tudor costumes

bonnie_2

please help someone.
i need to make a tudor costume for my dd for the 16th may.
anyone got ani ideas, i should be able to get a shawl, but what about a bonnet and skirt etc.

linzibean

How old is your DD? Id she's quite young you should be able to make up a nice tudor - looking dress pretty cheaply. A full skir, panelled top with a square neckline (think anne boleyn!) and sleeves tight at the top then wide at the bottom, with some cheap strings of fake pearls and a long fabric belt. A headband with some light material like a sort of veil: Sorted!

Here's some pictures:

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/marytudor.jpg Mary Tudor

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/redjane.jpg Jane Seymour

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/kparr.jpg Katherine Parr

THIRZAH

I once made my three year old daughter a Tudor costume out of an old purple dressing gown. I think the basic pattern came from a fancy dress book in the library but it was very simple. The skirt was just a rectangle of material gathered at the top. The bodice was another rectangle. The sleeves were wider at the bottom than at the top and just the underside of the top was sewn to the bodice making a square neckline. I made some under sleeves , gathered at the wrist out of an old cheesecloth blouse.

I put a bit of wide braid round the top of the bodice.

The headdress was a crescent shaped piece of card with some of the dress material glued to it. I stuck pearls from a broken necklace around the top and a cream chiffon scarf to the bottom .

Katgoddess

This website seems very good and has a how to guide:

http://freespace.virgin.net/f.lea/whattowear.html

With a bit about children here:

http://modehistorique.com/elizabethan/kids.html

elona

Is she going to be a "rich" or "poor" Tudor person?

FunkyFairy

I am so glad you have asked this question. My DD 8 is going to a tudor banquet in June.

I am watching a programme on bbc2 atm to get some ideas.

MATH

Oh the joys of being a parent of theatrical children. There is nothing I like better than being asked to whip up an authentic Roman Soliders outfit or whatever at a moments notice:rolleyes:

If you have a choice opt for the poor person over the aristo it's much easier. For a female costume and longish skirt will do. Those peasant skirts that are fashionable at the mo will be ideal, tie a fringed scarf around the waste leaving some of the skirt visible.

A gents white shirt will make a good blouse. The sleeves will be too long so take a length of ribbon or some elastice and tie just above the elbow. Rouch out the top part of the sleeve until the cuffs are the correct length. Ala a bishops sleve (of sorts). Make a row of 4 holds in the shirt bib half way between the buttons and the side seam and repeat with matching ones on the other side. Lace these holes up with a piece of ribbon or shoe lace and pull in to make the shirt fit and create a buxom serving wench kinda look.

A shawl for her head and a bit of max factor simulated dirt on her face ya done.

HTH

jenniferpa

I would totally agree about the lower the class, the easier the costume. However, if you have to be authentic, this is an excellent resource
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/

It's designed primarily for reenactors (in the US it's called the SCA - Society for Creative Anachronism) and some of it is highly technical. Both my children were involved as charcter actors at Renaissance Fairs so I've made more than my share of costumes and they have been more than willing to share my expertise (My mother would be happy to help you make a costume including undergarments!)

For the most basic but reasonably authentic costume
http://www.reddawn.net/costume/index.html

Charity shops can be very useful if you need to russle up a costume in a hurry. The most time consuming part of any costume is the bodice. If you can get a short jacket in an appropriate fabric it's a good start for a bodice. Try to get it on the small side. Remove any lapels, the sleeves, the front part where the button/button holes go. Use bias tape to go over the edges. Glue decorative trim on to cover any rough edges, make holes up the front (use an awl) lace it up with ribbon and you have a bodice. If this is a one-wear only sort of thing glue should be fine to hold it together, but if you have to keep it together for a period of time, you'll probably want to stitch it.

Jennifer

THIRZAH

I work in a charity shop . Everytime any of the local schools have a "Victorian "day or a "Come dressed as a character from a book" day we get a stream of mothers in desperately looking for stuff for costumes.We do our best but I wish schools would give parents more notice of these events.It's really hard on the mothers on low incomes who can't afford to just go out and buy a costume.

maryb

I made a costume for my daughter in velevt which was actually easier than it looked. Measure her round the chest and cut out a rectangle of fabric that is big enough to go round her with an overlap of about two inches. Cut some lining fabric the same size. Take the strip pf outer fabric and pin it tightly round her chest with juast enough room to breathe. Mark an inch overlap at each end then mark how much you need to narrow it at the waist so that it fits evenly all the way downthen take out the excess fabric with two big darts - these are the side seams. Do the same with the lining then sew the lining to the outer fabric right sides together leaving a big enough gap to turn it right sides out. Slipstitch the gap and then sew velcro along the two edges

then fasten the strip around her and mark where the shoulder straps need to go - these should be on the outer edge of her shoulders. These are made from two pieces of fabric about three inches wide by however long they need to be allowing an extra inch to sew then to the bodice. sew into a tube right sides together then turn right side out. This can be tricky with heavy fabric so if it is easier fold the edges in then fold in half and sew along the open edge - it won't show in the finished dress. Sew the shoulder strpas to the bodice

Next take a fairly fitted sleeve pattern from any dress pattern you have got. You need to make a close fitting sleeve that comes to just above the elbow. Then take a strip of material for the undersleeve - bridal satin is good - and cut a piece that is wide enough to reach from her elbow to her fingertips and long enough to look nice and full when it is gathered. sew the short ends together and make a narrow hem on one long edge. Then sew some bias binding parallel to that edge about two inches away to make a casing for some elastic. gather the other long edge and pull it up so that it matches the edge of the top sleeve and sew them together. this can be quite a rough seam as you will cover it with an over sleeve. Thread some elastic through the casing to make it fit her wrists. Sew the sleeve into the armhole made by the bodice and the shoulder straps then cover the straps and the top edge of the bodice with some pretty braid.

You need some fake fur fabric to make the oversleeves just make two tubes of fur fabric big enough to cover the joiun between the upper sleeve and the undersleev. It's a good idea to cut this out in newspaper first to see what llooks right. This was the hardest bit to judge. when you have got it right catch stitch the oversleeves to the upper sleev so that it hides the join with the under sleeve

The skirt is just a long rectangle of fabric wide enough to reach from her waist to the floor plus a hem allowance. this can be really heavy to sew so my best tip is to cover the top edge in bias binding so that it won't fray. Then use Ruflette curtain tape to gather it as much as you like. Then it is best to catch stitch the top edge of the skirt to the bodice rather than trying to do a proper seam. You can either have the skirt closed or leave it open and do an underskirt in the same fabric as the undersleeves. I did this and it looked really good. I got some strips of white butter muslin and sewed them on the underskirt in a criss cross pattern just catching the strips where they crossed and sewed a big pearl bead in each square but I think I was getting carried away at this stage.

It sounds a lot of work but I was able to do the whole thing in a (long) day
the fabric came from two old curtains (as did the curtain tape) and I had an old pearl bead necklace so it didn't cost me anything apart from the braid

maering

bonnie wrote:

please help someone.
i need to make a tudor costume for my dd for the 16th may.
anyone got ani ideas, i should be able to get a shawl, but what about a bonnet and skirt etc.

Shawls & bonnets aren't Tudor I'm afraid

If her hair is long you can plait it either side of her face quite effectivly.

A simple long plain dress underneath, with an over dress, square necked and open at the front, will give a fairly quick and simple effect.

http://www.infinitefreedom.com/princess-pictures/tudor-princess-250.jpg

This peasant costume on ebay 6879380065 isn't too bad for something quick & easy to make if you want less fancy

Mosty others on there are awful & nearer Victorian not Tudor despite their titles !!