Garb on a students budget

If you've read my What not to wear guide, you'll have an idea of the sorts of things you will need to make your first garb. 

Students, and other people on low incomes, don't have a lot of money to throw around when it comes to making garb, but that doesn't mean they are limited to drab, unattractive styles. 

Laetitia’s Italian Renaissance Outfit.

Cost: Under $20

How?
Chemise: A sheet

Under-gown: $5 Curtain

Over-gown: Unwanted Bedspread from her nana’s blanket box 
Metal grommets, ribbon, and the front clasp made up the rest of the cost.

As you can see, fancy garb can be made on a pretty tight budget.

Fabric shopping

Check bargain tables and remnant bins. You never know what you'll find. A scrap of something expensive, to use as trim? A roll of linen, heavily discounted due to stains (that will probably wash out)?

If it’s under $3per meter, buy 10m or even the whole roll!

Buying in bulk is the way to go. 10m of white or cream fabric will be easily used in a short time, but what do you do with 10m of red or blue fabric? Make all your garb in the one colour and become known as “Eric the red” or “Blue Bess”? You could if you want, or you could use what you need for one outfit and then let your friends know what you’ve got left and sell it to them for what you paid, or trade for some bargain fabric they found.
Even if the fabric was discounted due to stains, ones that don't wash out, they may not be too noticeable, or for the parts where they are, you can still use the fabric as lining.

The best time to buy fabrics is at the end of a season.

The end of winter is when you’ll be likely to find wools and velveteen’s at half price.

At the end of summer cottons and linens are at their cheapest.

Toy fur is also usually on sale at the end of winter. 1/2m is plenty to trim a gown or line a cloak hood.

Trims are expensive to buy, so make your own.

Couching (a type of embroidery) metallic or crochet threads is also a cheap method of decoration.

Look in remnant bins for metallic fabrics, satins and brocades. Cut into strips, join, fold the edges under (or use a bias binding maker) and stitch in place. This method is really cheap if you paid 50c or $1 for a scrap of fabric and get 15-20m of trim out of it.

Ready made braids and cords can sometimes be found very cheap at dollar shops. I’ve paid as little as 10c per meter for some.

Secondhand Fabrics

Second hand shops (eg the Salvos) often have bedding, which can be used for making garb.

Pure woollen blankets in a single colour can be used to make fantastically warm garb for camping.

One Queen sized blanket should be enough for a woman’s over-gown. A single bed blanket is plenty for a mans short tunic or a cloak. Check blankets can be used as warm lining in a velvet cloak or as padding in a doublet or gambeson.

Brocade bedspreads can be used for very fancy garb.

Curtains can also be used, some times you can get velvet or silk like curtains, or linen/cotton or brocade, all of these can be good for garb.

Sheets in cream or white are good for shirts and chemises or linings, plain coloured ones make good under gowns and under tunics.

 

You can also get accessories and feasting gear at secondhand shops. Bead necklaces can be pulled apart to bead gowns etc.

Fancy doesn't always mean expensive. Sometimes fancy just takes a little more time and effort, but costing very little in money. Plan your outfit well ahead of time, and you'll have time to go bargain hunting.

By Laetitia de Harfleur