Disney Princess Character Garb Part 1

Introduction to Character Garb Blog post

I was a Disney princess fan as a kid, and many of them have historical inspiration.

Merida from Brave 

Main outfit, dark green or blue plaid is good option

• Long tapered sleeve navy/dark green tunic with a natural/white/yellow facing to represent the under dress 
• Layered tunics in natural/white/yellow and navy/dark green for warmth. 
• Modern princess seam dress pattern with lacing up the back as a coatardie. the seams allow space to expand if you make big seam allowance.

Archery Contest

• Light blue tunic or coatardie with yellow/gold trim.

Belle From Beauty and Beast 

 

Blue dress

• Blue viking apron dress with a white or natural under dress
• Blue sidelaced dress (eventual post on how to) with a chemise and apron. thrifted basket may be fun for carrying toys.

Yellow dress

• Yellow sidelaced dress with rose trim and a chemise.
• Yellow tunic dress with rose trim or rose fabric facing. 

Jasmine from Aladdin

Chosen outfit color from movie: plain crop t-shirt with optional mirror/embroidered trim, drawstring ankle and drawstring waist pants, a headband with gem. maybe even attach a light veil to the headband.  

Disneybounding, Historybounding and the Birka Garb Challenge…

Disneybounding, the act of dressing in Disney character inspired outfits, came from an adult wanting to show their love at Disney in the parks. This likely inspired the term Historybounding, which is wearing historically inspired garments in everyday wear, though you’re not actually going to history, so the bounding is not fully accurate. I suspect one of these trends had influence in the creation of the Birka Garb Challenge, though I struggled to find documentation. Combine this with many people’s joy in playing dress up, especially children, and there is a way to encourage kids wearing different clothes.
The concept is that for children who enjoy playing dress up that garb could be made that resembles characters they enjoy. This would encourage the wearing of unfamiliar garments and also provide more use before they outgrow it - playing dress up at home. This can be furthered along if the garments made can be styled for everyday wear as well as SCA wear. 

Examples:

• I once saw a kid in an Anna from Frozen inspired Viking Apron dress. The dress could also be worn with a plain t-shirt as a jumper dress. 

• A blue side laced dress (there will be a post on the flexibility of the design eventually) with a chemise (or peasant blouse) and apron to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Even a button-down shirt in white could work as a partlet...

• Leggings and a tunic could form a Kaley from Quest for Camelot outfit, and leggings are a good modern staple. 

• For characters that are more color scheme than design, such as Hulk or Batman, try a tunic with reverse facing (facing on the outside, often a contrasting color)

• If you can find trim or ribbon with the character logo then you could use that as trim on any garment. My mother once used a wide wired ribbon, after removing the wire, as trim.

Most animated characters can be translated if you’re creative enough, and kids aren’t always as discerning as adults so it might not be as difficult as you may think. 

I participated in the Birka Garb challenge one year, the year of superheroes. I did 90’s Rouge of X-men. I chose a coatardie and sideless surcoat combo for the color blocking of the suit and a capelet/hood for her crop jacket. I also made handwarmers (no idea if period but I enjoyed them) and an X-men logo belt favor.

Making a Kid Saree

 (start of a series)

Historically kids did not wear saree but the flexibility has potential for growing kids and repurposing material. I don't think it would be good for a rough and tumble kind of kid so evaluate if this idea suits your kid.  Also, I will note that traditionally being able to wear a saree may be a rite of passage, so choose if you feel good with this idea (this blog is a hobby so I don’t have the time to do strong research on cultural appropriation and disrespect)

Creating a basic kid size saree

Measurements

An adult saree seems to generally be about 45 inches, which is likely to be too big for a kid. While there is something called a half saree, my idea is to trim down standard fabric to a size that is more suitable for a kid. I haven’t been able to experiment with length but if the fabric is cut in half lengthwise and sewn end to end yardage to buy is less. If that seems too short, then the cut off can be used for a number of other things such as matching toy garb, a top to wear with the saree or facing for another garment. Standard saree are about 6 yards in length, so with the idea that a kid is one half scale in comparison to an adult I would start with a 3 yard saree and experiment with draping before decoration.

