I’m putting together a viking outfit for an up coming party and decided to try my hand at sewing. No better time to learn than the present, and hey, if I mess things up a little, they’re just be more authentic, right? Right?
I’ve already made myself a cloak, which is finished enough for me to set it aside for now. But the big project will be the creation of my gambeson. I’ll be keeping a little journal of my progress on here.
The first thing to do of course is buy a whole bunch of fabric. Because I want the gambeson to have a bit of padding to it I also bought some thin foam (The rolled up grey stuff). Most people use moving blankets for their gambesons, but I’m on a tight budget and don’t intend of actually getting attacked so the foam will suffice.
After taking a series of my measurements I drew up a rough pattern on newspaper. The final item will have lacing down the sides to hold it on, so I don’t have to worry about making it a little thin. The most important aspect to get right here was the shoulders and collar, and the overall length.
Here I’ve got the back panel of the gambeson layered up with an outer and inner cotton layer and the foam sandwiched between. Then I drew on my quilting pattern.
After I sew this bad boy up I’ll get some more photos uploaded.