Tips for Costuming on a budget

By Meroe M. Cahill (Mistress Rohese de Fairhurst) 

Many people feel that they can’t necessarily make fancy costumes, because they can’t afford the cost of expensive velvets and other materials. Most of my costumes cost around \$30 to make, and are machine washable (so I’m happy to wear them camping), but are also fancy enough that I’m happy to wear them to feasts. Here are some suggestions for ways to produce nice costumes on a small budget. 

* Make the outfit out of a plain material, and use a fancy and more expensive material for trim and decorative facings (turned to the outside). I made a dress for a friend out of green cotton twill, but decorated it with satin piping and brocade around the neckline, and it looks great. 

* Use period cutting methods (triangles & rectangle), which are an incredibly efficient use of material with virtually no wastage. 

* Make your own bias binding or strips of trim out of contrasting material. I once made 24m of bias binding to decorate a Victorian ball gown! 

* Many techniques are quite cheap but very time intensive (e.g. doing embroidery instead of buying commercial braid). 

* Use piping as a decorative feature - even cheaper if you make your own. 

* Use scraps from other projects as trim or contrasts. 

* Make a new hat and wear it with an old outfit. Everyone will comment on how great your new outfit looks! 

* Make veils, belts, hoods etc… Accessories make an outfit look fabulous. Or make a fancy pouch and wear it as a design feature. 

* Put a contrast strip along the bottom of your dress (this is also a way of hiding stained and dirty hems, or for extending the length of the dress for a growing child). 

* Don’t forget to include things like thread, eyelets, ribbon etc… in your budget. These can really add up and blow your budget! 

* Choose styles for kids that have lots of room to grow or can be easily remade into another outfit. I made a German dress for one little girl- we let it out as she grew, and then pulled the skirt off and wore it separately when she grew out of the bodice and sleeves. 

* Keep a record of how much material you use so that next time you know exactly how much to buy. 

* Use the under tunic or chemise from an outfit you already have. 

* Don’t use really cheap & shoddy materials- the colours often run and they may wear out and rip very quickly. 

* Buy materials on sale and save them for later. Often you can buy cheap wools during summer, and cheap linen during winter. 

* Draw sketches of your costume plan before you start. Work out how much material you need, so that you know how much to buy if it is on sale. Take a list of what you need when you go shopping. 

* Choose colours which co-ordinate so that you can make mix & match outfits. Consider making some items such as doublets, sleeves or bodices reversible, so that you can get two outfits for the price of one! 

* Test patterns in cheap calico before cutting into your good material. This cost will easily be paid for if it stops you making a mistake with your expensive material. 

* Don’t skimp by using cheap thread. It tends to snag in your sewing machine and break easily. Spend the extra dollar and buy a reputable brand of thread (Gutterman, Coats). 

* Don’t buy ugly material just because it is cheap (unless you can dye it or use it for linings or something). If it is truly ugly it’ll just live in your cupboard for the next decade. 


An example of an outfit, which has seen many variations, is a velveteen doublet and sleeves, which Hrolfr made many years ago. It is an Italian Renaissance doublet made out of red velveteen and lined with black velveteen, so it is reversible. It has two part tie-on sleeves, which are also reversible, as well as a pair of one part tie on sleeves made out of black velveteen with gold swirls and lined with red velveteen (reversible). The outfit has a red codpiece and a black codpiece, and can be worn with black or white tights. There is also a red velveteen short cloak, which can be worn over the doublet, and an assortment of hats. After he had worn this outfit regularly for two years, people would still compliment him on ‘his new outfit’. Another idea is to make combinations of tunics - worn as layers, or with a surcoat.

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