New pirate project

[blackbeard_nc]

So it looks liek we finally are getting approved for a morgage so I have had to cut my "pirate plunder" budget down to almost nothing. So my new project will be to try and make a complete outfit for as little as possible. I have already started converting a find I got at a thrift store for $2 into a waistcoat, pics will follow soon. If anyone has any ideas or tips from things they have made in the past when money was tight please let me know.

[lady constance]

Blackbeard,

ahoy fellow thriftshop hunter!

look for tablecloths made out of linen to use for shirt contruction--the longer the better... and all linen can be dyed the color you want... large tablecloths can be used for garments of all kinds!!--if i see ANY linen tablecloth-- i BUY IT! stockpile knowing the projects will come!!

look for wool blankets for material to use for justacorps and such...

look for linen womens dresses in sizes larger{ the bigger the size, the more material you have to work with} than you are to make into sleeveless waist coat.... { the extra largeness will provide fabric you need to use }

look for wool suits LARGER than you need to take in to fit better and to use extra fabric for sleeve cuffs... and vents/gore panels

if you are outfitting smaller sized people, you can look for any thing that is real linen adn real wool and look carefully to see if there is enough material to cut the clothing you want out of it....smal childrens slops can be made from a womans or mans pants---- you will have to take the seams out fo the garment/ deconstruct it then recut peices into sizes needed...

look for LARGE womens linen pants--- they can easily be converted into slops.....just make sure they are HUGE-- way bigger than you are, so you can cut off and peice the extra fabric into the period appropriate waist bands .....

THINK OUT SIDE THE BOX!! learn to see what you can make out of the lines of the clothing that are there....

a womans large linen dress can be cut down the middle and worked into a frock/ sleeveless justacorps...... cut off sleeves if there are any...

man-- i wish i was better dowloading pics--- you could see how realtively easy it is to adjust what is there to what it can become!!!}

my hubby and i have 9 kids to outift into period correct stuff--- adn good will thrift stores and ingenuity makes it easy!!!!--good luck and happy plundering the thrift stores!!

PAX,

lady constance

[Rumba Rue]

Ah fellow thrift shoppers, I've seen some men's coats like the long rain type in wool. With a few changes you can add cuffs (of different materials) and different buttons and more with a creative mind. Same with ladies coats.

Bed sheets are terrific for cotton lining in any garment.

[MadL]

*vision of a short chubby kid wearing a red 'n white checkerd table cloth for a cape, a potato strainer on he's head, a pair o' mommy's hoes o'er he's face, daddy's o'er sized work boots, 'n carrying a spatula in he's hand as he jumps off the garage roof*

sorry, just ha'en one o' those nee-stalgia moments....carry on people!

[Lady Alyx]

I made my Pirate Frock coat from a Thrift Shop 70's burgandy velveteen thigh length coat ages ago....so that is a great way to turn a Thrift shop find indeed into a Frock Coat/Waist Coat.

I have also to turn a coat into a waist coat for me Beau.

Also I have used as previously mentioned slops for Beau from oversized womens linen pants. (and then sewed him another pair from some material I got at a cheapy Yardage shop)

Also look for leather goods that can be transformed or cut up. I read on line where a fellow took a pair of black leather pants from a Thrift Shop and took them apart and them made himself a really nice pirate hat out of it.

Also keep an eye for tossed away costume pieces I give the Thrift shop all my old clothes plus costumes pieces I do not use anymore...(Gave them a 150.00 hat from the Hat Vendor from the Ren Faire..just cause I never ever wore it)

[LadyBarbossa]

I've found some fabric at Goodwill often enough times that I've made a full proper Gentlewoman's polonaise from period style fabric.

One can occassionally find fabric one can make a waistcoat out of.

That is if you are handy with sewing or know someone who is.

Also, watch local fabric stores. They often will run discounts on fabric and sometimes you can get fabric REAL cheap like a dollar or $2 a yard or three. Cottons or waistcoat fabric material or even for breeches. Wal Mart I've found some awesome fabrics there, too. I'm in the process of making some waistcoats to sell based on some discount fabric from Wal Mart and local fabric stores.

Shoes... I've found occassionally some shoes that would be possible to convert into 17th or 18th c footwear. I have a pair of medium tan men's shoes I'm in the process of converting into 17th c footwear. Size 12 or 13 I believe as they look like clown shoes on my feet and I don't have small feet.

Watch for belts. Sometimes you will find a belt buckle that is piraty and you can find a strip of leather or something cheap at a fabric store or a belt at a thrift store that is long enough or combine two belts to make one long one.

Scarves I've found a good many of them that can be bandanas.... a few as sashes.

Hats... I've often found a straw hat or two at these places and not all that hard to convert into a cocked hat or something else.

Jewelry, if you fancy to go that route,... is easy as occassionally ye find something that looks period enough.

One can find accessories occassionally, too. Silver plates, some mug, or brass candle holders, I even found a period lantern and quill pens at Goodwill! Sometimes even a cheap, somewhat period looking chair or table.

