Here's one of the projects my wife and I have been working on.
[ Linked Image ]

It's all wool of course, which is very comfy in the 100+ temps we've been having lately :eek:

We're doing another program at the library tomorrow, fortunately the forecast is for a frigid 82 degrees!

(...and yes, I now realize I forgot to take my watch off!)

You look awesome, my man !

Great job Mr. & Mrs. Kelly , Mac

Very smart attire, Patrick. Other than the temps it actually looks extremely comfortable. What knife is that? Also, are those hose secured with points? (no need to show pictures ;) )

Looks good Patrick, is it 2legs or pants?
make a small sun watch for next time :D

Thanks guys!

I knew someone would ask about the legs. :D

Those are an old pair of hose that I drug out of storage. Over the years I've worn them with everything from this norman kit to my old german landsknecht clothing. They're probably the oldest article of period clothing I have left, and I think they were the first things my wife ever made for me. Eventually they'll be replaced by proper braes and chausses. While we went with wool for this outift I think the next tunic will be made from linen, it's much more climate friendly for our area.

Jay,

The knife is my pattern welded seax by Vince evans: http://www.myArmoury.com/pat_dagg_ve_seax.html?3

Patrick,

Looking rather sharp (no pun intended), well done to you & your wife.
Also good luck on your presentation tomorrow. Those type's of things are great fun and
another benefit of this hobby, that is, to share with others the things we hold near & dear.

Cheers,

Bill

A very nice outfit, Patrick. May all your neighbors of Saxon descent beware! :D

Patrick;

Looks like a prosperous Norman: Now you need the ultimate accessory, your own stone tower keep on its' motte surrounded by a small village of rent paying serfs to pay for your horse, armour and custom swords.


George;

Yes the Normans in Italy invented sunglasses and sunscreen and used mopeds instead of horses, and probably preferred linen to wool !


Back from the twilight zone :p Seriously: Really nice job, Patrick congratulations to your wife :lol:

Patrick, you look the epitome of elegance. Every bit, the 11th(?) century man-about-town.
So, Kelly must be a Norman name, right?? :lol:

Steve;

Don't know about Patrick but my ancestors who moved to Québec around 1700 came from Normandy and Brittany so I may have a few Vikings way back in the family tree and a few Celts also.

My beard on my chin and moustache used to be reddish while the rest of my hair and beard was light to medium brown: Now the beard is mostly white while the hairs on my head, that haven't quit, are mostly still their original colour.

Way, off topic, and ALL ABOUT ME: Sorry, just wonder if the red came from the Viking or Celt ancestors :p :lol:

P.S. Don't drink 9% alc / Vol. micro brewry beer still up at 7:00 a.m. and type ( Trois Pistoles beer from Unibrou, Ale on lees extra strong, Chambly Québec. ) ( Oh, and I'm not playing with anything sharp or loaded, except me at the moment. )

Sorry Patrick if very off topic, the beer is THAT GOOD, no idea if any of you guys can find it locally. Oh, end of off-topic digression. :cool:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fitzosbern/

Thanks again Chuck!

how close are you to this event? http://www.vikingsna.org/tfbo/ the guys are great. might be worth your trip!

Nice kit (especially the sword). :)

A few things I've learned about Norman - period dress: The first thing to remember is what the ideal of the times was, and dress to accentuate that look, rather than modern fashion sense. The Norman "Manly look" for the century is small torso, big hips. The keys to this are the cut of the tunic and... your underwear.

For the tunic, you need a tight upper body fit and the gored lower "skirt". There should also be small triangular gores under the armpit (which might help prevent some of the bunching that seems to be occuring around your arms). Now for the special part to looking the period - the Braes; There are a few iconographic representrations of men in their braes, (usually laboring). Braies should be linen and baggy, tapering towards the ankle. They may also have a slit at the inner ankle. To really get the right look, braes should have a feature almost no-one does in their kit - a roll. Essentially, an extra foot or so of material at the top of the braes, above the waistline. This material is rolled back down when dressing and forms a donut around the waist. It is this roll gives you the manly look of the period.

Chausses should be up the the upper thigh, with a pointed top which is tied by a lace (point) to the braes) probably to the drawstring). They should be of bias-cut wool twill (for elasticity) and should be footed. (there are different paterns for feet).

At the calf, you have wool wingas (windings) wrapped around and probably secured by a small set of hooks.

Tunic necks should generally be keyhole cut or (less frequently) an offset keyhole, possibly also secured by a small hook.

Thanks for the feedback Jeff!

Yes, there are gores under the arm pit, they're just not big enough! This tunic was the first piece of period clothing that my wife and I have made in almost 15 years. The gores were much too small on the first assembly and the circulation was being cut off to my biceps! After enlarging the gores we got it to this point and decided to leave it as is. This was definitely a learning experience and we took a lot of notes for the next attempt!