For this years Kingdom Arts and Sciences, I have decided to take a list of clothing requirements from Jamestown and acquire or make as many of the items as is reasonably possible. All of the things will fit in a sea chest/bench chest, as if my son were going on a voyage to the New World in July of the year 1584. I have tried to use only those items that a ten year old child would need or find of interest. This project should be titled “How to survive in the New World as a Tudor Cub Scout.” I have been amazed at how versatile the simple Jamestowne clothing list has turned out. I made William three outfits. The colors go together reasonably well, the fabrics are a mix of linen, wool and cotton (as a lining fabric.) The fabric weights are from a light weight linen through a heavy weight linen and a light weight wool. William has 3 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 3 doublets, a jacket plus a few accessories (shoes, socks, hat, garters, points…) This appears to be a reasonable amount of clothing to fit a variety of needs and temperatures. (If you do not count Pennsic,) I think this might be enough clothing for him to wear for a years worth of events.
My children have always had far more garb than 3 simple outfits, probably because they have only missed a single Pennsic in all of their young lives. My normal pattern of sewing is to make a complete wardrobe that will last two years. On the off year the child will get 3 new garments in the next size larger. That makes it possible for my children to have garb in the fall. They seem to start growing the minute I am finished with school shopping. I also sew for a friends daughter. She grows in the month that it takes me to finish hemming her new dress; that way she never has to worry about tripping on her new dress, as it is already too short.
Please look at the different drop down topics for more detailed information and my research/documentation. I will put some of my comments and what I leaned, plus a picture or two at each of the pages.