Anyhow, today I thought I'd give you something that is actually a fabricated costume!! I did not actually make it- that is, not on my own. My mom did, but I helped. It is a Viking Costume I wore for a little costume party a few years back. I was technically Leif Erickson's mother. It is, perhaps, not entirely authentic, but it is close enough, I think. It wasn't meant to be a historic replica or anything!
How we made it-
Underdress- was a simple, green tunic-style dress I wore while playing Mary in a Christmas program-around 5 years ago, I think! It was a little big, so we took it in little, and gave it a keyhole neckline with trim. You could make something similar by laying on a piece of fabric and tracing around.
Overdress/Apron- two rectangles of fabric, with strips of the same for shoulder straps.
Brooches- two wooden pendants that were in the clearance bin at A.C. Moore, for a dollar, if I remember right. I had some metal ones too, that really would have been more authentic, but I just really liked these! They aren't actually brooches, they are stitched on, not pinned. Then I loosely stiched in some jewelry that I thought looked pretty authentic- glass and clay beads and a chain- in between the two 'brooches'. I wore it with a leather belt.
So there you have it! Is it totally authentic? No. Does it look like it could be? Yes! And thats all I really wanted at the time! As far as what it would take to authenticate it-
Fabric- esp. the overdress, which is some sort of synthetic stuff. It feels nice! It is what we had on hand. The underdress, as I recall, is muslin. I would think that is pretty authentic? Linen and wool would probably really be what to use. And the sleeves aren't really the right shape. Too wide, and short.And the brooches really should have been oval and metal. But overall, It has the basics of a Viking Woman's costume. It would be very simple to make even with the tweaks noted above! I hope you enjoyed this, and maybe find it useful if you ever decide to make your own! Do some research and customize!
And while we're on the subject of Vikings-
http://www.lwjbooks.com/books/viking-quest-series/
I highly highly highly recommend the Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson! I won't do a full review because I am out of time, and there is a synopsis of each book at the above website. Also, check out my various pinterest boards about them! And if you are are already a fan, let me know, because I would love for you to become a part of our slowly growing fan'club'-actually just a pinterest board-for now!
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
~The Damsel
