Make your own Celtic Clothing

Background and History The Celtic peoples of Europe are descended from an Indo-European group who spread their culture across central Asia, the whole of Europe, and as far north as Scandinavia. They were a lively extrovert people who loved decoration and bright colours and had been influenced by the Asian cultures of India. By the time they had reached Britain, the Celtic tribes had developed a distinctive style of their own. The information that follows is based on archaeological evidence, Roman and Greek sculptures, and descriptions written by observers at the time.
Materials The first cloth that was produced in prehistory was made of vegetable fibres. The earliest 'cloth' was woven grass or bark strips. This was followed by linen, which is the fibre from the stalk of flax. The earliest linen found, so far, is dated to 5,000 BC. Nettles also produce a fibre very similar to linen. Once animals were domesticated, the hair and wool became accessible and the prime fibre became sheep's wool. The early sheep were coloured brown and grey, but as the sheep were bred and tamed, white wool was produced in large quantity. Most of the Celtic clothing was made of wool, and it was such good quality that it was exported to the Roman empire long before the Romans arrived in Britain! The only other material that was added to the list was the occasional imported piece of silk. The Romans comment on Celtic clothing was that it was bright and garish, with coloured checks and stripes, and after the pale colours in the heat of the Mediterranean, the sight of the Celts must have come as a bit of a shock! The main dyes that were in use were as follows;
See page on DYES
*Red - Madder (the roots of 5 year old plants)
Yellow - Weld (the whole plant)
Blue - Woad (the fermented leaves)

Make your own Celtic Clothing Patterns By late Iron Age most clothing was made of wool. The cloth was woven using looms, and was decorated by weaving checks and stripes into the material. The checks were bold but not constructed like a modern 'tartan'. There were also various ways of weaving other than the standard 'tabby' (over-under-over-under). Some of the looms were advanced enough to produce dogs-tooth check, and herringbone weave.
Construction Most clothing was sewn together using a needle, and wool or linen thread. Needles were made of bone, bronze, and iron. The seam, on all pieces found so far, is on the inside. The only exception is in the use of leather or skins, where the seam is on the outside, to maintain waterproofing. The only items which were not sewn were summer cloaks (just a piece of cloth draped on), and the peplum, which was woven as a tube.
Items of Clothing The "do not" Evidence for underwear is non existent at the present time - but that does not mean it was not worn! Loin cloths are permissible (in use by the Romans).
Socks had not been invented, if you want to line your shoes use dry grass. Do not wrap your feet in pieces of cloth.
Hats. Do not wear them. The only tribes that are depicted wearing hats are the Daccians (Germans).

The "do'" What follows is a list of clothing for both sexes; patterns for constructing each item; accessories that would be carried; and jewellery worn on most occasions.

Basic Items of Clothing

Male Tunic - A long shirt worn on the upper body. Braecci - Trousers or worn on the legs. Belts - One to hold the trousers up, and one around the tunic. Pouch - Holds personal items. Hangs on the belt Shoes - Worn on the feet for protection. Cloak - Worn over the shoulders as a coat

Female Tunic - A long shirt worn on the upper body Dress - One piece full length outer garment. Can have sleeves. Peplum - Tubular dress without sleeves. Skirt - Worn round the waist to cover the legs. Belt - Worn around the waist. Pouch - Holds personal items. Hangs on the belt Shoes - Worn on the feet for protection. Cloak - Worn over the shoulders as a coat

There were two types of cloak. The first was a light weight piece of cloth that was worn draped over the shoulders in a variety of ways. It could be fastened with brooches. The second cloak was a heavyweight , and had a hood. It was worn in winter to stay warm, and in rain to stay dry. There were two layers. The outer layer was a coarse wool, possibly oiled (lanolin). The inner layer was a lighter weight cloth, dyed a bright colour.

Accessories Shoulder bags - Leather bags for carrying. Jewellery - Gold, silver, bronze. Combs - Bone, antler, wood. Mirrors - Bronze Make up - Worn by the ladies. Knives - Personal knives for eating with. Amulets - To ward off the wrath of the gods, and ghosts.

1 Make a tunic the same as for the men, and wear it with a skirt belted round the waist. The skirt should be long (to the ankles) and full.

