The Birka style of kaftan is basically just a tunic with a cut all the way up the front, plus an optional back split.
The back is one piece, like a normal tunic. I guess you could make it in two pieces if you really fancied, but there's no evidence so why would you?
You could make it without side gores (much like you could make a Norman style front & rear split tunic without side gores) but personal experience says they're not as nice to wear, don't move as well, are too tight.
Shoulders, arms and underarms are just like standard tunics.
In conclusion, use the standard tunic pattern.

The standing collar is based entirely on one surviving find (pictured here). That one is 51 cm long. Which is a good 20 inch diameter neck hole. It's hard to tell, but it doesn't seem to have been made to overlap like a modern shirt and doesn't seem to have had any sort of clasp? Most people reconstruct it to be standing and not overlapping, but possibly butting. Like a Chinese shirt, basically- look up Mandarin collars or Nehru collars.

Buttons. Kaftans are buttoned from the neck to the waist, no lower.
You could just attach the buttons to one edge of the kaftan, and the loops to the other? But that wouldn't show them off as well, so most people instead go for frogging. Frogging is, again, like you see on Chinese shirts. But keep the fancy big swirls to a minimum, you just want straight horizontal lines.
Basically get two bits of cord the same length. Thread a button onto the middle of one. Then double them over, and sew the two cords onto the surface of your Kaftan. One has the button attached, the other has a loop at the end you use as the buttonhole. Success!
If you don't have authenti-buttons, here are instructions on making pretty knots to use as buttons on the second half of this page (ignore the big swirl loops on the first half!)

http://www.thejamfactoryoxford.com

Furthermore: (and I post this here in order not to spam the list which is full of freshers)
KM tonight at Oriel, 7.30 at the lodge. BRING KIT!!! THE IDEA IS TO SHOW THE FRESHERS WHAT WE MAKE AND HOW WE MAKE IT, I DOUBT THAT MUCH KIT WILL ACTUALLY BE MADE THERE!!!

Ok, well not quite. But really I don't have the time to think about this this term. I can't even find a venue for craft day at the moment.

Yes, so Veronica = stressed

I think it would be brilliant if you could turn this thread into a shield page! Cheers Ferny.

Shelagh posted this link to DAS:
http://www.kongensborge.dk/index_uk.php?pageid=seneste_nyt_uk

I think it's great, and it's spurred me to ask some questions. I now know that at least one shield existed in 10C Denmark (it's like the mathematician and the sheep). I know it was made of fir wood, had a diameter of 32", and was painted. I'd like to know more about the paint and design, any weapon marks in it, how the hand attached to it, and more about the boss, but maybe more of that will emerge over time.

So this is a much better piece of evidence than thorsbergs, which are wrong era and possibly wrong location.

But it's still only one piece of evidence. I was wondering if the historical scholars amongst us could furnish ferny with more finds of shields (to keep me happy about the physical dimensions etc) and other sources which depict them as being in use, and to what extent, and info on their bosses and paint designs.

Our wiki on shields currently has this info:
http://wychwood.wikidot.com/kit-shield
It links to two very good sites, one on construction, the other on finds. Can we better the second, or do we not really want or need to as his is top-notch? (It really is a very good looking and reading article).

Our wiki on helmets, done by Bunni, is IMO one of the top resources for this type of question which I have found (on the internet):
http://wychwood.wikidot.com/kit-helmets

I'd be happy to write up the outcomes of this thread onto the wiki if we can round up some good info.

Cheers very much,

Ferny

tired dom is tired…

Basically I figure that I'm going to have a lot of spare time this year, and I've been asked by a number of people if I'm willing to make some maille for them. So far, I'm making maille bikinis for V, Abbey, and Helen from RPGSoc, and Joss has asked for a byrnie. If anyone else would like maille items, I'm quite willing to do Wychwood a special rate (basically materials and a little for my time, nothing near to commercial rates) so just ask if you're interested. Remember since I know you guys and I will be around lots, customisation and tailoring is really easy; and of course it means that should you have trouble with anything I'll be right at hand to help or fix any problems.

I also believe Dom may be taking commissions too, so I would suggest that you check with him as well since his waiting list may be shorter.

Also, don't forget that fabric generally comes on a roll that's at least twice as wide (if not three times as wide) as you need.

I guess if you were feeling really fancy, you could make them as Thorsberg-a-likes (with crotch and arse pieces). That's what both http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/draekter/vherreman/pasbyxor.html and [http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/Rus_main.htm] did.