The internet is full of useful and inspiring information for making costume. The difficulty is working out what is Kentwell-appropriate. The purpose of this page is to point you in the right direction.

Costume Sites

The vast majority of sites I'm linking to are geared up to making costumes for American Renn Faires, which don't have the authenticity requirements of Kentwell. That means there's a tendency to use inauthentic materials and trim, aim for nobility costume and not care about visible machine sewing or non-period construction techniques. That's fine: they're working to different requirements. But you do need to be cautious.

The first place to head is The Elizabethan Costume Page, run by Drea Leed. This site is a wealth of information and resources. It's major downfall is that the links seem somewhat indiscriminate and vary hugely in quality; don't assume that because it's linked from there it's correct.

The most useful sections of that site for us are these:

• The smock pattern generator and a guide to styles of shifts. Her directions on how to sew a shift include a couple of machine sewing short-cuts, so I'd suggest sticking to the instructions here or in the costume notes.
• Drea also has a corset pattern generator that, although I've never used it, looks as if it should generate a reasonable pattern for a bodice. I'd suggest cutting the pieces out in cotton calico with a couple of inches extra around either side, pinning or tacking it about you, and adjusting from there.
• Her section on Her flemish working women's dress is also useful, but does need some adapting for Kentwell clothing. Use the gathered kirtle pattern and instructions but adapt it to be front lacing and put (at minimum) a strip of boning at either side of the lacing edge. The a-line kirtle and the open skirted flemish gown will not pass costume check but the construction information on them is sound and worth reading. Again, bear in mind she machine sews, and Kentwell will twitch at visible machine sewing.

Festive Attyre is another wonderful site. The most useful aspect for Kentwellies are the galleries of period paintings - ideal for getting a grasp of shapes and colours. It covers clothing from the late fifteenth to the late sixteenth centuries and focuses largely on Italian dress, so not everything there is relevant to us, but a lot of basic construction can be learnt from it. The most immediately relevant garment there is her italian working class dress which, if made in wool rather than cotton, would pass costume check. I would avoid the Italian chemise patterns on this site as they are put together quite differently from how Rosemary suggests.

On Festive Attyre you'll find The Zen of Spiral Lacing which shows how best to space the eyelets on your kirtle. How to hand-sew eyelets is shown here and here.

It's also worth spending some time reading Mode Historique. It's a multi-period site that largely focuses on Elizabethan nobility. The costumes themselves aren't relevant, by and large, but the techniques are sound. The section on boning types is particularly good; I've been using cable ties with great success.

I'd also recommend the diaries on Jessamyn's page. Again, she's aiming for a completely different social class but the construction information is very clearly laid out, particularly for the florentine gown. The finished dress is drop dead gorgeous and the site is well worth visiting just to drool.

RavenDreams has a guide to making period-looking spectacles.

Here's a guide to making a flat cap and a tall hat.

Sewing guides

A very basic handsewing guide including instructions on how to thread a needle. A very clear pictorial stitch guide, some of which is useful for Kentwell sewing. And here is information on stitch types in archeological samples.

Basic sewing techniques, designed for period costume, are illustrated here.

Retailers

Much of this information is duplicated from the materials section, where what you should be using is discussed in more detail.

Linen thread in a range of colours can be had from Threadneedle Street. I use the Londonderry Linen thread in size 80/3. I'm delighted both with the quality of the thread and the customer service.

Ikea sells both linen and wool, as does Ali of Hert's fabrics . In my opinion Ali's wool can sometimes be less than ideal for re-enactment, but his linen is usually pretty good.

Whaleys sell linen and, although I've yet to buy anything from them, they were very prompt at sending me samples. I've no idea what their discount linen is like or whether it's suitable for Kentwell.

Fabric of Time have been recommended on the Kentwell list, but I've never used them. laurence (at) fabricoftime.freeserve.co.uk

Bernie the Bolt (tel 0208 502 6790) has a good reputation for both linen and wool. However I have never been impressed with him. I bought some wool and, when I got it home, found it had holes in it. He never responded to email to try and sort it. When next I tried to buy wool I made sure to look closely at it as he pulled it out and, sure enough, more holes. His response? "It would have holes in period" and "I buy it cheap, I don't promise it's perfect". Use at your own risk.

The Tudor Group sell linen and linen thread and I've been very happy with the stuff I've bought from them.

Dave Rushworth sells utterly drool-worthy wool but, unfortunately, the contact details I have for him are out of date.

The Colchester Remnant shop (01206 763432) is staffed by reenactors and they always have good stuff in. Their range of linen is excellent and well priced and they usually have good wools, too. Plus they're nice people.

Eleanor Clapp is an ex-kentwelly, who makes the most wonderful baskets, which are eminently suitable for reenacting. Everything is individually crafted, so if you want something specific, she can make it for you.

Cable ties can be had from any DIY/electrical type store.

For hooks and eyes, buttons, aiglets, dried frogs, and Tudor just about anything try Annie the Pedlar. She's hugely helpful and she's a Kentwelly, too. Plus, if you decide all this is beyond you, she makes first rate Tudor costumes.

Shoes

When I was in Fairfax, the shoemaker to go for was Kevin Garlick. I have a pair of his seventeenth century soldier's latchets. They're excellent: high quality, and very sturdily made. I had a problem with my first pair - one was a too tight. He remade them promptly at his expense. Again, I'm very happy with both the quality of his work and his service. He is, however, getting on for twice as expensive as Pilgrim Shoes, although his work is much more sturdy.

Plantaganet Shoes also have an excellent reputation and, although I've yet to buy anything from them, they've answered email queries promptly. Again, more expensive than Pilgrim Shoes, but the stuff on their website looks pretty.

Kentwell Links

The Kentwell Yahoo Group is worth joining, and pictures of Kentwellies can be seen here and here. I get homesick just looking at them. The last two are possibly the most useful resource - look at the pictures and do it like them!