Reddit reviews The Medieval Tailor's Assistant, 2nd Edition: Common Garments 1100-1480

This year I dressed as the protagonist of my favorite Child Ballad, "Tam Lin" (#39). Janet must save her lover, the titular Tam Lin, from a fairy curse on Halloween night. There are many different versions, but she is almost always described as wearing a green kirtle and gold in her hair.

"Tam Lin" was first recorded in 1549, but I'm a 14th-century historical reenactor, so I went with a kirtle design that fits within my period; this is too nice a dress not to be able to wear again! I used my trusty fitted kirtle pattern, which I drafted from Sarah Thursfield's The Medieval Tailor's Assistant. The material is a heavy-weight linen from fabrics-store.com. The main seams are machine-sewn for expediency's sake, but all the finishing (interior included) was done by hand. I loved wearing this costume, and I'm looking forward to styling the kirtle in a more historically accurate way (overgown, hair coverings) at future events.

Historic Enterprises (https://historicenterprises.com) is great, or if you want to go down the do-it-yourself route, I recommend starting with a shirt/shift in linen and the Medieval Tailor's Assistant ( https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Tailors-Assistant-2nd-1100-1480/dp/0896762955) book is gold.

I make c.1460 kit for me and my husband- feel free to DM if you want pics/help!

1. The SCA is fairly welcoming, however, it's a large group of people and can have all the same problems as any group of people. A lot of people are here to hang out and party as much as anything else.
   
   
2. The SCA has nowhere near the standards you're probably used to for CW/WWII reenacting. It sounds like you'll manage the garb side of things pretty easily. There are some oddities about the tailoring/fit of some of the medieval stuff, but probably nothing you can't handle. There are a few books I recommend (links at the bottom of the post). Plastic armor is fine, but it is generally best to cover it with clothing or similar. Helmets must be steel for safety purposes. Most of the well put-together kits are the result of years of work. There's far less of an expectation that you'll have everything 100% ready to go on day 1 than is typical of reenacting groups.
   
   
3. You need your armor ready to go, but after that, you just need to pass a safety test called an "authorization" to fight. It's pretty much about knowing what targets count, making sure you're safe, etc. You won't become a "knight" in our game for a long time (It's one of the highest awards).
   
   
4. Women are welcome to fight and to wear men's clothing if they like. There are no rules about that.
   
   
5. Armor-wise, the Indian made stuff is generally poorly fitting (as in not made to fit a human body) and too thin to use. There are some decent Czech and Ukrainian armories though. That being said, most people are getting their reproduction shoes from a company in Pakistan (usually indirectly) and a lot of the decent chain mail is coming from India IIRC. It's a mixed bag. It is best to go to practices, find some people who you trust to provide guidance, etc. Unfortunately the result of our far less strict standards on gear/equipment and far wider historical scope also means that we don't have a good set of unit standards or the like to help provide guidance.
   
   Costuming books:
   http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Tailors-Assistant-2nd-1100-1480/dp/0896762955
   http://www.amazon.com/Tudor-Tailor-Reconstructing-Sixteenth-Century-Dress/dp/0896762556
   http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Fashion-Construction-Clothes-1560-1620/dp/0896760839
   http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Maker-Mens-Century-Doublets/dp/0692264841
   
   Shoes:
   http://www.vikingleathercrafts.com/
   http://boots-by-bohemond.myshopify.com/
   
   Armour:
   http://armourarchive.org/

The Medieval Tailor's Assistant, 2nd Edition: Common Garments 1100-1480 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0896762955/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_D3EVCbAA33E5Q