The final tunic in the Hedeby tunic saga is that of the Type III. Dubbed the Type III, this tunic overall resembles the Type I in many ways, such as cut and function, however, it obtained this nomenclature due to the fact it possesses features of both the I and the II. Though no existing fragments imply this specific tunic existed, it has been heavily theorized that it likely did as a sort of "transitional" design between the Type I and II, making it a bit of a conjectural item within the living history community.
Such transitional features include the use of the unique sleeves, slightly longer length, and most importantly, the use of 2/2 twill rather than plain tabby weave. This latter feature has been commonly used to classify the various tunic styles from Hedeby in the past, being used to determine what features should be combined to make what style of tunic - i.e. plain weave fragments are all classified into building the Type I, while 2/2 twills are used to build the Type II. With this taken into account, however, it has also been theorized that there were tunics present in the settlement which bore iconic features of both styles, and that it was virtually impossible to assume that all Type I's were made from plain weave and not other styles. With these knowledge, the Type III "franken-tunic" was born. For our reconstruction, we opted to go with a richly-dyed madder red 2/2 wool twill. This is intended to represent a finer garment and thus a finer weave was used than in the types I and II reproductions made, which are lower and middle-class representations respectively. The tunic bears the same rounded and in-set armholes as the Type I, however, the sleeves themselves are patterned off the II, with the mismatched "gussets" placed inside the sleeve's seam and a wrist slit added. The body also features the multi-panel design, separated by shoulder and a waist seams, yet it does not have the curved "princess seams" in the back. The head hole is also still wide and open, and the lower skirt is full and wide with the same gore arrangement as the first model of tunic. No trim was used on this particular tunic. Given the mismatched nature of the tunic itself, it can be assumed that a reproduction of this pattern would be correct for most 10th Century lower-to-upper class representations, dependent on the quality of textile and tailoring involved. Plainer, simpler tunics of this style can be adapted for lower-class looks, or may be made from finer weaves with applied decoration for upper class ones, making it a very versatile design for 10th Century Danish living history! Below is the reproduction, as well as a sampling of some of the fragments used in its creation.
Dan G.
8/5/2020 11:16:47 am
Working on making a variation of this. I've been struggling with getting the sleeves right. It ended up pinning them to the torso and it was really tight around my shoulder and bicep. Not sure what to do. Any advice??
Caleb
8/8/2020 02:10:20 pm
To be honest, I feel like that's actually just how these fit. I've made quite a few of these tunics, every one with a slight tweak to the pattern, and somehow, every one seems to come out with that issue. Luckily, I've never had it be debilitating, though it does take some getting accustomed to (like a tightly-fitted suit). Comments are closed.
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