Let's be Kipchak!

Last year my friend and ultimate guru in reenactment Rosamar encouraged me to engage in her nomadic project. We started preparing clothes and equipment. The choice was Kipchak tribal confederation.

Kipchak, Cumans, Polovtsy came to our part of Europe in 10th century. Some scientist believe that they were blond and blue-eyed, so I can reenact a woman from this tribe.

They left a lot of remainings and sculptures so we have got quite many materials to reconstruct clothes and equipment. For more informations look here, here and here.

My first 'item' I'd like to show is a caftan. So far I have made two caftans: one for my friend Klaryssa and one for myself. Here they are.

First caftan I’ve ever sewn was mine. I always start doing my things to be sure that I won't spoil things for my clients. The pattern for this caftan contains three panels, gussets on sides, long sleeves also with gussets. Because it is quite short there's no placket at the back.

Carmine Kipchak caftan

 I used carmine wool mixed with silk. For seams I used two kind of threads, both hand spinned: grey Gotland wool and dyed in walnut shells Polish mixed wool. I decided for so called triple stitch as very decorative and useful.

 

Gussets and two colours of seams

The triple stitch

  Then I had to sew hems. I owned an old scarf made of decorated with a pattern silk in black and gold. It seemed perfect for my purpose.

 

Silk hems

I used tin buttons and woollen loops.

 

A button and a loop

First time I wore this caftan last June during reenactment of Battle of Cedynia.

 

During last Christmas I made another caftan. The pattern for this caftan was almost the same as mine, but I resigned from the seams on the shoulder so there were only two long panels. It was also a little longer than mine so I made a placket at the back. This time it was made of pure wool in malachite colour. (All pictures below made by Klaryssa).

The back of Klaryssa's caftan

 For seams I used machine spinned Polish wool in maroon colour (although it seems red in the pictures). Of course also triple stitch.

 

The triple stitch

For hems I decided to use two-tone silk taffeta in blue and ruby pink colours. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to show this silk in pictures.

 

Embridered hems of Klaryssa's caftan

Because hems were without patterns I embroidered them using quite simply pattern popular on Chinese silk.

For loops I used the same wool as for seams. Buttons are made from brass.

A brass button and a loop

 

Klaryssa's caftan in all it's magnificence

 Of course this is not my last creation in The Kipchak Project!