Man, last week got me thinking hard – my medieval fair outfit looked like crap. That old tunic had more holes than my grandpa’s fishing net. Needed something decent without emptying my wallet. Like, under $50 decent. Started hunting around town like a madman.
The Thrift Store Disaster
Hit up three Goodwills first thing Tuesday morning. Figured maybe I’d get lucky. Big nope. Found one sad red tunic stuffed behind maternity clothes. Thing had armpit stains and smelled like mothballs mixed with regret. Another had loose threads everywhere – looked like rats chewed the hem. Got kinda depressed digging through those bins.
Fabric Store Attempt
Next day swung by Joann’s. Grabbed cheap linen and a Simplicity pattern. Thought “How hard could sewing be?” Ha. Messed up the sleeve holes twice. Poked my finger so much it looked like a pincushion. Wasted $18 on fabric that became a crumpled mess. Threw it all in the trash after three hours. My sewing machine’s definitely plotting against me.
Online Hunt Begins
Thursday I sat down with cold coffee and attacked the internet. Searched “cheap medieval tunic real fabric” like my life depended on it. So many sketchy sites popped up:
- One site wanted $12 for “authentic wool tunic” – pictures showed shiny polyester nightmare fabric
- “Handmade” claims with stock photos used on six different sites
- Shady return policies mentioning “restocking fees” bigger than the damn tunic price
Nearly bought this green one for $25 until I saw the review photo – holy crap it looked like a shiny garbage bag. Guy said it ripped at the seams when he sneezed. Dodged that bullet.
The Score
Finally struck gold Friday night scrolling through sale sections. Found a seller clearing out last season’s stock. Grabbed three solid ones for less than my failed sewing project cost:
- A beige linen-cotton blend – $19.99 (has tiny loose thread but whatever)
- Dark brown heavy cotton – $24.50 (slightly off-color from picture but feels sturdy)
- Olive hemp-cotton mix – $15 on final clearance (thinner than others but breathes nice)
Shipping took forever – like ten days – but showed up smelling clean at least. Beige one fits weird under the arms but the brown one? Perfect for sword fighting practice. That $15 olive tunic’s my favorite though – throw it over leggings for ren fair beer runs. Got three decent pieces for what one “good” tunic usually costs. Still feel like I won the budget armor battle.
