A side step to the Iron Age

I while ago a friend ordered a Viking style tunic and trousers to be used in historical archery events. And I finally finished them last Sunday! Here they are modeled by my very own Mr. Arrow <3

The tunic is inspired by Bocksten man's tunic. It's otherwise similar, minus the front and back gores. The wool is from Medeltidsmode, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with. The adjusting seams are machine sewn, but all finishing touches were made by hand, using silk thread for durability.

Here they are worn with a tablet woven belt (made by a very talented friend of mine), and leg wraps I bought from the Turku medieval market.

The trousers were bit of an experiment. I used the much debated pattern suggested by Gjessing. The legs are fairly straight cut, narrowing a bit at the ankle. They lack the crotch gores of, for example, Thorsbjerg trousers, which would probably have given a bit more ease on the waist and more side-way movement for the legs, ideal for activities like riding. I wanted the trousers to fit nicely at the hips and waist, so they are not as easy to get across your hips as, say, ordinary pajamas. But when on, they are not tight at all. 

Gjessings drawing. The originals have tablet woven edges. http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/skolde3.html

Detail of the waist band. The drawstring holes are forced with a buttonhole stitches.