Monkey see, monkey do...

[stellar_muddle]

Just seen a very good article on Anglo-Saxon embroidery on clothing, and now want to do some... However, there are some slight problems with this:
- Generally focus on Viking rather than Anglo-Saxon, and there is a difference in style. Not to mention Vikings generally used tablet weaving, rather than embroidery. Also apparently Viking embroidered cuffs are a bit iffy to document - tablet weaving, hell yes, but cuffs... ? collars - talk to Maggie re details?.
- Z need more tunics (and trousers and undertunics and ...:) - good excuse, BUT kinda needs more shift rocks, chop trees, hit hot metal, fun play mud pies tunics. Embroidering these seems a little overkill, not to mention the stresses when they are torn, both on the sewer, and the wearee. Although embroidered silk strips onto a good woolen tunic...
- Am trying not to start any new projects til I have finished the ones I have started ie clean up the seam treatment on the tunics made for Festival so they don't fray for next Festival. Already broken this with the naalbinded socks.. no, mittens now (evolution in progress).
- speaking of new projects, still want to try making one of the 14th C Hjerolfnes gowns and/or fitted cotehardie, neither of which takes that sort of decoration.
And more importantly
- don't have any sewing gear in my office (bar the naalbinding wool and needle and the only suitable fabric is the curtains...no, bad idea, sulk)

So, a question (or two) for the reinactors (or former reinactors) out there.
How much of your medieval clothing is for show ie Feast, court, display, looking shiny?
How much is for doing medieval stuff in ie cooking on an open fire, fetching water, working in? Often the play mud pies tunics, but not necessarily.
Do you aim for the same level of authenticity in both?
Do you go to events to look medieval and play with people who also look medieval, or are you there to do medieval stuff, day to day, as well as the special occasion stuff? Both, either, none of the above?

Curious....

Comments

[alpha-angel.livejournal.com]

I pretty much only have one dress that I wear to feasts now, the rest of my stuff is for mucking around in - boys clothes. I have 4 sets of braies, a pair of linen hose and a pair of wool hose, my shoes get worn for everything, I have two woollen tunics - one old one, made from a woollen blanket, hand-sewn, using threads pulled from the rest of the blanket, it now has a hole in the bottom hem where it got scorched, and horse blood stains, and stained cuffs, and one other woollen one which is newer and so hasn't acquired interesting marks yet. My undertunic has blood stains from when I had a bleeding nose, and grease stains from wiping my hands on it.
And yes, I aim for the same level of authenticity in my day wear and my speccy stuff. I'm currently handsewing a woollen coat for Craig, based on an effigy from 1357, and then I'm going to hand-sew a new cotehardie and supertunic based on a brass from around the same time.
I go to medieval events to look, play and do medieval stuff with other like-minded individuals - and socialise while I'm doing it.