The pair I have is something that I've pretty much invented on my own. It's based on other patterns I've seen, and it works fairly well. The only problem I have is in attaching them to my braies.

I've asked this question before, I know - it's been a while, though, and I'd like to see if any of our newcomers have any suggestions, or if anyone else has come up with something new. I've received suggestions on what knots should be used where the points tie to the braies' belt. What about the other side?

My current pair has the point sewn into the seam at the top of each leg. It works decently well. I can also think of making eyelets in the top of the hosen, and tying in there as well - although I cannot recall seeing any evidence for this. Any other ideas?

Also, I'm planning on using linen for my new pair instead of wool - anything I should look out for?

Lastly, does anyone have any easier way of coming up with a pattern than having someone roll me up in fabric? I'd hate to open up my current (only) pair to use as a pattern, but I'm considering it if it'd be easier/more reliable...

Fold the resulting pattern in half where the garment was doubled/folded along the front of the leg, and cut around the rest of the pattern. When you open it up you'll wind up with a full sized pattern for the leg.

You should be able to use the same technique to get the top of the foot piece, and the sole should be a simple matter of tracing around the sole on the garment.

Once you have the pattern, make it up in cheap fabric to test it out. Adjust the pattern as necessary. Once you have a good pattern you should be able to crank them out like crazy.

--------------------

Last year at Pennsic Gaukler showed me a drawing of a belt that had attachments for chauces. If you are out there do you have it scanned or could you describe its construction?

--------------------

There is a statue at the Met by (I want to say Donatello) of a cherub wearing nothing but a belt and chausses. I don't recall how the chausses are attached to the belt, I'll have to go dig out the photo and look.

There are several schools of thought on how to wear a belt with the chausses: one school holds that running the belt through a casing at the top edge of the braies and then pinning through all layers--including the belt-- is the way to go. Another school claims the best way to do it is to put the belt over the braies and pin directly to the belt 'a la the statue cited above + braies. A third school recommends the second method and then rolling the top of the braies into a large roll 'a la Mac Bible. Not being a braies and chausses wearer I can't recommend any of these as being best.

One thing I would like to mention is that I noticed a glaring error in B. Price's book on armour- 1) There is no evidence ANYWHERE that the chausses should be attached to the shirt and 2) If you want to use the French term for underwear, the word is BRAIES, not BRIES, as Brian spells it. If you are English you should call your underwear breeches not braies.

Gwen

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ginevra:
Yes, and please don't anyone suggest that they use a pair of my chausses to make a pattern!

---

Don't worry - if anyone's design is being copied, it's mine...

quote:

---

A third school recommends the second method and then rolling the top of the braies into a large roll 'a la Mac Bible

---

That gap is exactly where the seams come up, a la the c.1265 pattern. I suppose the casing doesn't need to be stitched in permanently, but rolling it every time seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth, IMHO.

On the other hand, it'd be really easy to make up a pair of breeches and try it that way, and that'd stop me from having to weave up a cloth belt every time I make another pair...Hmmm...What's Pennsic without a little experimentation?

I know you didn't, that's why I offered advice on how to copy yours.

I don't know if I would entirely abandon the idea that the top could be rolled instead of gathered, as like with most things I don't believe that it's an "all or nothing" question.

The "waist rollers" claim that the material wadded around the belt acts as a cushion to keep the braie belt from digging into your hips. It may look weird to us, but then platform shoes look weird to me...

Also, several of the belt pinners I know use deersking for the belt as it is very soft and supple, and doesn't dig into the body even if it comes in contact.

Again, I can't speak from experience, so I can't recommend one way over another.

Here's a thought- [if you are interested] you could research images from just the specific time and place you are portraying. I bet people in different places and times woretheir braies and chausses the local way, and those local ways may vary from place to place and time to time-- belts one place, cords another, etc.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ginevra:
Here's a thought- [if you are interested] you could research images from just the specific time and place you are portraying. I bet people in different places and times woretheir braies and chausses the local way, and those local ways may vary from place to place and time to time-- belts one place, cords another, etc.

---

Oh, believe me - it's way, way up on my list of Things to Do. It'll take some time, and take some digging - which is why I'm sort of holding off until winter.

By the way, I made some photocopies of period sewing and seaming techniques from one of my books, and I've put together some scraps of linen and wool to practice on along with needles and thread. I'm ready to make good on my offer to help you learn, so be sure to stop by. Feel free to bring anyone else who might be interested, as I have plenty of supplies for all.

--------------------

According to what I can see in my books, there are 5 bifurcated leather laces stitched onto the inside: 2 in the front, one in the center back and 2 more spaced between in the back. These laces were most likely used to carry the hosen, not armour.

Ginevra, I agree with you about the Charles de Blois pourpoint, but my source says there are 7 sets of points, not 5. They are apparently of deerskin, and are sewn to the lining rather than passing through holes, which suggests to me that they were not intended to take a lot of stress. The fact that they are spaced all around the hips makes it unlikely that they would have been intended for leg armor, which would probably only have been tied in front and perhaps towards the sides (some of the surviving cuisses with leathers at Churburg suggest this 2-point attachment).

The Donatello sculpture you mentioned (the Atys/Amorino) is in the Bargello, Florence. The date is uncertain, probably 2nd quarter 15th century. The hosen attach at a single point each, to a small lace which is threaded through a pair of holes at the bottom edge of the belt, and seem to pass through a pair of holes in the point of the chausse. The knot is a single-loop bow (is ther a better name for this knot? I'm no boy scout). The belt is wide (2" or so), with a large buckle and keeper in front, and appliques in the form of pomegranates. This is the only clear evidence for a garter belt I have seen other than the belt in the Museum of London which Mark Gaukler mentions - I saw a photo of this at a lecture by one of the Belle Company people at Kalamazoo last year. It was also a wide belt, of leather. I would be anxious to see a good photo of it - Mr Gaukler, do you have a citation for the forthcoming article?

I started to post that I was sure I had seen this statue at the Met, but now that I think of it it's in some photos that Mac gave me. I remembered that the statues in the Met are early 16th C. German and depict jugglers, fools or some other circus type performer, and their chausses are held up with large buttons.

Sorry about that.