Lots to find there if you know what your are looking for.

~Lady B

[Lady Seahawke]

Stores clearance racks are good for belts and the like.

Found some leather belts for $1 a piece, used them to make a baldric. Long winter neck scarves or shawls great for sashes.

[Atala Syrcuse]

Thrift stores do indeed rock! I can't tell you the number of beauties I've made from curtains, sheets, and the like I picked up from thrift stores. I even worked at one part-time to get better pick of the merchandise!

[casketchris]

in one thrift store i was in i found 5 yards of black cotton duck for 3 dollers now thats a find

[Patrick Hand]

So my new project will be to try and make a complete outfit for as little as possible

I was going to do a post for"how to make semi-authntic Pyrate garb fer next ter nothin;" thread.....

As posted above.... thrift stores are your friend.... other than shoes, and Heck it won't be totaly authentic...... but playing a common sailor/pyrate isn't that expensive ter do.....

A shirt,made outta on old sheat or 3 yards of $2.00 a yard Wall mart Indain import fabric....

Slops outta an old set of drapes (be carefull about the fabric content, some drapes are way too synthetic...... worse comes to worse, $5.00 a yard canvas, you will need 2 yards, so fer $10 you have slops.... (see my thread somewhere in plunder how to make them.)

Wool cost more.... but as mentioned above..... women's dresses or coats fer a few buck will give you enough wool to make one....

If you wanna go cheap/inexpensive, lern how to sew, and you can make some good stuff for very little money.....

Lets see.... even buying the fabric....

A Shirt ....3 yards of $2.00 Wal Mart Indian fabric........... $6.00

Slops........2 yarsd $5.00 cotton canvas At Wall mart).......$10.00

head scarf..... 1 yard Wal Mart Indain Fabric......................$2.00

belt and accesorys....thrift store..... ....................................$5.00 (max)

shoes..... Sorry.... go bare foot.... or maybe sandals..........

...............................................................................T

OTAL about $23.00

Ok ... this dosen't include the waistcoat.... so add maybe another $3.00.... not fancy, but it is do able....

Heck .... everyone wants to be a Captain..... just go common sailor, and it is more period, and cost less.....

Just fer S & G..... my almost 100% period garb....

Shirt....... checked linnen @ 8.50 per yard ..............................$25.50

Slops... 100% hemp @ 14.00 per yard......................................$28.00

wool waistcoat...... Yard sale find................................................$2.00

linen lining for waistcoat...... @,650 per yard..............................$6.50

Wool blanket for coat..........$3.00................................................$3.00

cotton linning (Ok is should have been wool) @ $2.00................$6.00

Hat blank...........................................................................

.........$40.00

solder to cast buttons................................................................$18.00

Shoes...........................................................................

.............$125.00

socks...........................................................................

..................$3.00

belt blank...........................................................................

.........$10.00

Silk scarf and neckerchif 2 yards @ 6.50 per yard..................$13.00

Not counting time and effort,

for an almost totaly Authentic outfit............................................$280.50

Also this is not counting weapons and accuterements......but it is the cost for period authentic fabrics,,,,, All things considered, that really ain't that much ( heck I didn't buy all the fabric at one time..... it took about three years to get it all together)

So just shop around, learn how to make it yourself..... (it will be more period/better that way anyway...) and you CAN make affordable Pyrate garb......

Hey.... if ye wanna be some fopish fancy nancy boy pyrate, dressed in sissy lace and such, heck it will cost ye more..... going as a good .....honest(?) sailor/pyrate... salt O' th' earth... a real working an theavin' man..... heck Period is heck of a lot cheaper...... work clothing.....

PM me if you need instructions on how to make any of it......

[Silkie McDonough]

As posted above.... thrift stores are your friend.... other than shoes, and Heck it won't be totaly authentic...... but playing a common sailor/pyrate isn't that expensive ter do.....

I disagree ...shoes can be had also.

My "make do" buckle shoe.

Buy a pair of mens buckle dress shoes, super glue the tongue from another pair of old shoes. Yes these are vinyl but they are more comfortable than the PC shoes out there. At events ia m always on my feet and on a hard surface like concrete or coral.

Again not 100% PC but passable. They also have a rubber sole.

Don't forget that latch shoes can be made easily also. "Make do" Latchet shoe.

[Rick Skinner]

A movie link on Making Latchet Shoes .

Here are a pair I made. I know. Not authentic, but comfortable. I don't think size 13 shoes were common back then...

[Matusalem]

I kind of did the exact same thing, but I took an old pair of Frye boots and tried to replicate the shoe found on the 1717 Whydah shipwreck. I took the pieces of the boot shaft and sewed the monk strap style buckling, with cheap buckles from Walmart. This is the pinnacle of my fine great hand stitching ability, and of very fine quality(...ahem *cough*).

Basically the Frye boot has a square toe and the big tapered heel, similar to the shoes of that day, which seemed like a suitable choice to work from. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting my new pair from Loyalist Arms, which I hope will come any day.