding, and Food in the SCA

A quick guide to dining in these current Middle Ages

Master Katryne MacIntosh the Strange, OP

The Society for Creative Anachronism offers so many different paths into learning about the time period before 1600 - so many cultures, so many places to search, so many ideas. There are a lot of differences between these different places and times, but one thing that connects them all - everyone ate.

When we encounter food in the SCA, it usually comes to us in one of three ways - provided by the event (feasts and other meals), provided by ourselves (picnics), and provided by individuals in the SCA (sideboards). How you create and enjoy your feast kit and dining experiences is up to you - but you can make it more enjoyable by being prepared for what’s to come.

Feasts

A feast is, in general, a lunchtime or evening meal where event attendees sit down and enjoy a meal together. While there are sometimes feasts where the serviceware and dinnerware are provided, this is generally rare, and the people who come to dine are expected to bring their own feast kits. 

The hope for these kits is to not only alleviate additional event cost of renting or purchasing dishes upon which to dine, but to also increase the ambiance of an event for all involved. These are some of the items you may wish to carry in your feast kit:

Silverware (fork, knife, spoon, etc)

Plate or platter

Bowl

Cup or chalice

Spices of choice (salt and pepper, etc.)

Candles and candleholders

Serviceware (large spoons, tongs, etc.)

Napkins 

Tablecloth

At the bare minimum, a plate or platter is a starting point for those who wish to dine, as you must have something to eat from.  Some people in persona may choose to forgo some items - for instance, a person with a southern Indian persona may choose to bring a banana leaf, and to eat with the fingers of their right hand from piles of food placed on the leaf. What you choose to include will depend on how much you want to emulate a person in your chosen timeframe and culture, and how comfortable you want to be while dining.

The items you choose reflect these ideals, if you wish them to. The standard set I suggest for people is to select a bowl and a platter of wood, bamboo, pewter or brass, or materials that look to be of this nature, along with mundane metal fork-knife-spoon sets or chopsticks and ceramic spoons. I also suggest a simple drinking vessel. Tankards are popular, as are metal or wooden chalices, but glass was also a period material, and sometimes just having an unmarked coffee cup will do. A scrap of fabric or a folded decorative paper towel or napkin will do just fine for a start. The other items can be filled in by the folks you are dining with, usually.

Think about what you would use at the table. Soups and pottages are common, so having a bowl is essential. Some folks bring an extra bowl to place out their bones or the food they don’t eat from a course so it can be discarded later. Do you know how to use chopsticks? They may make it easier to pick up items that are saucy or messy. Make sure you have what you need to feel comfortable eating in a family setting.

Most feasts in Gleann Abhann are served family-style, where either the person nearest the platter delivered to the table takes plates from others and puts the portion on, or the platter is passed from person to person. Some peer households choose to serve individuals at their table by order of precedence, though this has become less common here. In my household, we make sure guests and those who have less precedence are fed before our peers eat.

You’ll want a vessel to keep your dining gear in. Some choose wooden boxes, which can be heavy but which tend to be sturdier over time. Baskets are possible - but when choosing a basket, consider how much weight will be held in that basket. Many commercial picnic baskets are made just to hold the original lightweight contents and aren’t prepared to carry ceramic or metal dishes, and Easter baskets tend to have very flimsy handles. I’ve also seen fabric bags constructed for the purpose, and as long as you’re making allowances to protect anything ceramic or glass within, they tend to be pretty handy.

Other items you might want to consider bringing with you to feast:

Extra napkins or paper towels for cleanup

Ziptop bags or aluminum foil to take leftovers home (leftover food from platters must be discarded and not reused for future meals once they have been taken to a table, per health code)

Plastic bags to take your feast gear home in, especially if there is no place to clean them

Any sauces or spices that will make your personal feast experience better

Picnicking in the SCA

Sometimes, you may attend an event that doesn’t have a scheduled meal. Fighter practices, arts and science days and other daytrip events may be times when you need to have food on hand for yourself and your household. While yes, you can just bring a cooler and your canned beverages and plastic wrappers, upping your game with medieval-inspired foods helps encourage the keeping of atmosphere.

When planning these picnics, it’s important to consider a few key things.

Safe temperatures. If you are bringing dishes that cannot be kept out for long, you should consider some sort of cooler or accommodation. I like to keep the atmosphere by utilizing frozen cooler-intended blocks around any items in my basket that might need refrigeration - particularly anything involving eggs, cream, or meat. These can be concealed under a tablecloth over the top if you are concerned about appearances.