2 Wear a tunic with a peplum made as follows:

Make a tube of cloth long enough to go from your shoulder to your ankle. The tube needs to be very full, one example is 9 feet around, which is a lot of cloth. Put on the tunic. Step into the tube and pull it up under the armpits. Lift a point from the back and a point from the front to meet on the shoulder, and pin with a brooch. Do the same on the other shoulder as is shown on the right. Leave the material draped under each arm and fasten a belt around the waist. Pull some of the length of the material up through the belt and allow it to drape over the belt.

Most shoes in the Iron Age were one piece wrap around leather shoes. The design is deceptively simple, but the fit is very comfortable and they give a lot of protection to the foot on all kinds of surfaces. The surface that I have found that does most damage to the shoes is flint gravel.
When you have constructed the shoes, use a leather lace to pull them over the foot. A useful tip, on the first time you wear them, is to soak the shoes in water, then lace them on. Wear them on your feet while they dry, and they will take up the shape of your foot.

Jewellery Most of what we call jewellery is in fact clothes fasteners. Very few pieces were worn just for decoration, most of it had a very practical purpose. Torc The classical piece that everyone thinks of at the first mention of 'Celtic' is a Torc. This is a neck ring made of gold, silver, bronze, or iron. Some of them are highly decorative, whilst some are very simple. They were only worn by high ranking members of the tribe and were a status symbol, or badge of office. You had to be a warrior, a land owner or member of the ruling class to own and wear one This is one of the finest collections that was found buried in the ground. Most torcs were not as fancy as these.


Pins Clothes that are made without modern tailoring, need pulling in and pinning to make them fit. Over the Iron Age period a number of methods were used.
The first pins were simple straight spikes that were pushed through the cloth and held there by friction. They were made of bone or antler, with some decoration around the head.
When metals were discovered, bronze pins came into use. As the use of bronze spread, it's qualities were exploited, and bent and sprung pins developed. First the Penannular brooch which is a ring and pin.
Bow-backed brooches were next, with curved backs to take the material, and the sharp end held in a groove.
This was the fore runner to the modern safety pin!

Cloaks
There were two types of cloak worn. The first was just a large sheet of material draped around the shoulders, some times pinned to hold it in place.

The second type of cloak is much more serious! The Celtic Cloak as commented on by the Romans was the best in the known world. It consists of two layers, for insulation, and a hood to cover the head. The outer layer was a coarse wool, woven in checks, stripes, or twill and herringbone weaves. The outer layer would also have been oiled, probably with lanolin. This is the natural grease, found on sheep's wool and keeps a sheep waterproof! The inner layer or lining was a smooth tight weave to keep the heat of the body in, and was probably dyed a single colour. Stone carvings that depict the cloaks show them to be long (to the ankle) and full enough to meet down the front.

It could be fastened at the neck with a Penannular brooch. This works by pushing the pin through the material, then rotating the ring to lock the brooch so that it cannot be pulled out. These brooches are between 3 - 10 centimetres in diameter, and are in bronze or iron. They are very rarely decorated.

Decorative jewellery Celtic women wore a variety of decorations. There were necklaces, bangles, bracelets, rings, belt chains, hair ornaments and make-up
Hair was pinned, braided or knotted in number of styles, sometimes decorated with combs and small ornaments.
	A number of bronze belt chains have been found, some with bells on the ends.
This necklace is made of jet
Most rings were for toes, not fingers. Edges of dresses can be decorated with braid
Ladies had bronze mirrors for helping in their toiletries.
	So called 'weaving' combs, that could have been used for combing hair.
Make Up Celtic ladies of rank took great care over their appearance. Faces were pale to show that they did not work in the sun. Cheeks and lips were reddened with berry juice, and eye shadow applied. There is also a reference to finger nails being reddened!

Men The only decorative pieces that men appeared to wear were bronze armlets, inset with enamels. Hair was worn long, and lime-washed into spikes for battle. This bleached the hair and gave rise to the myth that all warriors were blonde. Moustaches were worn, as were beards (only amongst the nobility). A good figure was regarded as essential, and warriors were mocked if they put on weight - but they were also obliged to eat and drink large quantities at the feasts!

Knives Iron-bladed knives were carried in scabbards made of leather or iron, and hung from the belt .These were personal tools for eating meat, although they were sometimes used to fight with during drunken brawls at feasts.

Pouches Most people also had a pouch hung from their belt. This pouch contained a number of personal items, such as amulets to ward off bad spirits. They were also used to carry grooming tools, such as combs, scissors and tweezers.
Antler toggles. Used for fastening pouches

Perhaps all of this will give you some idea of the richness of the Celtic culture.