Clothing Challenge Layer 1: 11th Century Shirt, Trousers, Smock, and Cap

For the Calontir Clothing Challenge, we are making a complete set of clothes for an 11th Century Anglo Saxon man and his wife.  The innermost layer consists of a Scyrte (shirt) and Braccas (trousers) for the man, and a Smoc (smock) and Feax Clap (cap) for the woman.


Scyrte (shirt)  The Scyrte was made with a rectangular construction in the body.  There were square gussets under the sleeves and a slit at the bottom.  




A round keyhole neck opening was bound with silk ribbon in a pale blue.
It was made of a lightweight white linen, hand sewn with a waxed linen thread.  Seams were sewn with a backstitch, and flat felled to finish.

Smoc (smock)  Similar in construction to the Scyrte, the Smoc has triangular side gores and is ankle length.

Feax-Clap (head cloth or cap)  The cap that is worn under a veil.  This was made in a style sometimes known as an English cap.  It is larger and longer than similar scandinavian caps, and is designed to cover the hair and give a surface to pin the hair or wimple to.

 

Braccas (trousers)  These were made of a lightweight wool.  They were made by making 2 tubes of fabric which tapered to make the lower legs tight.  There is a slight slit at the ankle to get the foot through, and a square crotch gusset for ease.  The pants are held up by a linen tape drawstring.







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