Dining themes. Bringing your cheeseburgers and candy bars isn’t quite what most medieval folks would have considered to be normal, though, as has been said many times, “you do you.” But there are plenty of ways to dine that evoke the atmosphere of the past without breaking the atmosphere.

The Ploughman’s Share. Popular in pubs in Western Europe and the U.K., this is just a hunk of some sort of bread, a chunk of meat of some sort, and a portion of cheese. You can achieve this for the kids with a slim sausage, a cheese stick, and a bread stick in a pouch and they will usually relish this idea. For adults, having a cutting board with a selected cheese, a sausage or chunk of roast beef, and a French loaf does quite nicely. Remember any condiments, such as mustard or butter, to make this more pleasant, and consider adding some more cheese.

The Italian. While tomatoes are an extremely late-period item, there are plenty of ways you can enjoy cold dining in the Italian fashion. Today, you can even pick up pre-made charcuterie boards that will get you a good portion of the way there. A selection of Italian cheese such as provolone or mozzarella, slices of prosciutto and pastrami, a handful of olives and pickled peppers, some focaccia or Italian bread, and a bottle of grape juice or wine, and you’re definitely a grade above peasant class. Grapes and lemons make an excellent addition in this theme.

The Northern European. Germanic culture has changed over time, but has long featured sausages! Select a couple of your favorite German sausages and some hard cheeses for slicing, brown breads and crackers to go with them, mustards and ale (or root beer for dry sites) and you have the beginnings of a great German-inspired meal. 

These are just a few examples. You might consider going French and offering French loaves with butter, sliced radishes, mushroom handpies, and a roasted chicken from the local deli alongside apples and soft cheeses. Or dive into a platter of Ottoman-inspired fare with olives, dates, apricots, flatbreads, hummus, and nuts. With a little preplanning, you can even make the cheapest of dishes into a personal feast - for instance, a thermos of boiling hot water in the morning will still be enough to use for ramen at lunchtime, which can be served alongside onigiri (Japanese-style sushi predecessor where bonito flakes or another filling are wrapped inside sushi vinegar-soaked rice and seaweed), a couple of boiled eggs soaked in soy sauce, and cold wonton-wrapped spring rolls. 

You’ll want to make sure you have anything you’ll need to serve on or with - plates, a cutting board and knife for cheeses or meats, vessels to drink from - but you can truly make yourself a great meal to enjoy without breaking the ambiance of an event.

Sideboarding

From time to time, you might attend an event where it’ll look like everyone is snacking, and that truly is the case. Particularly at Crown Lists and sometimes just at any event, there will be people who will create a sideboard of dishes that will be available over the course of a morning, afternoon, or even all day. These can also be sighted at vigils for soon-to-be-peers, a small, light buffet of hospitality for those who have come to speak with the vigilante. There are some protocols to this, but whether you’re the one setting one up or one enjoying the setout, sideboards are just a cool thing.

A sideboard by necessity is generally a selection of dishes that can be grazed upon. Shelf-stable items such as breads, fruit, cuts of easy to eat vegetables, and easy to use condiments are standard. These items should be safe to eat at the temperature of the day - if indoors, room temperature is fine, but for days when the temperatures exceed 80F outside, attention should be paid attention to how long these items are out.

Simple finger fare is not all that can be considered here. For instance, roasts of beef or entire roasted chickens can be showstoppers on the sideboard, showing the extravagance of the household that has set one up. Cheese plates, liquid refreshments, and even desserts are common.  For these occasions, disposable gear is usually available, but you should always bring your own cup.

I recently worked with my partner to set up a sideboard at a small local event, to share with the populace a taste of what our household was offering that day. In addition to the individually sliced cheeses, sliced breads, cream cheese, grapes, crackers, and small cakes, we featured items he smoked on our grill, particularly two large capon and two acorn squash. We found that people were not as accustomed to the protocol of coming to ask about the spread, and individually invited people to come taste what he had smoked and what we were glad to provide in a spread for all to sample throughout the afternoon.

A good rule of thumb with any sideboard is to ask first. In most cases, you’ll find the generous nature of the SCA in full evidence and be invited to dine. But in a few cases, there may be reasons this particular buffet is limited. Asking first ensures no faux pas has happened.

If you choose to create a sideboard yourself, be sure to ask before you set up. Sometimes halls can be crowded or tables limited. Working with the event staff can ensure you manage to create something that enhances your experience and the experience of others in the SCA.

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If you have any questions about feasting, being fed or feeding others in the SCA, please feel free to reach out to me at tiedyetravels@gmail.com.