I like my court wardrobe a lot but I have HAD it with my tourney/war wardrobe. Ill-fitting, OOP fabrics, too hot or too cold, flooding hems, not enough layers, aging fabrics, BORING. I hate my war and tourney wardrobe.

So here’s the plan:

• Long-sleeved linen chemises under everything. Handkerchief weight for warm weather, mid-weight for cold.
• Most of them are white but can be colored. Existing raspberry and purple straight-sleeved gowns turn into mid-weight chemises.
• Every gown has pendant sleeves. The dressier the gown, the longer the sleeve. Can contrast sleeve fabric for a more interesting look.
• Wear tablet woven belts for tourney gowns, Norman ceintures out of silk or patterned fabric for court gowns. May combine with metal.
• For tourney  gowns make inkle or tablet woven trim for sleeves, bicep, neck edge on tourney gowns. Make yokes on all of contrasting and/or decorated self-fabric.
• All tourney gowns out of 100% wool or 100% linen.
• Headwraps and veils: prefer to hide neck with wimples or headwraps. Make more headwraps out of crisp linen so they stand away from my face. Make filets, buy wreath circlet.
• Make silk and wool mantles and hoods. Embroider at least 1 mantle as per Lady Eabha.
• Make braid endings.
• Wear period hosen, linen or wool.
• Wear period shoes. Commissioned a pair from THL Domhnall, in the meantime make a pair from my commercial pattern. Or from Teffania’s blog.
• Wear pattens in damp weather.
• Wear more jewelry — cross, beads. Have long enough chain to show beneath wimple and shorter headwraps.

Now onto specific projects:

1. I have a lightweight burgundy wool on hand. We’re coming into the warm/hot season in Caid but Potrero War can be cool so I’m starting with this. I’m inkle weaving trim now and will either put on a contrasting fabric for yoke/inner sleeves or will figure out an embroidery pattern. Deadline: al-Sahid Anniversary in early April.
2. I just got in three glorious linens from www.fabric-store.com. I love those guys. One is a dark green, one a rich medium blue, and one is a dark crimson. These will all become linen overgowns, each will be trimmed and decorated.
3. I also got in dyes from Dharma. I’m dying down a too-orange wool coat and a slightly too-bright green silk. Once they’re done I’ll finish the coat with trim and schedule the green silk for sewing.
4. Use THL Elva’s hosen pattern to make up wool and linen hosen.
5. I’m weaving in the evenings — inkle patterns now, and will tablet weave too.

So basically I’m busy, but will feel a hundred times more comfortable in tourney and war wear when I’m done.