8 Things Not to Do When Making Your First Garb

1. Don’t do it alone!

I am a very hands on person, and when I decide it is time to do something, I run out, purchase all the pieces I think I’ll need, and start putting them together. I wouldn’t have minded a class to learn, but I am really bad at setting up one on one teaching sessions. I think it’s mostly my schedule doesn’t allow for a lot of planning. I thought I was doing the right things, reading a bunch online, but I got to the point that reading wasn’t helping. I needed to do it myself. I should have asked for help. There were a lot of simple things that more practiced seamstresses would have known, and maybe I’d still wear my first garb now if I had done a better job of it.

2. Try it with cheap fabric or interfacing first

There are a few things that I didn’t understand about seams and how fabric drapes when you cut it and reattach it. I used an orange linen that I was excited to wear to make my first garb. I now have a dress that I don’t want to wear and won’t throw away because I have too much invested in it. I was afraid of wasting the time to make a fake dress and then have to just do it all over again. If i were starting again, I’d pick up some dollar a yard fabric and make a dress full of mistakes that i wouldn’t mind throwing away.

3. Patterns aren’t for everyone

Seamstresses for thousands of years have been making clothing. They have not always used patterns. Many sites talk about how to sew with a pattern. Part of what is awesome about making your own clothing is that it is tailored to fit you. You do not necessarily need a pattern to make your garb. You need to understand how the pieces fit together, and you have to make sure that the proportions are correct. This also goes back to part one; DON’T DO IT ALONE. People who have sewn before can help you customize your clothing to your body.

4. Measure twice, cut once

It is very important that your corners are crisp and that both sides of your outfit are symmetrical, otherwise they will not reattach properly. Making things with multiple layers makes this job more important. If the pieces don’t exactly line up, there will be problems.

5. Learn more about bias

There are entire articles about what bias is and most of these writers have done a better job at it than I can, but you should definitely read them. It makes a big difference in how your clothing fits and if the edges would fray and ruin your outfit.

6. Start simply

I wanted to make a dress, so I read a lot about a few styles of dresses that were really easy to make. Except I had never seen one of these outfits in real life. I was so worried about someone telling me that my garb was not authentic, I ended up making something that kind of looked like poop. Start with a t-tunic. It is literally the easiest thing to make, and you can make a dress the same way, just make it longer. If anyone tells you that your garb is not authentic enough, they’re probably not the people you want to be playing with. Find some other people to hang out with.

7. Decide on a neckline before you cut

Necklines are more than holes. They’re actually really complex. I guess I got carried away with all the other things, but I didn’t really stop to think about the fact that the neckline in a medieval dress is nothing like a modern tee shirt. I can’t just sew across the shoulders and leave a spot open to shove my head through. Make sure you decide on your neckline before you begin sewing your shirt together.

8. Narrow down an era

;”>I didn’t know what time period or culture I really wanted to be when I first joined S.C.A. I knew I didn’t want to be Asian, and I didn’t want to be Turkish, largely because Turkish clothing seems daunting. I was thinking some form of Celtic, but I hadn’t narrowed down time period at all. If you are really trying to build a complete look, you need to pick a time period so you will be able to mix your things together well. I have made several pieces now because they were easy or they went with something else I had. But much of my wardrobe cannot be worn together. I have a Viking hood I wear whenever it is cold or raining. But it really doesn’t go with half of my dresses. I wear it out of convenience, but some day I am going to need to make a more modern hood as well. If you would like to avoid redundancies and the double workload, then plan a little better from the beginning.

This is my terrible garb.  It stayed attached, and it didn’t look modern, that’s for sure, but it didn’t really look like anything either.  I was proud that I had finished anything and that it did not fall to pieces, but hope that others who try this may end up with a better final product.