Dressing
for Pennsic : The Bog Dress in many forms
THL
olwen of Buckland
Features :
·
Economical use of
fabric
·
Simple
construction
·
Comfortable in
hot weather in natural fabrics
·
Comfortable in
cold weather with underdress and cloak
·
Dress up or down
with trim and accessories – camp dress or party dress
·
Easy to hand sew
in camp for ‘garb emergency’ for kids
History:
Peplos or Doric Chiton
·
Greek
·
Before 500 BCE
·
Wool or linen
·
Tube folded over
to below waist, belted, pinned at shoulders, evolved to much wider tube,
pleated or draped
·
Women wore as
many as three belts at under breasts, waist and hips
·
Could be pinned
at shoulder, brooches or buttons, especially down arms with 
wider
chitons
wider
chitons
Ionic Chiton
·
Eastern Greece,
after 450 BCE
·
Light weight
linen, bright colors, often embroidered
·
Pleated, full and
flowing ,twice the width of outstretched arms
·
“broomstick
creases “ by tightly folding and twisting the fabric when wet, then allowing it
to dry in order to set the folds in the cloth – or use crinkle gauze
·
no fold-over at
the top
·
fabric wrapped
around the wearer and pinned along the shoulders and arms in eight to ten
places
·
belt below the
breasts or at the waist, a belt wrapped behind the neck and around the
shoulders to hold the chiton in place during physical activity
·
floor length
Huldemerose
·
Danish Bog
·
140-340CE
·
Woolen tube
·
Fastened with
brooches at shoulders ?Original dimensions 1.68m (66 “) long, 2.64 m (104” or 2 7/8 yd)
circumference
Dress of Germanic Women in
Late Roman Era
·
Tacitus
(56-117AD) described Germanic women wearing 'trailing linen garments, striped
with purple, . . . the upper part of this costume does not widen into sleeves:
their arms and shoulders are therefore bare, as is the adjoining portion of the
chest.'
·
See pdf by Sheila Dillion for extensive review of
conquered peoples dress circa second century CE
http://powerimagepropaganda.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dillon-2006.pdf
Dress of Anglo-Saxon Women of Pagan Era
·
450-700 CE,
replaced by different style of dress after Christianization
·
Southern and
eastern Britain expanding to northwest England
·
Varies by
Anglian, Saxon and Jutish areas
·
May have been
peplos/Doric chiton style or without fold-over\
·
May have been
pinned on one shoulder plus center brooch, both shoulders, both shoulders plus
center brooch – see Owen-Crocker, chapter 2
SCA Interpretations
·
Modified Doric
chiton, sewn on both sides, open for arms on both sides, based on fabric width
·
Modified Ionic
chiton with medium weight fabric
·
T-shaped Ionic
chiton
·
Anglo-Saxon
“peplos” pinned on shoulders
·
Anglo-Saxon
peplos pinned on one shoulder and center over underdress
·
“Sternfeld bog
dress”, patterned from t-shirt
Fabric Selection
·
Fabric must be
same on both sides for style with fold-over, choose carefully from bargain
fabric tables – use natural fiber fabrics
·
Woven fabric,
medium to lightweight
o
Linen from Carolina Calicoes works well
o
Crinkle cotton gauze,
o
woven plaid or
stripe cottons
o
light weight wool and suiting weight wool, wool crepe
o
light or medium weight raw silk,
o
light or medium
weight silk, but most china silk is too
sheer
o
Light weight, but
not sheer solid woven cottons
·
Do NOT use :
polyester, polyblend, acrylics, printed cottons, printed linens
Finding a Style that Flatters You
·
Short, under 12
“, fold-over only looks good on young girls
·
To the waist
fold-over is a more flattering style for many
·
Low hip length
belted fold-over looks good on slender figures
·
Have a friend and
a mirror to find the best fold over length for you
Men’s Versions
·
Greek Chiton –
knee length, belted
·
“Celtic bog
tunic” hip to mid-thigh length, fastened at shoulders with
annular or pen annular brooches
Construction
Modified Peplos and Doric
Chiton, aka The Bog Dress
5 yards of 45” wide fabric easy to adjust for women of any
height
|
|
|
1) 45 “ 2) 45”
