My research into my Tudor style clothing for the Magna Faire event took me to some great websites. (From one of the websites I ordered a book to go with the others that I already had.)
At first I felt a little overwhelmed when I read some of what I would have to make, but I just got started anyway. After a while, I don't think it bothered me so much how many articles of clothing I had to make as how much time I had to make them in. Sure, we were asked months ago to do this (if we decided to wear Tudor), however, with my overloaded schedule, I didn't get to start working on my outfit until about two weeks before the event.
I started printing the information from the websites out to put in a three ring binder (I am all about notebooks) so I could have easy access to the information while I was sewing. (It's a little hard to use a computer and a sewing machine at the same time. )
I made a list of all of the garments that I would need to make:
Smock, petticoat, kirtle with bodice, apron, partlet, and over sleeves to pin on
And, I made a list of the items that I would need to obtain:
Stockings
My Laurel (the lady I am apprenticed to) had already previously made me a very comfortable cap (mind you, I am not normally fond of wearing headwear, but I really like this cap she made me).
The next step was to see what materials I had and could use for each of the articles in the list I had made.
Here's a list of some of the websites I accessed to get the information I needed to make this outfit:
http://freespace.virgin.net/f.lea/index.htm - The Tudor Costume Page: This is a wonderful website by a lady who does re-enactment at Kentwell Manor in England.
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ - Another wonderful site. It even has custom corset and smock generators.
http://www.sempstress.org/ - She has some amazing tutorials on her site.
http://www.kissthefrog.co.uk/costumes2.html - This is the website for Ninya Mikhaila. She is a costumer in England who does costumes for heritage sites, local museums, etc. Her photo gallery is a must see.
http://www.tudortailor.com/ - This is the site I bought the book that I used for most of my outfit from. It was drool at first site the minute I got the book in my hands.