Wharram Percy/Fashion and Clothes
We all wear a tunic and leggings like the one I'm wearing now. In winter we wrap a big hood over our head and shoulders to try and keep up warm. The cloth is coarse wool and it's very itchy. Henry made himself a pair of wooden shoes, I wear cloth wrapped around my feet, its more comfortable. Some of the richer villagers buy leather shoes but many, especially children, go barefoot. Henry's prized possession is a sheepskin he wears in winter. We also use it as a bed cover.
I always carry a small spindle with me and I make yarn whenever I have a few spare minutes between jobs. We have two sheep on the common. I sell the yarn to Molly the smith's wife who has a weaving loom. We buy cloth from her or the travelling weaver who visits the village.
Clothing for the Rich
The Lord and Lady and their family wear very different clothes to us. They have fine wool made by skilled weavers in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. They also have clothes of silk, velvet and fine linen, some of this is woven by Belgian craftsmen who are said to be the best in the world. Both men and the women wear very bright colours. The ladies usually wear long dresses and for banquets they have very tall hats. The men wear short tunics with very fancy sleeves and tights. I'm very envious of their fine leather shoes and that they have more than one set of clothes. Lady Percy and her daughters have gold thread in their gowns when they are at special events like the tournament.
Interactive Exercises
Clothing
Can you do the puzzle?
| leggings | synonym for trousers |
| tunic | old name for a long shirt |
| helmet | medieval headwear |
| sock | like a stocking on your foot |
| hood | something you can put on your head, it's fixed to the jacket |
| clothing | costume |
Fabrics
This is a bit more diffcult - give it a try!
| silk | textile fiber made by the mulberry silkworm |
| wool | fiber made out of sheep's hair |
| leather | textile made out of animals skin |
| linen | textile made from the fibers of the flax plant |
| barefoot | without any shoes |
| yarn | long line of fiber, thread |
Can you do it as a crossword puzzle?
If you click on the numbers, an input field will open!
| silk | textile fiber made by the mulberry silkworm |
| wool | fiber made out of sheep's hair |
| leather | textile made out of animals skin |
| leggings | synonym for trousers |
| tunic | old name for a long shirt |
| linen | textile made from the fibers of the flax plant |
| barefoot | without any shoes |
| hood | something you can put on your head, it's fixed to the jacket |
| yarn | long line of fiber, thread |
Verbs to go with textiles and clothing
Find the pairs:
| to dye | to color |
| to weave | interlace two yarns or threads at right angles to form a cloth |
| to shrink | to make smaller |
| to widen | to make bigger |
| to wear | to have clothing on |
| to wrap | to cover or enclose in something |
| to make | to produce |
