The Latest Crop of Tutorials

Sometimes, when I am tired enough not to want to try to be creative but not tired enough to sleep, I like to browse the Internet for interesting resources. It's at times like those that I collect one-afternoon tutorials to share with my readers.  The collections get published on months, like this one, where I haven't had the time or inspiration to engage in costuming activities worth blogging about, or to put in the time and thought to write as many interesting posts as I would have liked to have done.

Anyway, here's the latest batch of tutorials.   Have fun with them!

• How to make Grindle buttons. What are Grindle buttons, you may ask? They are similar to Dorset buttons, for which I published a link to a tutorial previously. This tutorial is from Mackin-Art.
• How to make a 19th century winter hood for a woman or a girl, courtesy of Romantic History Historical Clothing. 
• How to make a Viking "treasure" necklace, by the Viking Answer Lady, Christie Ward. (Scroll down to the bottom of the linked pages to find it.) The link explains what a Viking treasure necklace is, and describes the proportions used for stringing the beads and pendants used in such a piece.*
• Lauren Reeser over at American Duchess provides this tutorial on how to make a woman's 1920's bathing suit. Better still, she gives information on how to plausibly fake one if for some reason you don't have time for even a quick sewing project. 
• Here's a great tutorial for making a simple leather money pouch, based upon a Norwegian pouch from the 13th-14th century CE, courtesy of Katafalk.
• Also from Katafalk:  a simple (i.e., without embroidery) version of St. Birgitta's cap.  
• From Medieval Silkwork, how to make a number of basic tassels at one time. Tassels are indispensable for Assyrian costume, 1860's Western women's fashion, and certain items in the Middle Ages, and possibly for other periods as well.
• And, finally, from Eulalia of the Medieval York blog: how to make a very simple pennannular brooch, which works for early period costuming well into the Middle Ages.

* There is some question whether "treasure" necklaces were strung in quite the manner seen in the reconstructions, though, because the original stringing cord does not survive in most finds, raising a question as to the order in which the pendants and beads were originally strung.  The tutorial above replicates the look of such finds as they have typically been reconstructed by museums, which may or may not be the way these necklaces were originally strung.