Medieval Tailor's Assistant: Making Common Garments 1200-1500 [Paperback]

Sarah Thursfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

This is a comprehensive guide to making period clothes for re-enactment, living history or theatre. From establishing the date of your outfit, defining the wearer and selecting garments, to measurements, patterns, materials, and methods of construction, you can discover how to make braies, shirts and smocks, cotes, kirtles, doublets, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, a variety of head-wear and accessories.

--This text refers to the Digital edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sarah Thursfield is an experienced cutter and dressmaker with a special interest in medieval dress. She absorbed the basic sewing skills during childhood, later extending this grounding with a City & Guilds Institute course in fashion, where she gained a distinction. Her tailoring commissions include medieval and Tudor outfits for museums, garments for exhibitions, and many outfits for re-enactors. --This text refers to the Digital edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Quite Specific Media Group Ltd (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896762394
• ISBN-13: 978-0896762398
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

250 of 251 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What we've all been waiting for! February 18, 2002

By Drea Leed

Format:Paperback

For anyone interested in making a medieval garment, but who doesn't know where to begin: this book is for you.

This book covers everything you ever wanted to know about medieval clothing, from measurements, patterns and materials to methods of construction. It has over 400 illustrations of medieval clothing, and 121 patterns for shirts and smocks, cotes, doublets, kirtles, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, headwear, and accessories.

Current books on the subject of Medieval costume concentrate either on research (with good information on what was worn, but little on how to actually make it) or towards theatrical costume (with information on how to make the items, but dubious historical accuracy.) The Medieval Tailor's Assistant is the best of both worlds, combining solid research and detailed "how-to" information into one volume.

This book is geared more toward the novice or intermediate costumer and sewer than toward the advanced historic costume researcher. As it is not primarily a research work, it doesn't delve into original sources as much as books like Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion." The research which went into it is very good, however, and it gives less experienced historic costumers a splendid place to start.

85 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You will be reaching for your sewing machine after this. October 1, 2002

By Stephanie Manley TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best books for creating patterns, choosing fabrics, editing a pattern for your personal size, as well as a great primer for what to wear that I have seen. Not being an expert in the sewing craft I need a little extra guidance, and this book delivers.
This book first of all does feature a nice area on garments on when they were worn historically. In a simple time line she demonstrates proper fabric choices as well as the styles that were around during those years.
The book is one of the few that features patterns for men, women, children, and even babies. Also included are maturnity patterns, shoes, and some hats. So its great for the variety of patterns it will provide you.
So now that we know what styles are appropriate, what fabric will work, and we can do the basics, the book is kind enough to help you with making your pattern in terms of suggesting great ways to customize patterns for you own body.
This book really sets itself appart with the breadth of patterns it offers, suggestions on how to make your garmets look period by even getting embroidery patterns for buttons, and other finishing stitches, and tells you how to make them look best on you. The book is easy to read, and the illustrations are clean, clear, and concise. A definate one to pick up if you want to create clothes from years past. I would personally jump on this one, as you know some books like this have small print runs, and who knows when you can get your hands on one like this again.

87 of 91 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource January 22, 2003

By "stagandacorn"

Format:Paperback

As a medievalist and costumer whose focus is early 14th century England and France, I found this to be a wonderful book and said to myself "FINALLY!" For those looking for instructions on how to move from costuming to making actual clothing, I am certain you will be pleased.

I disagreed with very little within the text and found this to be a very pleasant surprise (although I do disagree quite strongly with the modern draping methods suggested. Highly suspicious for a medieval technique in my opinion).

While I would hesitate to say that all the methods are completely accurate (how could we know this? Some things we do know were not included or were replaced with easier, more modern methods), they are certainly far superior to anything else out there for this time period and place. Well done.

I would stay away from much of the suggested reading on the left side of that page simply because once someone has reached this stage in their costuming development they have grown out of Houston etc... with the exception of Newton's Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince (this is worth the price for certain).

The Museum of London books and the book on Queen Margareta's gown on the right side of the selected reading page are worth every penny however.

I think it was worth the $... and that we are soon to see a sudden surge of truly medieval looking clothing in our living history groups and I am all for that. 100%

Many, many thanks to Sarah Thurfield for so wonderfully beginning to fill of a huge costuming void.

Cynthia / Merouda