90” 90”
Stitch
to 36” from top
Leave
open 18” from bottom
Cut fabric into two rectangles Baste side seams
|
|
3) 4) 5)
Try on, checking length of
Side seams for underarm
coverage
or binding, adjust as
needed, check length for hem
Fold over top 24” Pin
at shoulders
6) French seam adjusted side seams 7) Hem down 18” on sides 8)
Hem fold overs and
across bottom
9)
Optional – stitch 2” sections at 10)
stitch on trim where
11) try on with a belt,
each shoulder leaving enough
desired, usually at fold over blousing over at room to get
head through opening edges and or
hem waist
as desired
12)
selvedge edges of fold over may be pinned to
create sleeves
Modified Ionic chiton with
medium weight fabric
5 yards of 54-59” wide fabric easy to adjust for height
|
Stitch to 24” q from top e
90”
|
|
3) 4) 5)
Try
on, checking length of
Side seams for underarm
coverage or binding, adjust as
needed, check length for hem
Fold over top 24” Pin
at shoulders & sleeves
6) French seam adjusted side seams 7) Hem fold overs and
bottom hem
8) stitch on trim where 9) try on with a belt, 10) add more belts as desired
desired, usually at fold over blousing over at and or
hem waist as desired
T-shaped Ionic chiton – easy to adjust for height
3 ½ yards of 54-59” wide
fabric
5 yards of 54-59” wide fabric
|
63” back
30”|
|
check length for hem
36”
20” remove dotted area
20”
bust x 2 /4 +seam Pin at shoulders & sleeves ex:(36” x 2)/4=18 + 2”=20”
6) French seam adjusted side seams 7) Make bottom hem
8) stitch on trim where 9) try on with a belt, 10) add more belts as desired
desired, usually at shoulder blousing over at
and or hem waist
as desired
Anglo-Saxon “peplos” pinned
on shoulders, with fold over
5 - 5 ½ yards of 45” (see Bog
Dress)
3 ¾ yards of 59” fabric - best for women of heights 5’ –
5’6”
|
1) 45” 2) 45” ( third piece of fabric)
|
|
59” 29
½ ” may shorten
29
½” may shorten
Selvedge ^ Selvedge
^
3) Side seams, 18” from bottom 4) Add fold over, seam at top to 12”
from top
stitch 2”- 4” at each shoulder
45” 45”
|
|
|
|
59”
Hem side openings, bottom and over
flap( 3 edges) add trim as desired
Anglo-Saxon peplos pinned on
one shoulder and center over underdress, no fold over. Simplest, good for hand woven
fabric, may be pieced for width, easier to adjust for taller women
3 ½ yards of 45”
|
|
|
Leave
open 12”
63”
Leave open to knee, 18” from
bottom
3) Leave 12-13 “opening for head 4) add trim as desired, at shoulder or
hem or stitch only at shoulders
|
|
 |
|
2 ½ yards of 59” fabric
- good for women 5’ to 5’6”, difficult to adjust
for taller women
|
Leave open 12” at top
59”
Leave open 18” at bottom
3)
3) Leave 12-13 “opening for head 4)
Hem side and bottom edges,add trim as or stitch only at shoulders desired,
at shoulder or hem |
“Sternfeld bog dress”,
patterned from t-shirt, easy to adjust
for height
5 yards of 45” wide fabric
|
|
|
90” 90” ~24”
 |
Fold
à
<--Layout T-shirt folded in half,
Draw
seam line, bust to knee
Leave open 18” from
bottom
Cut
fabric into two rectangles Layout
loose fitting T-shirt about 24’-26” from
top edge
|
|
 |
|||||
 |
 |
||||
Try
on, check length for hem
” Pin
at sho
6) Stitch side
& shoulder 7) Hem down 18” on
sides 8) Hem fold overs seams and across bottom
9)
Optional – stitch 2” sections at 10)
stitch on trim where
11) try on with a belt,
each shoulder leaving enough
desired, usually at fold over blousing over at room to get
head through opening edges and or
hem waist
as desired
12) selvedge edges of fold over may be pinned to
create sleeves
References
Dress in Anglo Saxon
England, Gale R. Owen-Crocker,
Boydell, 2004
Cloth and Clothing in
Early Anglo-Saxon England, AD450-700,
Penelope Walton-Rogers, Council for British Archeology, 2007
Ancient
Greek Costume History Greek Dress - The Chiton http://www.fashion-era.com/ancient_costume/ancient-greek-dress-chiton.htm
Tube Dresses - http://www.rosieandglenn.co.uk/TheLibrary/Costume/CnTGuides/Early%20Saxon/TubeDresses.htm#General
