Clothing and stuff

[Salem]

Hi, I'm knew to all this and am not very good at sewing or crafts and was wondering how I would go about acquiring period accurate clothing and accessories for the Viking and medieval era's

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

There are quite a few reenactors here in NZ who make stuff. You could research the types of things you want and then post in the wanted section of the forum. Also check out the for sale section.

You can also buy a lot of things online, though you need to look out for stuff that is just plain rubbish. Some things will look good to you now and terrible to you in a few years (take it from experience). I suggest talking to someone doing the same period who has been around for a while and knows more about the period.

When I started re-enactment I couldn't sew or do any decent crafts, and I thought I lacked some special talent that was required for that stuff. Actually, what I lacked was someone to teach me the basics and the patience to give it a go. Now, I make most of my soft kit myself and purchase or trade for accessories, weapons and the like.

One thing to think about is that you don't need bulk garb. You need something to fight in and something to feast in. Anything above that is a luxury. Once you have enough to get by at a basic event, you might as well spend the time or money to get good kit. There is little point in having lots and lots of crap kit.