About My Work
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Most of my work is made to order, and fully made to measure. I also make a 'standard' range of ready to wear pieces in standard sizes, and standard child sized pieces for museums, etc.
You can find examples of my bespoke and made to measure padding in the gallery, and information about ordering in the 'how to order' area. Ready-to-wear pieces can soon be ordered through the online shop.
My padding has been used by Griffin Historical, Bosworth Battlefield, English Heritage, EventPlan, and has been
used at Arbeia Roman Fort and Bodiam Castle, and seen on television a number of times, including prime time ITV1 (Primeval).
My padding is currently in use on three continents (Europe, North America, and Australasia).
Every single piece of bespoke or made-to-measure padding is made by me, in my studio in Wakefield, Yorkshire. I do not outsource, and I do not import.
Some of my 'standard range' is made by me, some is made by 'outworkers'. All pieces are made to the same standard, and I pay the outworkers the same as I pay myself to make these pieces. As I said, I do not outsource or import, and above all, I do not exploit.
While the bulk of my customers simply want a piece of padding that works, and that is appropriate to the
historical period they are portraying, I am happy to work with those who require a more rigorously accurate
piece. I am more than willing to undertake original research related to commissions, if I have not already
researched the area.
Obviously, if the garment for which you are looking is entirely based in fantasy, I'm also happy to create it -
either to your design, or I can design a piece for you.
I tend not to shout much about the materials I use - anybody can buy good fabrics. The thing that sets my
padding apart from others is the experience, research, and practise that I've gone through, and the skill I've gained over time.
The art of linen armouring is not one that can be learned overnight, and it is substantially
different to clothes making, or, for that matter, armour making. It involves the study of textiles, of tailoring, of anatomy, of armour... It's also a skill that must be learned by trial and error - there are no courses, you can no longer become an apprenticed linen armourer. The last historical linen armourer died several hundred years ago. If you employ me, you're buying the experience that I've collected over the last 15 years.
That said, my fastenings (points, hooks and eyes, buckles, etc), are made by some of the best craftspeople in the British
Isles. All pieces I make have linen outers and linings (unless another material is requested). All of the point holes that I make, whether only for the front fastening, or for full arming and voider points, are re-enforced with internal (i.e. hidden) metal rings. I was the first person to re-enforce my eyelets in this way - based on my own historical research, and others have since followed in my path.
You can find examples of my bespoke and made to measure padding in the gallery, and information about ordering in the 'how to order' area. Ready-to-wear pieces can soon be ordered through the online shop.
My padding has been used by Griffin Historical, Bosworth Battlefield, English Heritage, EventPlan, and has been
used at Arbeia Roman Fort and Bodiam Castle, and seen on television a number of times, including prime time ITV1 (Primeval).
My padding is currently in use on three continents (Europe, North America, and Australasia).
Every single piece of bespoke or made-to-measure padding is made by me, in my studio in Wakefield, Yorkshire. I do not outsource, and I do not import.
Some of my 'standard range' is made by me, some is made by 'outworkers'. All pieces are made to the same standard, and I pay the outworkers the same as I pay myself to make these pieces. As I said, I do not outsource or import, and above all, I do not exploit.
While the bulk of my customers simply want a piece of padding that works, and that is appropriate to the
historical period they are portraying, I am happy to work with those who require a more rigorously accurate
piece. I am more than willing to undertake original research related to commissions, if I have not already
researched the area.
Obviously, if the garment for which you are looking is entirely based in fantasy, I'm also happy to create it -
either to your design, or I can design a piece for you.
I tend not to shout much about the materials I use - anybody can buy good fabrics. The thing that sets my
padding apart from others is the experience, research, and practise that I've gone through, and the skill I've gained over time.
The art of linen armouring is not one that can be learned overnight, and it is substantially
different to clothes making, or, for that matter, armour making. It involves the study of textiles, of tailoring, of anatomy, of armour... It's also a skill that must be learned by trial and error - there are no courses, you can no longer become an apprenticed linen armourer. The last historical linen armourer died several hundred years ago. If you employ me, you're buying the experience that I've collected over the last 15 years.
That said, my fastenings (points, hooks and eyes, buckles, etc), are made by some of the best craftspeople in the British
Isles. All pieces I make have linen outers and linings (unless another material is requested). All of the point holes that I make, whether only for the front fastening, or for full arming and voider points, are re-enforced with internal (i.e. hidden) metal rings. I was the first person to re-enforce my eyelets in this way - based on my own historical research, and others have since followed in my path.
Style-wise, the options are just about limitless. I can make an entirely historical piece, or I can make an entirely
fantasy / invented piece - and everything in between. You can provide me with a design yourself, or I can design
something for you. Either way, this can be accomplished long-distance, entirely via e-mail consultation - for complex or very fitted pieces, we will either need to arrange fittings, or to use a system of 'toiles', which I will send to you for fitting.
Construction varies quite a lot, depending on the style of the garment. Most of the pieces I make are machine quilted, with hand sewn (or machine and hand sewn) edgings. The next most common construction is completely hand sewn, or hand knotted and hand sewn. Finally, I make a few pieces that are entirely machine sewn.
In most cases, this choice is left to the client, although some pieces can only be hand sewn, for technical reasons (for example, when something is an inch or more thick, it's hard to fit it under the presser foot of a sewing machine, even if you could find one with enough torque to be able to stitch such a piece).
The materials I use are mainly linens for linings, and linens, canvases, hemps, and leathers for the outers.
I use a variety of padding materials, some absolutely historically correct, some less so, including woollen fabric
and blankets, cotton quilt wadding, wool-rich 'shoddy'* blankets, raw wool fleece, raw cotton 'wool', rags, straw,
and linens. *'shoddy' in the old sense of a fabric made from waste textile materials.
Again, some of these are suitable for most of the padded garments I make, others are only suitable for certain
styles and methods of construction.
If you're unsure what you need / want, the simplest thing is to get in touch (e-mail is best) - we can advise you on
the best garment for your needs, on construction and materials, as well as give you a quote, and discuss current
lead times at the same time.
fantasy / invented piece - and everything in between. You can provide me with a design yourself, or I can design
something for you. Either way, this can be accomplished long-distance, entirely via e-mail consultation - for complex or very fitted pieces, we will either need to arrange fittings, or to use a system of 'toiles', which I will send to you for fitting.
Construction varies quite a lot, depending on the style of the garment. Most of the pieces I make are machine quilted, with hand sewn (or machine and hand sewn) edgings. The next most common construction is completely hand sewn, or hand knotted and hand sewn. Finally, I make a few pieces that are entirely machine sewn.
In most cases, this choice is left to the client, although some pieces can only be hand sewn, for technical reasons (for example, when something is an inch or more thick, it's hard to fit it under the presser foot of a sewing machine, even if you could find one with enough torque to be able to stitch such a piece).
The materials I use are mainly linens for linings, and linens, canvases, hemps, and leathers for the outers.
I use a variety of padding materials, some absolutely historically correct, some less so, including woollen fabric
and blankets, cotton quilt wadding, wool-rich 'shoddy'* blankets, raw wool fleece, raw cotton 'wool', rags, straw,
and linens. *'shoddy' in the old sense of a fabric made from waste textile materials.
Again, some of these are suitable for most of the padded garments I make, others are only suitable for certain
styles and methods of construction.
If you're unsure what you need / want, the simplest thing is to get in touch (e-mail is best) - we can advise you on
the best garment for your needs, on construction and materials, as well as give you a quote, and discuss current
lead times at the same time.