# Medieval Costume Patterns... HELP! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564 "2004-03-04T19:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squirebob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Squirebob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squirebob)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/1 "2004-03-04T19:52:21Z")
Hello there dopers, you are my last hope! A female friend of mine has agreed to make the costumes for an amature production of ‘Wyrd Sisters’ by Terry Pratchett. But bless her little cotton socks she has taken on a bit much, today she gave me a mission to find costume patterns for a medieval King, and a Knight. The catalougue (sp?) that she had seen the patterns in had sold out in our local shop, and the play will have started before we could order them in… I was wondering if any one out there in cyberspace knew of a site where such patterns could be downloaded? She just wants to help this little provincial theatre put on a good show, my motives I must admit involve showing how nice a person I am, and thus fine breeding stock :dubious: Any help would be much apreciated 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/2 "2004-03-04T20:09:39Z")
> [@Squirebob](#): > > Hello there dopers, you are my last hope! > > A female friend of mine has agreed to make the costumes for an amature production of ‘Wyrd Sisters’ by Terry Pratchett. But bless her little cotton socks she has taken on a bit much, today she gave me a mission to find costume patterns for a medieval King, and a Knight. The catalougue (sp?) that she had seen the patterns in had sold out in our local shop, and the play will have started before we could order them in… I was wondering if any one out there in cyberspace knew of a site where such patterns could be downloaded? > > She just wants to help this little provincial theatre put on a good show, my motives I must admit involve showing how nice a person I am, and thus fine breeding stock :dubious: Any help would be much apreciated 🙂 You might want to try [this](http://www.costumes.org/advice/1pages/pattern_links.htm) website. If The Costumers Manifesto doesn’t have what you’re looking for, chances are, it’s not available on the internet. It may take some searching: they have thousands of links. ---
**Author:** ![peri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/3 "2004-03-05T06:03:34Z")
Basic tunic [here](http://home.kabelfoon.nl/~triade/Patterns/Tunik.html). No detailed instructions, not that any are needed for this type of garment. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/4 "2004-03-05T13:02:38Z")
The “Beginners” section of [Reconstructing History](http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/) has some nice, simple, authentic patterns. My sister has made several of the “Your First Garb” gowns, and even I managed to produce “A Reconstructed Chemise”. There’s also a tunic and an undershirt, and the women’s patterns could easily be modified into a royal robe and tunic. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/5 "2004-03-05T14:49:27Z")
In my opinion, it’s going to be difficult to make a pattern from a download unless you are an experienced pattern maker. (They are not so much patterns as instructions for making a pattern; obviously a real pattern would be much too large to print out.) I’d say it would be much easier to order patterns ready-made and there are hundreds of historical pattern manufacturers on the Web. Try [http://www.grannd.com](http://www.grannd.com) - I think they make Renn costumes. Perhaps also Laughing Moon but they might be more of the Victorian/Civil War era. ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/6 "2004-03-05T15:18:43Z")
Mrs H tells me to point you to [Simplicity](http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?cat=4&type=19&sec=0&id=63) and [McCalls](http://www.houseofanoria.com/patterns.htm). She prefers the Simplicity. It looks like Renn is more popular than medieval, but this is all I have time for at the moment. . So, does this make ME good breeding stock? ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-costume-patterns-help/232564/7 "2004-03-05T16:17:03Z")
For a King, it would work well to do a robe from a very simple pattern- if you pick a pretty fabric and dress it up with good trim and accents, it should do the trick.