1) Where the legs have a ~1 inch seam near the crotch, do any of you have a problem with that seam ripping? I've tried several adjustments, but nothing's really worked. My next guess is to just make the legs bigger. It doesn't really affect the way they wear, I'm just trying to get the pattern right.

2) How do you attach your hosen? Personally, I have a lace sewn to the point of my hose which I then tie in a knot around the belt of my braies. It works quite well, but it doesn't give quite the right appearance. I know, I know - who's going to see. Still, especially the Mac Bible seems to show knots in the lace both at the point of the hose and at the belt. What do you do?

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Originally posted by Stephen atte Smythe:
A couple quick questions for anyone here who wears/makes braies. For reference, I'm attempting c.1200 Kent, and I'm using a modified c.1265 pattern:

1) Where the legs have a ~1 inch seam near the crotch, do any of you have a problem with that seam ripping? I've tried several adjustments, but nothing's really worked. My next guess is to just make the legs bigger. It doesn't really affect the way they wear, I'm just trying to get the pattern right.

2) How do you attach your hosen? Personally, I have a lace sewn to the point of my hose which I then tie in a knot around the belt of my braies. It works quite well, but it doesn't give quite the right appearance. I know, I know - who's going to see. Still, especially the Mac Bible seems to show knots in the lace both at the point of the hose and at the belt. What do you do?

Stephen atte Smythe

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Stephen:

I've had my wife build the Andy Goddard braies with a much deeper crotch than he shows on his site. Plus, making the braies out of linen makes a big difference. Linen is much stronger than cotton of comparable weight with the same breathability, so eminently suitable for braies.

My laces tie to slits in my braies waistband, and tie to loops attached to the chausses. They are gartered below the knee, and that takes care of most concerns.

According to Margareta Nockert (Bockstenmannen och hans dräkt) there exists 7 pair of medieval hosen:

*those belongng to the Bocksten man (1350ish)
*4 pairs from Herjolfsnes (circa 1360)
* 1 pair from Skjoldshamn in Norway
* 1 pair from the tomb of a medieval Archbishop in Bremen Cathedral

several pairs of women’s hose also exist, but they won’t help you as they are worn differently.

Although you're doing an earlier period, I don't believe the attachment is consideraly different than that seen on slightly later finds. Due to time constraints (I’m pushing a deadline and need to work, not do research) the only hose/braies attachment I can comment on is the one from the Bocksten man’s hosen.

The hose themselves are cut on the true bias so the front comes to a point. The point angle is lessened by the addition of triangular gussets on either side, so the top comes up higher on the leg, probably just inside the hipbone of the wearer.

If you can get a copy of the book, you’ll see the attachment seems to be a thong run (rather clumsily) throught the fabric of the hosen some distance in from the edge. This causes the upper edge of the hose to crumple downward.

Bocksten man also wears garters as Robert describes. Everyone I know who wears chausses finds garters to help immensely in keeping them up and neat on the leg. I don't believe garters were solely a fashion accessory at this point, I believe they were a functional necessity.

As I say, I’d love to help more but I’m pressed for time. If you’ll “bump” this thread sometime after I return on December 1, I’ll be happy to search around and see what other info I can come up with.

Saw some examples of the Bremen hose research; there is a Scandinavian LH group that uses them.

http://steel.laiv.org/kjertesveinene/drakt/hoser/

The page has a link to patterns as well. I think this would be helpful to all of us, particularly since the pattern is based on an extant find. Comments welcome.

Robert Coleman, Jr.

[This message has been edited by Templar Bob (edited 11-20-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Templar Bob (edited 11-20-2000).]

Why did you have to start this cool thread today of all days!!!

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Why did you have to start this cool thread today of all days!!!

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Well, I simply figured that it would be the most inconvenient for all involved. That, and I had an Event last Saturday.

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Originally posted by hauptfrau:
I use the simple foot on the chausses I sell because they're documentable and easy for my girls to fabricate correctly. I have several styles of feet and the documentation but no time to discuss it now- remind me after December 1!!!!

Why did you have to start this cool thread today of all days!!!

Gwen

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