Off the Rack or Putting together an impression when sewing isn't your strength

       There was a time in this hobby when the only real option for correctly made clothing was to purchase the wool or linen, pattern it yourself or purchase a pattern and do some slight altering. But, thankfully some vendors are really upping the game on what is available off the rack. 

    I thought I would post here to highlight some of those items that I think are being well made and completely legit options for putting together your 18th century kit. 

    South Union mills is offering an excellent ready made trouser for a decent price. 

Click to go to South Union Mills Store 

    They also make an excellent waist coat and frock coat. Kobuck did a product review that you can check out here. They also offer blankets, knit caps, socks, and shoes. Making one big purchase from them can take you a long way and outfit you for your first event or replace a lot of gear that is maybe not quite up to snuff. 

    William Booth, Draper sells market wallets and knit caps that are ready made. 

    M Brenckle is an excellent hat maker. He is on Facebook and is easy to communicate with. 

    William Caldwell isn't exactly an off the rack sutler, but his hunting shirts have been very popular and he is usually very quick with his turnaround. 

    Something to think about is this. Would it be great if we all had sewing skills and we handmade every single piece of clothing? That would be ideal. Often times a lack of sewing skill or time is used as an excuse to wear sub par clothing, clothing that doesn't fit or isn't made incredibly correctly. The good news is there are better alternatives now and those excuses are quickly becoming obsolete. Fit is more important than the stitching in my opinion, at least the interior. A hand finished, machine stitched item will serve you well and look great. The real thing that makes all the difference is the tailoring. 

    This is a really great and exciting time to be in the hobby. Lots of awesome stuff going on. I see it all the time. I couldn't have dreamed of some of it happening back a couple decades ago. Wether it's the 13th Virginia, Davis and the boys at Frontier Culture museum with Crocketts Western Battalion, the Jersey Grays, David McClanahan and Will Manire. You can go on and on. A lot of good fervor right now. I love seeing Ethan Yazel using his podcast to highlight some of the great people in this hobby doing cool stuff. There's so much good stuff happening. The hobby isn't dying, it's just finding a new trail. Follow it. You'll have a good time. The off the rack clothing is just one aspect of improvement the hobby has seen over the last several years.  Don't let hand sewing or not knowing how hold you back from getting involved!