Introduction
In this document you will find directions for making “cut hosen” of the type that arecommonly seen in 12th-14th century Western European clothing. When worn by men,they are “thigh highs” that are attached to the braiesgirdle by points. When worn bywomen, they are “knee socks” that are held up by means of a garter fastened just belowthe knee.
Vocabulary
You will need to know a number of terms for this handout to make sense.
Grain/Bias
: A woven fabric consists of a warp and a weft - two sets of threads that sit at90° angles to each other. The direction of either ofthese sets of threads is called the grain; animaginary line drawn at 45° to the grain is the bias.This is illustrated in Figure 1.
Draping
: the process of patterning a garment on the body.
Braies
: Men’s undergarments. These are usually held upby the
braiesgirdle
.
Points
: Ties that are used to attach hosen to thebraiesgirdle.
Garters
: Strips of fabric, tabletwoven braid, or leather usedto snug men’s hosen and hold up women’s hosen.
Supplies
To make a pair of hosen, you will need:•Standard sewing equipment (scissors, needle, thread, pins, measuring tape,marking pencil or chalk)•Permanent marker or some other way of making indelible marks on fabric•1-3 yards of “scrap” fabric (depending on fabric width, short or long hosen, andsize of hosen-wearer) for making the pattern•The ability to do some basic math•1-3 yards of medium-weight woven fabric (same quantity as above)
Fabric Selection
Cut hosen are by definition made from woven fabrics. Yes, using a knit will giveyou a closer fit, but knit fabrics were not used in this way during the middle ages. Irecommend a medium-weight fabric and have made hosen from both linen and wool;of these, wool is the most historically accurate choice.
1
Wool also simply works better -
Figure 1: Grain versus Bias
Cut Hosen for Men and Women
Alianor de Ravenglas
1
I can’t prove that they DIDN’T make hosen out of linen; however, there exist remnants of woolen hosen.
Add a Comment