Faire Ladies, Faire Lords

Quality, American-Made Renaissance Costumes

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Laundry care for your costume

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I just today got an email from a customer who needed some laundry care help. They had run their partner’s doublet through the wash, and the dryer too. The doublet came out looking like a tangled mess and they were understandably upset that the garment was ruined. It was not, thankfully. It just needs proper laundry care to be fully awesome again.

That got me thinking however; in this age where most everyone wears knits and tshirts, that laundry care for woven and lined garments isn’t well known. Most clothing in 2024 is cheap and disposable, many people have never had to think about this stuff. The items you purchase from me are neither cheap nor disposable, wrecking them in the laundry is traumatic and costly. And so this post is I hope, helpful and reassuring.

The Basics:

This is the Good Stuff. All the clothing I make is pre-shrunk. The fabric goes into the wash and the dryer before I cut it. Unless specified, the costume pieces are made of linen or a linen blend. I do make cotton shirts and bodices from cotton twill, but the advice remain the same. The biggest note here is that you will need an IRON for best results. Natural fibers like linen, linen blends, and cotton relax a bit when you wear them. Its part of the comfort. So when its washed it will constrict again, like your jeans do. Part of this expansion/contraction is that steam and heat will bring things together and correct any inconsistencies.

The Care:

If a garment is not stained, spilled on, or grungy you can turn it inside out and put it on a hanger outside for a day. The sunlight will literally disinfect the smelly bacteria from your sweat.  This is for garments that are not touching your skin. Like a doublet or a bodice or a skirt. Optional: Give it a nice light steam iron when you fold it to put it away.

For garments that touch your skin like breeches or shirts, wash them. Cold/cool gentle cycle in the washer machine. If its really icky hot water is okay. Then hang dry. Once dry a little shake out, fold and put away. Again Optional: Maybe a light iron for tidy collars or cuffs.

If you need to wash something out of your garment, lunch or a spill of some kind, and its got a lining you will for sure need to IRON it. If you toss it in the dryer this will be even more needed because its getting tossed around and jumbled. Try to avoid this by gentle or hand wash and hang dry. Yes, you will still need to iron, but not as much.

If your garment has boning or extensive trim, do not put in a machine. Ever. Air it out or hand wash is mandatory. Hang dry and steam iron to get the garment back in shape.

+++female human wearing a partlette

Thanks for reading! I hope this info will give your costume garments a longer life and you’ll love them like I do. Please share this with your friends and family, your guild mates, your cosplay people. And as always if you need help or just want to get in touch, I’m on Facebook and you can email me here.

On Quality; or, please don’t buy cheap imported costumes

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I saw such a sad thing online the other day. A woman had found this super cute top by a popular costume shop being advertised on a renfaire based group. The price was low, she bought two. She was so disappointed, she got cheap goods. Didn’t fit, flimsy, poorly made in India. I was disappointed for her. So, I’m going to share my thoughts on quality in renfaire costumes, what to do and how to get it. I’ve been doing this a long time, I think I can share with you and help everybody out.

Back in the stone age when I began in this industry, almost all renfaire or SCA costumes and historical clothing were handmade by independent stitchers or at most a small non-professional hobby group. That started to change in the early 2000’s. By 2009ish, there I was at a Halloween costume manufacturing convention, and there was this guy taking catalogs from folks and handing out his card. He was representing a manufacturer from India and his company wanted to get into the renfaire costume business. Pirates, too. Sure enough within a year or so the cheaply made goods started flooding into the US, from all over. It really changed the market.

It changed the kinds of people who sell costumes too. Now, all you need to set up shop is a good bank account and the ability to get accepted at renfaires that are not particular about promoting art, crafts, and artisans.

black guy tudor era cool hat
This is Bob. He got the good quality outfit that doesn’t fall apart and now has cash for an extra beer. He won’t wear cheap synthetic imports. Be like Bob and have a better life!

How to start?

The implications of this firstly, is that you have to be aware of whom you buy from. Pictures of young cuties with lots of boob showing are not necessarily going to get you something good to wear. Just saying. So, ask where are these made? Do you make them? Be nosy, be curious. A true craftsperson and artist is going to be so happy to talk to you about their favorite thing, you will not regret it. Be sure to ask if its prewashed for shrinkage.

I always advise people who want to dress up and don’t have a lot of cash to get creative and focus on quality. Borrow stuff, ransack the thrift store and find some treasure. Maybe scout around for something second hand from a renfaire online swap and your renfaire friends. You’re going to look and feel so much better than buying a cheapo import. Bonus: recycle reuse remake and you’re making the planet a better place too. Good job mah lil’ sparkle pony!

Natural fibers are important. You are gonna sweat a lot at an outdoor festival. Think long and hard about the implications of wearing a shiny taffeta skirt on uneven ground in 100 degree heat and 80% humidity. Yeah…

This next part is most important to remember. A great festival outfit evolves over time, it does not happen all at once. This means you SHOULD focus on quality, one piece at a time. You won’t have to replace it every few wears if you get the good shirt made of good cotton or linen by a local artisan. Save your nickels for the good stuff, and enjoy yourself along the way. Now you have the cash for an extra beer on your adventure day at the renfaire.

Faire Ladies, Faire LordsIf you like my blog and want to keep in touch, please join my Insider’s Newsletter list by sending me a message. You’ll get neato discounts and coupons straight to your inbox as well as first notice of great things. You can also find me on Facebook.

~ Martina