Sewing A Themed Wardrobe Medieval Era: Creating A Mood Board

Hi Everyone! As we wrap up the topic on Medieval Era Fashions we'll be taking a second look at sewing the flat felled seams on more complex areas as well as taking a broader look at the overall concepts, colors, and fabrics that make up Medieval Era fashions. Shari is once again taking the lead here and has a couple additional PDF supplemental documents for you to download too!First, let's look back at the flat felled seam from the prior post and continue here with a look at using that finishing technique with areas that curve, like the armscye and curved seam lines. Now let's talk about the fabrics and colors that make up the Medieval Fashion Era!Here's more from Shari...Honestly, I think one of the hardest parts of designing an outfit it picking out the fabrics and embellishments. Color choices define the mood and character of an outfit and the choice and placement of embellishments are what ultimately bring it to life. My Medieval project begins with one of the most basic pieces of clothing of the time, the cotehardie. This was the jeans and a t-shirt of the day. Practical and rugged, easy to dress up or dress down, it was worn by everyone. What it was made from and how it was worn is what set people apart in society. Medieval fashion was all about layering. Part to the reason for this was because the climate was going through a particularly cold spell and layers of clothing provided additional warmth. These layers also became a means of signifying ones wealth and social standing. Clothing was carefully designed to expose each layer and fabrics and embellishments were arranged to take advantage of this. With that in mind, planning a Medieval outfit requires a bit of thought and Mood Boards are a great tool for this. I'll be honest, this is a type of planning I'm not used to. Usually, I just pull out everything that catches my eye, lay it out on my table, and then see what I can piece together... the “mood” can get a little erratic, so I am hoping this method will save me a little angst. My intention is to create an outfit for Snow White, a poor displaced princess. I was inspired to place her in the Medieval period after looking at the beautiful illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman in Paul Heins book, Snow White. I'm not looking at copying the clothing, just seeing seeing where the inspiration takes me. First, I need to consider a color scheme. I have a tendency to be afraid of color, although I take great delight in the work by other designers and artists who fully embrace it. If you are like me, try taking a closer look at the color schemes others have put together that catch your eye to help you pair up some colors for your outfit you may not have considered before. White, black and red are important colors in the story of Snow White, so I want to choose colors for my outfit that work well with them. I like the earthy blue, brick red, and orange in the Snow White book illustrations, but I also like the buttery yellow and blue that was used by Disney. I recently came across the book “My Bed” that was illustrated by Sally Mavory and I was quite taken with the way she used color and texture. Let's see what fabrics I have in these colors and how they might work in my design. Wools, linens, and silks were the most common fabrics used in the Medieval period, but you can also use fabrics that are readily available today that look like historical fabrics such as cottons, sateens, and some synthetics. As I compare different color combinations I am also thinking about whether I want my cotehardie to have short sleeves or long sleeves, if it should open in the front or the back, and if I should use one cotehardie or layer two together. I am leaning toward using two short sleeve cotehardies because I like the look of the full sleeve chemise underneath. The outer cotehardie in a soft green and the under cotehardie in a raspberry. The light earthy colors seem to suit Snow White's youthful gentle character and her life in the woods. I am undecided on the embellishments right now. I have a few ideas, but am leaning toward embroidery along the edges of the dress. Perhaps a design that adds a bit of white, red, and black to echo the colors associated with Snow White at the beginning of the story. There are an infinite number of ways to plan out any particular outfit. Using a Mood Board to explore different colors, patterns, and textures is a great tool to help organize your thoughts to see what suits the look you are going for or the story you are trying to tell.Never feel stuck on any decision though, the mood board is only meant to be a guide. As you work, consider new ideas that come to mind and allow yourself to make changes and incorporate new ideas as you see fit.

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