" Will it shrink? "
All cotton shrinks to some extent, but our shirts are made of top
quality materials and shrinkage can be
reduced by washing at no more than 40 degrees. The linen shirts are
pre-washed, which does eliminate the worst initial shrinkage, but these
fibres will continue to settle for the next few washes. Luckily, all our
shirts are generously cut and should be plenty long enough to cope.
" I want a shirt for re-enactment: what colour is authentic then?"
Properly speaking, white was difficult to obtain, so most shirts of
calico, cambric, linen, etc would have been shades of creamy off-white,
running into shades of beige and dirty brown. Calico bleaches in the
sun, so older shirts would have moved towards the whiter shades. On
balance then, for
authenticity, avoid bright white unless you are a top-raking officer
with servants to do your laundry.
" I'm in LRP and I'm a foot soldier but I want a big collar - can I have one? " You
are most welcome to order whatever type of shirt you want: the opinions expressed herein are purely
based on many years of working with re-enactors of various societies and centuries, and the classification
of the shirts on offer is purely a guideline.
" I want buttoned cuffs with a normal-sized collar - do you do them?" As every shirt is individually made, then yes, any combination of collar/cuffs can be accommodated. Just drop us a line and ask.
" What size are they? "
All the shirts have a spread around the
chest of up to 52" (114" for the "Pirate" style made in cotton lawn), they are a full yard long in the body, and the collar and cuff size is specified by you, when you order. They bear no relation at all to modern clothing sizes! If you are particularly tall/short/thin/wide/non-standard, that's no problem at all - we would be delighted
to make a shirt to your exact requirements, usually for no extra charge: just E-mail
us with your details and we'll let you know what we can offer.
" I'm a bit confused about the fabrics: " OK,
to make it simple; Calico is the name for a type of fabric, which is
closely-woven and hard-wearing. It is made from 100% cotton, but is
tougher and stronger than normal cotton fabric. We have three weights
of calico: "Normal", "Lightweight" and "Super Tough". Normal is the best
for re-enactment where battles are fought. Lightweight is less strong,
but much cooler to wear and is therefore popular with LRP where there is
sometimes more posing than fighting: and Super Tough is, as the name
implies, a very strong fabric, being about twice the weight of the
normal calico. Pirate shirts are made from 100% cotton, and "Lawn" is
the name for the weave: it is very, very fine, in fact it is almost
see-through. If you had a Pirate shirt made in normal calico, it would
be so bulky that it would be uncomfortable!
" I do Kentwell and I want a hand-made shirt: can you do it? "
For a price, we can do anything! Seriously, no, it is not practical to
offer fully hand-made shirts as the cost would be very high...
furthermore, our shirts are more Stuart than Tudor. Having said that, if
you supply a copy of the Costume Notes, we can give a quote. For your
information, all internal seams are sewn using a machine, the seams are
all turned and machine-stitched (ie not run through an overlocker) and
virtually all visible stitching is done by hand: if you wish, the shirt
can be provided "unfinished" so you can do the final hand-sewing of neck
opening and hem in your own time. We think this offers the best
compromise - if this is acceptable (it has been, in past years, but
things change) then contact us with details - and do give us plenty of notice.
" How much is post and packing " Postage is £5, UK only.
" I'm in the Sealed Knot - are your shirts authentic? "
Check with your Regiment as to what is currently recommended, as the
dress regulations do tend to change from year to year. We have been
supplying re-enactors for over 30 years and have done substantial
research over this period: but there are fashions in re-enactment, it
would seem! Technically the most authentic material is linen: you should
be prepared to hand-finish the neck and cuff edges; and both the underarm gusset and the inset sleeve styles are historically accurate. If you
are told you must have specific features, that's no problem, we can
easily make you one, however you want it: just E-mail us with the details of what you require.
" How long for delivery? " Depends how many orders we have in hand
at the time: it's quicker in winter: as a rough guide, no more than a couple of weeks, and we would e-mail
you if there are likely to be any delays.
" Do you take credit card? " No, we take payment by direct internet bank transfer, or by Paypal: but you can use your credit card to make a payment via Paypal even if you don't have a Paypal account.
" Can we have a discount for bulk orders? "
Afraid not: each shirt is individually hand-made to order, they are not
"run up" by machinists who are more interested in speed than quality.
" Where is your small print? " Here it is. We
can't
accept responsibility for anything whatsover, but we take the best
possible care in every respect: that is to say, we aim for the best
materials, the most authentic patterns, the best service
possible, but
sometimes we are let down by our suppliers - and that includes the
postal service. However, we promise to keep you fully informed of any
problems or delays.
