TOME OF TOOLS
A compendium of tools and materials used in the making of garb for medieval combat.
THE
FOR GARBERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Garber’s Tome of Tools
BASICS
EXTRAS
SEWING MACHINE
Sewing machines range from simple and inexpensive to vastly complicated and costly, but just about any machine can be used to make garb. ��I recommend Brother, Janome, and Bernina as good current brands. Older Husqvarnas and Pfaffs are great. Check out sewing shops in your area for new, refurbished or secondhand good-quality machines.
The following attributes may be helpful for making garb:
“The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.” Benjamin Franklin
BASICS
FABRIC
Cotton/polyester fabric blends can be used to make crisp, durable, colorfast garb. Look for plain, woven material. I prefer trigger or target (65/35 cotton/poly blend). Other good types are bottomweight, poplin, twill, and broadcloth. I do not recommend stretch fabrics. Twills are not advisable for applique or small cutwork as they fray unevenly. Cotton/poly is widely available at fabric stores.
Linen is a natural fabric that has been used for clothing for thousands of years. It has wonderful texture and a beautiful drape. Colors tend to be more muted than in man-made fabrics. Linen is more breathable than cotton/poly, but does tend to get more wrinkly. Linen can be purchased at most fabric stores but be sure to read the label to see if you are getting real linen or a linen blend. My go-to place for linen is fabrics-store.com, an online shop with great selection of colors and weights. Fabrics-store.com IL019 medium weight linen and 4C22 heavy weight linen are both great for garb.
ALWAYS WASH YOUR FABRIC BEFORE USING IT. ALWAYS.
BASICS
THREAD
For basic sewing and seams, I use Gutermann 100% polyester thread. It is strong, colorfast, and comes in a good variety of colors and sizes. For durability, remember to double stitch all your seams and straight stitch your applique before satin stitching it!
For embroidery, applique and decorative stitching, I use Sulky 40 weight viscose rayon thread. It is a little less strong than regular sewing thread but it makes amazingly smooth and beautiful stitches. It has a nice shine to it that gives the work a rich and vibrant feeling.
For embroidery and applique it is a good idea to use special bobbin thread. Bobbin thread is an especially fine and light thread that helps dense stitching lay flat and smooth. It usually only comes in neutral colors such as black and white. Bobbin thread can be purchased in very small amounts, but especially if you do a lot of decorative sewing it is cost-effective to buy it in large cone spools.
“Don’t be afraid to pay a little more for good thread. It is worth every penny in the long run.” Lady Armstrong
BASICS
SCISSORS
Fabric Scissors for basic cutting and Pinking Shears for creating a zig zag edge that will be less likely to fray. Scissors with offset handles are designed to cut fabric on a flat surface. �
BASICS
5” Fine Tip Scissors for fine cutwork.
Invest in good scissors. Keep your scissors sharp, and do not use them on anything except fabric!
IRON & IRONING BOARD
An iron is a must-have tool for making clean-looking, precise garb. Fabric should be ironed before it is cut, and ironed again before it is sewn together. Applying fusible web for applique requires an iron. Particularly for linen, a high steam iron is best. Automatic shut-off and a retractable cord are nice features to look for. Clean your iron plate occasionally by ironing a fabric softener sheet, which will help remove any stuck-on fusible web.
�A standard ironing board is useful but not necessary. If desired, a table-top ironing board or table cover can be bought or easily made. A homemade ironing cover can be as large as your table or work space. Having a large surface to iron on can be invaluable especially when working with large sections of fabric or large pieces of applique.
BASICS
MEASURING TOOLS
Use a flexible cloth measuring tape, also known as a tailor’s tape, to measure parts of the body. Do not use a straight ruler for this purpose.
To measure fabric, use a straight, inflexible ruler or yardstick. Better yet, use a transparent quilting ruler. Transparent rulers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be used with a rotary cutter to create extremely straight and even cuts. Many transparent rulers also include angle markings at 30, 45 and 60 degrees.
“Measure twice, cut once.” John Florio
BASICS
NEEDLES
Sewing machine needles are available in a variety of types, and the needle you use should match your task - Universal needles for basic sewing, Embroidery needles for embroidery or applique, Metallic needles for metallic thread, and so on. Needles should be replaced regularly, especially if you are having problems such as regular thread breaks. ��Keep a selection of hand-sewing needles on hand as well, for sewing on buttons or clasps, doing detail work or repairs, or working on projects that are too fine or too heavy for the sewing machine.
