A journey among trossfrau-dresses

A year ago I had the honor of making a guest post on my friends blog Handcrafted history about my journey as a handcrafter and 16th Century camp follower from the German areas. We all start somewhere and everyone have the right to make their own journey. I asked her and she let me borough the post, so that I can show it to you on my own blog.

Meet my friend Linnea!

Posted on 20/10/2017

This is a guest post by my friend Linnea. Read about her journey as a handcrafter and 16th century camp follower from the German areas. She presents her different outfits and things she had learned along the way!

Photo: Linda Öhman.

I joined SCA, Styringheim on Gotland, 2008. It was a friend who made my first dress, an early 15th century dress, in a thick dark blue wool with a brighter blue underdress in linen. I havent used it for many years now. At my first event I saw a dress that would make me wear nothing else for the following ten years. The dress belonged to Jovi, who would become my friend, and it was a 16th century dress for a camp follower, a landsknechtdress. In 2009 I joined Proknekt and was  their chairman for two years.

After I made my first dress, I made many more and at the moment I have made nine dresses in the same style. It has been my own development, an effort to constantly improve, without having the desire to research (it changed!). In the beginning, the dresses were inspired by other dresses I saw and over time I have made an improvement for each dress. I think everyone has to start at a level that feels comfortable, we have all been new and must have the right to start somewhere. This is my journey!

The first dress is made in a heavy dark blue wool, almost black, with orange details. It is made on a sewing machine and because I was tired of sewing in the very thick wool, the slits are glued. The skirt is made of two straight pieces, the width is 3 meters (118 inch). The dress has visible lacing, something I understood later is not historically accurate. But so proud I was the first time I wore the dress! It was at Doublewars 2009. The shirt is handsewn with a smocked collar. The collar was not supported and therefore folds down in a less flattering way.




Photo: Ahna Ehn

The second dress was sewn in a slightly thinner dark green wool with dark blue details. The dress is completly handsewn. The sleeves were removable and with an hemline that could fold up. The skirt is made of two straight pieces, the width is 3 meters (118 inch). I made a new underskirt in linen. This dress was finished in 2010, and at the same time I made a new smocked shirt. The dress was sold in 2015.



When I sewed dress number three, I chosed a thinner wool than for dress number two. I continue to use dark colors, blue with red details. The dress is actually a skirt and a jacket. The sleeves are fixed on the bodies and have an hemline that can be folded up. The slits are all sewn by hand, like the dress in general. The dress is made of two straight pieces, the width is 3 meters (118 inch). This time I had managed to get a better shape on the neckline both in the front and the back, more square like the original. This dress was also ready in 2010. This is also the first time I have the right shoes, so-called oxmular in Swedish or cowmouthed shoes, instead of a pair of Viking shoes. The skirt and jacket were sewn together into a dress 2017 and sold.

Dress number four was sewn in a very thin wool that I got cheap. Because the wool was so thin the details where made of polysterwool to match. But it's completely handsewn. The sleeves are removable. The dress is made of two straight pieces, the width is 3 meters (118 inch). The dress have no slits. Most of my dresses do not, just because we dont really see so many of those in the woodcuts and paintings in the trossfrau-clothing. The dress was ready for the Peter and Paul festival in Bretten 2011. The dress was sold 2018.

Photo: Kim F Rehnman

Dress number five is sewn by a petroleum blue wool that I found on a military market in Tallinn, and black details, also in wool. It's handsewn and I also had a new hat, in orange wool. The neckline is square, something I did not always get right. The dress is made of two straight pieces, the width is 3 meters (118 inch). The dress was ready for the Medeltidsdagar at Hägnan Luleå 2012. The dress was sold 2017.

Photo: Linda Öhman

Dress number six is sewn in a wool from Historiska rum, a fabric that is thin and looking a bit used quit quicly. It's handsewn, which was not that fun considering it's 12 meter (472 inch) of hand stitching in every stripe in the skirt. The lace is made with corset ribbons, a very comfortable cheating. The sleeves are removable. The dress is made of two straight pieces, the width of the hemline is 3 meters. I left my safety zone with otherwise dark colors for a brighter blue. The undercoat is made of linen. The dress was ready for the medieval week on Gotland 2014 and was sold in 2017.

Photo: Torbjörn Walberg

In 2017 I made a underdress in Medeltidsmodes raw wool. To wear just a shirt, a hemd in german, under your overdress is not really historicaly accurate, you need a under- and overdress. This one is very simple, a dress for a farmers wife or other lower classes. Most of the time is to warm to wear it but while cooking at a landsknechtevent, Landsknecht Hurra in Germany 2017, its perfect. Its handsewn but without any decorations.

Dress number eight is sewn in a brown wool from Historiska rum with red details. The skirt is made from four panels with makes the hemline around 5 meters, or 196 inch. And no slits, just decorative stripes. It is closed by hooks and eyes. I have gone from strong colors to a more dimmed color scale, beige and red, something I imagine is suitable for a lower class woman of the tross. In the picture I also have a jacket in red wool with linen lining made by Linda at Handcrafted history. I also wear small trossfrau socks. You can read more about the trossfrau sock here: https://whiljascorner.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/short-foot-hosen/

Underneath the dress I have the underdress that appears in the picture above. Everything was made for Landsknecht Hurra in Germany in 2017 and was sold in 2018.

Photo: Erika Hernlund

Dress number nine was also sewn in 2017 and was ready for the Medieval Week on Gotland in august. This is the first dress I made to look like a dress in a a specific painting. It is sewn in wool from Historiska rum, in amber and red. The dress is sewn with panels with a hemline of more than 5 meters, or 196 inches. The dress is closed with hooks and eyes. The lower part of the sleeves are loose according to the painting. In the picture I also have a new hat, a new stechlein (a veil) and a new apron. The socks are from Kapitelhusgården and the bag from Craft Hive. The stripes in the skirt is not on the woodcut, I thought it became more beautiful with stripes than without. The dress should also be pink with red details. But even though I have gone from dark to bright colors, pink is beyond my limits.

This is the dress in the painting, painted in 1501 by Hans Burckmaier - Triumph of Maximilian I.

Photo: Linda Öhman

Did you get inspired? On Linda's blog Handcrafted history, under "tutorials" you can learn how to make a landsknechthat or look at the right-hand column and click on Lansknecht & Trossfraus to read more about landsknechtclothing, how to make your own and where there is inspiration.