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Main => The Armoury => The Workshop => Topic started by: Mike W. on 2014-02-28, 19:57:26
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Since KoA was out of stock for the padded coif, and I had some spare linen and batting lying around, I decided I'm going to try my hand at hand-sewing my own. I figured this would be a great starter project. Since I'm self-taught in the arts of hand-sewing and consequently don't know jack, does anyone have any tips?
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Patterns are pretty readily available for coifs. I'm guessing you want a two-piece coif for Norman, but Sir Wolf can tell you for sure. Once you get a pattern you're literally just going to cut duplicates of each piece for the outside and the lining, sandwich the batting in between, and quilt it all in place. Then after it's quilted, sew the two halves together. That's how I would tackle it anyway, but I'm hardly a sewing expert.
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Wait... when you say coif do you mean like a small padded arming cap, or a full padded hood?
This:
(http://maniacalmedievalist.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/adam-coif.jpg?w=287&h=300)
Or this?
(http://mailmaker.tripod.com/paddedcoif/ccoifa.jpg)
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Top one. I think I have the method down flat, I'm just a bit shoddy when it comes to handling a needle and thread.
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And here I am trying to be all authentic by hand sewing, using linen and cotton batting, only to realize that I've been using polyester thread. :-[
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well..... your using cotton badding. ;) so I won't worry tooooo much about it.
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well..... your using cotton badding. ;) so I won't worry tooooo much about it.
lol, yes... if you want to be super-authentic stuff it with raw cotton. I prefer batting, cuz I'm lazy :) And no one's going to cut open your coif to check :)
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If you wanted to be super authentic, wouldn't you have to stuff with with wool/straw/tow/hair? Cotton had to be imported to medieval Europe from India or something, didn't it?
But that's getting way too nitpicky for me. I use poly thread, too. ;)
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Cotton was available, it just wasn't commonly used in everyday clothing because it was probably a pain to process. It was blended with linen to make fustian of course. One problem to is that Medieval people are documented to refer to cotton as 'wool' so things get tricky. There are cases of Medieval Europeans referring to cotton plants as wool-bearing plants. So who knows what they really meant all the time! Cotton fabric was most common in Italy (and by most common I mean rare, but more available than the rest of Europe) from what I know, and eventually spread during the renaissance.
For stuffing, you don't need to spin it in to thread, and if there's a seed or two in there, who cares. But yes, wool/straw/tow/hair are all appropriate stuffings.
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cotton was from egypt. and it was known in italy for drapes. so why are you wearing curtains on your head? lol
ian i will know...............
raw cotton works, or layered fulled wool..... or cotton batting hehehehe
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I must say it's turning out quite nicely. The trick here though, is just how much padding do I need. I don't want to over or under stuff it.
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this is very true. :) i have one that i wear that i can't hear very well with it
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I must say it's turning out quite nicely. The trick here though, is just how much padding do I need. I don't want to over or under stuff it.
Scientifically speaking:
Step 1 - Find out how much is too much
Step 2 - Find out how little is too little
Step 3 - Use something in between the findings of step 1 and step 2
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Scientifically speaking:
Step 1 - Find out how much is too much
Step 2 - Find out how little is too little
Step 3 - Use something in between the findings of step 1 and step 2
This is a very safe method for selecting just about anything in life! ;D
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we must elect him to office!
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I must say it's turning out quite nicely. The trick here though, is just how much padding do I need. I don't want to over or under stuff it.
Pics or it didn't happen.
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All it is missing are the ties, but otherwise it is done.
(http://i.imgur.com/iFZLf0I.jpg)
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Nice job! Nothing beats the sense of accomplishment when you complete a new piece of kit on your own!
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sweet. now for the ties. take a long piece of material that is an inch or wide and fold it in on itself. now sew it around the bottom of your coif and knot the ends that way when u pull it tight it pulls from the entire bottom of the coif not just the ends
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sweet. now for the ties. take a long piece of material that is an inch or wide and fold it in on itself. now sew it around the bottom of your coif and knot the ends that way when u pull it tight it pulls from the entire bottom of the coif not just the ends
Really? I never knew that! That makes a lot of sense. Otherwise it just pulls the corners instead of really seats the coif on your head. Learn something new every day...
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sweet. now for the ties. take a long piece of material that is an inch or wide and fold it in on itself. now sew it around the bottom of your coif and knot the ends that way when u pull it tight it pulls from the entire bottom of the coif not just the ends
Really? I never knew that! That makes a lot of sense. Otherwise it just pulls the corners instead of really seats the coif on your head. Learn something new every day...
Neither did I. And that would explain why my coif and arming cap never quite seem to fit around the back. Seems some modifications are in order.
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awesome.
i have seen them done at just the ends and they tare and rip the corners
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If only I read that post before I sewed on the ties. Too bad I'm out of scrap linen.
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I'm sure that would be something you could easily change later on if you find yourself with extra linen...at least, that's what I'm counting on for mine. :P
But either way, it still looks great! How many layers of batting did you end up going with?
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It is done. I must say I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It fits nicely. I even tested it with my new spangenhelm and it feels incredibly comfortable. I just saved myself $15 and gained some sewing experience. Not a bad deal I'd say.
(http://i.imgur.com/e6y1Oka.jpg)
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I went with four layers
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If only I read that post before I sewed on the ties. Too bad I'm out of scrap linen.
That's why God invented seam rippers.
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sweet. now for the ties. take a long piece of material that is an inch or wide and fold it in on itself. now sew it around the bottom of your coif and knot the ends that way when u pull it tight it pulls from the entire bottom of the coif not just the ends
Really? I never knew that! That makes a lot of sense. Otherwise it just pulls the corners instead of really seats the coif on your head. Learn something new every day...
Neither did I. And that would explain why my coif and arming cap never quite seem to fit around the back. Seems some modifications are in order.
Yep, me either. Good info, since I want to get away from the basic "spider liner" and get a proper padded liner. I took an arrow to the knee ... I mean, mortschlag to the head, a couple times at the demo last weekend. One not only dented my helmet, it whacked hard enough that the helmet hit my head. Sooooo, padding is in order! (and a new helmet probably)
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very cool man. very proud moment for you and us!
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sweet. now for the ties. take a long piece of material that is an inch or wide and fold it in on itself. now sew it around the bottom of your coif and knot the ends that way when u pull it tight it pulls from the entire bottom of the coif not just the ends
Great tip! Man, that makes a lot of sense...