Material

Batik dyed fabric or similar printed fabric work in order to skip the decoration step. While a quick internet search says that Batik originated in Indonesia and thus maybe not accurate, it would make a pretty attempt at the SCA period.

• This source gives some examples of sarees: The art of saree-making: A closer look at the craftsmanship and techniques involved  

While solid quilters cotton is easy to find at a craft store, though it might turn out bulky (I have yet to experiment) and cotton gauze works well because it is a looser weave than the quilters cotton. 

Fabric source ideas:

•  Thrifted worn bedsheets?

Construction

Trim fabric down to the chosen width (22, 30, other), piece together if needed, hem the cut edge with other edge being the selvedge to reduce bulk (to further limit bulk use the hemmed edge as the bottom hem.

Determine the Pallu (the pretty end) by laying the fabric out flat with the hem towards you, the end to the far right is the Pallu, this is where the most decoration should be done.

Some other resources

• Understanding the Anatomy of a Saree 

 

Before decorating try to drape to make sure it is not too long for the child. 

Next post in this series will be decorating ideas. [insert link]

Does Anime help keep teens in Garb?

As a second generation SCAdian I've observed a few friends and their friends choose Japanese style Garb. While I didn't ask them why at the time, my theory is anime. From hearing stories from older SCAdians it wouldn't be the first time that a love of media led to a love of history and culture. Additionally, this may be a way to differentiate themselves from their parents as they grow into themselves. Maybe this develops into a whole Persona or maybe it's a phase but either way it encourages participation that works for them. 

This interest can also be a good introduction to making their own garb. My minimal research reveals loose garments with minimal tailoring and made of nearly all rectangles, so accessible to new sewists. 

Here are some links to jump start research:

• Wodefordhall : The individual articles have cited resources for further research.
• Sengokudaimyo: not only fashion but culture as well
• sbooth.net: inspiration more than source
• daigaku-ryou: outdated event listing but reading the class descriptions may lead you down some rabbit holes 
• jeongyo-teahouse.net: database of sorts for sources covering most of Asia it appears
• 
  

Sewing In miniature: A use for scrap fabric

As a kid I always wanted to include my favorite toys in the SCA too! At first that meant asking for all of Felicity Merriman's clothes for my American Girl doll and struggling with my teddy bear. As I got older I was lucky to have all the scraps from a garb merchant (my mother) at my disposal to learn to make clothes, mostly by draping to recreate the shapes I saw around me.

I struggled with not always having guidance and not knowing I could ask for cutting guides to modify into miniature. Now that there are so many more resources for sewing toy clothes, and I have more knowledge than when I was younger. I want to help guide kids to engage in the SCA by bringing their toy friends into the fun too!

Tips for garbing in miniature:

• Use cutting guides for adults but divide measurements by about 3 for 18 dolls and most Bears. You can learn these cutting guides by attending classes or by asking others who sew garb. 18 inch dolls and B-a-B tend to be about ⅓ scale, while Barbie is ⅙ scale.
• Find patterns for modern items designed for woven fabric and modify them into more period shapes. There are a lot of free patterns online, and some paid ones are even in period styles.

Four Legged buddies are a bit trickier but still doable. I hope to make another post covering tricks for them.

Free Resources

• PAcountrycrafts: the peasant blouse is the modern version of a chemise
• AGplaythings: contains links to some of the original American Girl doll outfits
• Reed Creations: a good cloak is a must for a doll going outdoors! Some scrap wool is best for rain protection
• Reed Creations : colonial garments may be useful to modify as well

Paid resources 

• PixieFaire: a lot of paid patterns to download online. Doll Tag clothing on there has some period type patterns
• lee & pearl October 2015 newsletter: There is a free modification to a paid pattern, and some other fun ideas</p>

Parents: Scaling patterns down can be good math practice or an opportunity to introduce a new skill.