"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." Lin Yutang
BASICS
PINS and PINCUSHION
Contrary to some beliefs you don’t have to pin everything you sew, but there are times when it is really useful or even necessary to keep separate pieces held together in a particular arrangement until they can be stitched. I like pins with large heads because they are easier to see and easier to find if they are dropped. ��
Keep your pins handy and safe with a pincushion. Pincushions can be made out of scraps of fabric and a bit of stuffing or they can be bought. I love magnetic pincushions because they hold tight to the pins and because you can use them like a metal detector to pick up pins that have fallen on the floor.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place” A popular idiom from the 1800’s.
BASICS
DESIGN TOOLS
Having a design sketched out before you begin work on a project will improve your final product. Details of color, construction and cut can be thought out ahead of time, making it more likely that you will have the right amount of materials on hand, and easier for you to utilize the right techniques for the look you want to achieve. A traditional sketchbook is a great way to work out designs. Alternatively, digital drawing programs can be used with a mouse or a drawing tablet and stylus. Designing in a drawing program can allow you to manipulate portions of the design individually, saving time and effort. For example, a symbol can be easily resized or moved without having to redraw the whole design. A good design program should have object capabilities to allow you to interact with individual or grouped elements as needed.
EXTRAS
“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading in the same direction...so it doesn’t matter which path you take.” ��Hindu proverb
CUTTING TOOLS & CUTTING MATS
Cutting mats protect your work surface from damage caused by bladed cutters, and also help save the blades from excess wear and damage. Many cutting mats have gridded measurements and angle markings. Some offer a self-healing finish which reseals after each cut. Cutting mats come in a variety of sizes from very small to full table-size. (The bigger the better, in my humble opinion.)
Circle Cutters are for cutting perfect circles for applique or embroidery. The cutter rotates on a fixed point with a blade on the exterior end, so that circles of an exact width from 1.5” to 8 ¾” can be precisely cut with one twist of the hand.
Rotary Cutters are for cutting straight, crisp lines. They are best used with a straight edge or transparent ruler on a cutting mat to protect both the blade and the cutting surface. A sharp rotary cutter blade will cut you if you look at it sideways, so be extremely careful, and always use the safety guard when the cutter is not is use.
EXTRAS
SEAM RIPPER
Use the long point to catch threads and push to cut them. Or, turn it over and put the red ball under the stitches and push to cut. Either way, a seam ripper is a very handy tool for fixing mistakes.
The blades are sharp - be careful not to cut your fabric or yourself!
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
Stephen McCranie
A basic plastic seam ripper and a fancy metal one with reversible end. ��“Jaws” by Jess Abbott of The Sewing Rabbit.
EXTRAS
FUSIBLE WEB & STABILIZER
Heat N’ Bond Lite Fusible Web for applying applique.
(Make sure you get the “Lite” sewable version, NOT the regular version which is not sewable.) �Pellon 805 Wonder-Under Fusible Web for applying applique. �Pellon 806 Stitch-N-Tear Tear Away Embroidery Stabilizer for preventing warping and puckering in applique and embroidery.
“Bond”
by Jess Abbott of The Sewing Rabbit.
EXTRAS
SERGER
A serger, sometimes called an overlocker, is a machine that uses multiple threads to create a bound edge on fabric to prevent fraying and strengthen seams. Sergers usually have a knife that evenly cuts away excess fabric as it is run through the machine. A Serger can also be used to create decorative stitches or joins in fabric. All garb, all especially linen garb, benefits from finished seams. Other methods for finishing seams are a zig zag or honeycomb stitch, french seams, or flat-felled seams. Using a serger gives a fast, easy, durable finish.
EXTRAS
CUTTING MACHINES
Cutting machines use a computer-controlled blade or pen to cut, draw, or etch. They can be used to cut out designs to be appliqued. Cutting machines are very helpful with intricate or delicate cuts - but on the downside, they are expensive to own and operate and you must have clean, exact digital images to program them with. ��Pictured on the left is the Cricut Explore and on the right is the Silhouette Cameo.
EXTRAS
“A rising tide lifts all boats.” �-Eastern American aphorism
CLEAN-UP TOOLS
Loose threads, thread ends, and lint can make even good work look sloppy.
A pair of snips is really useful for removing any frayed fabric edges and extra thread, especially on applique and embroidery where extra care is needed.
A lint roller will easily remove bits of thread and lint and help keep your work surface clean so that your finished product will look as good as possible.
EXTRAS
Happy Sewing!
QUESTIONS?
CONTACT ELLIE APLAND OR
LADY ARMSTRONG DESIGNS
ON FACEBOOK.