When I went from doing a 10th century Norwegian impression to a 14th century Norwegian, a lot changed in the styles and fashions. One of the biggest changes was going from my “Thorsbjerg” trousers to Braies and Chausses of the 14th century styles. This meant I had to sew some new garments, so I set out to find some information on braies. I came across this site: http://postej-stew.dk/2016/11/medieval-mens-underwear/ which had a lot of great information, along with some books that I had on the matter including the Medieval Tailor's Assistant which is an amazing asset to have.
The initial pair of braies I made was based off of some general images from illuminated manuscripts and a pattern I found on pinterest. I like the fit of them, but have heard some online discussions about fitment of braies and reenactorisms, such as super baggy braies looking like a diaper. (Note: my hose legs are looser than they would have been in period as I'm autistic and have a sensory processing disorder and the tight fitting clothes on my legs really drives me crazy.)
As I was about to make a second pair of braies, I started researching more and chose a different style to attempt, trying to find out if different styles lend themselves to different fitment. In the Medieval Tailor's Assistant I found a rough patter for my next attempt which was vastly different from my first.
After some rough measurements I began drawing out the pattern on my 7.1oz white linen. The shapes are extremely simple, with one folded rectangle for the legs, another folded rectangle for the waistband and two triangular gores. The question for me was how big to make these? With that in mind, I made all of my measurements larger than I anticipated as I could always take it in but if I had to add material, I would need to start over. I'm not going to go over the measurements I use, because at 5'8" and 300 pounds, my body is shaped very differently from most people and vastly different than majority of men from the 1300s. After cutting my fabric I began by stitching the waistband together. Once each end was adjoined, I folded it over and added the holes for the drawstring or girdle belt that is used to hold them up and to tie of the individual hose.
Again I forgot to take more pictures as I pinned the various pieces together, but it was fairly straight forward based upon the pattern and I only had to adjust things a few times to get a decent fit. This style definitely felt snugger on me than other pair, and hopefully wouldn't have that same diaper effect in the seat. I hand stitched everything together with some basic 12 weight Sulky cotton thread, using a backstitch for most of it with a running stitch along the bottom hem. To prevent fraying of the linen all seams were finished using a flat felled seam. This takes a little time to do and I like to pin the seams in place first to get all of the folds and overlaps lying in place better.
After finishing all the seams, I can say that they fit well, but aren't quite as comfortable as my original pair. The overall design of my first pair allows for a more tailored fit, whereas this style is a lot less complicated, but not as well fitted overall. There are some spots through my thighs where if I move a certain way the fabric binds a bit against my hose. Not a major problem at all, but a minor difference. I forgot to take a picture of the final completed project, so I'll do that and post it up later, but it is nice to have another pair of braies in the kit. For future braies I'll probably try another design or go with my original design. I also need to remember to take more pictures throughout the course of my projects.
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