A few weeks ago I decided that The Monkey needed some garb in case he goes to an event with us, which is very likely. The last thing I want is to have to rush at the last minute so I just went ahead and made him quick little tunic. Now, it’s perfectly possible to make these types of tunics from measurements but I’m just too lazy so I used a pattern. The pattern is Period Patterns No. 16, which comes in a wide range of sizes. Too wide. The sewing itself was easy; figuring out which lines of the pattern to trace was a royal pain in the patootie. I suppose you get a lot for your money, but at the expense of your sanity.
Anyhow, I made view I. It’s a simple tunic but it has underarm gussets, which I had never done before. It took me a couple of tries to figure the gusset out but once I did it was very simple. I have since sewn something else with a gusset and it was quick and painless. I made the tunic slightly large on purpose, that way he won’t outgrow it as quickly. As you can see from the pictures, I have to roll the sleeves up a bit, which is actually period. The tunic looks long enough when he’s not moving, but as soon as he starts playing it rides up, which is OK, they were not meant to be worn with nothing underneath. He has worn the tunic once to a small event and we put regular shorts underneath. In the future, I need to make him a pair of pants or hosen. But for now, this will do.
The coif I did make from his measurements, and that was pretty easy. It’s a very simple two-piece coif with straps. Both, the tunic and the coif, are made of handkerchief weight linen-cotton blend.
Overall, I’m pleased with the results, as is he. And he looks pretty darn cute to boot!
PS. No, he doesn’t go barefoot at events.
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