Clothing for 1420-1482: A veil style

1. This method uses two large square veils. Place the first veil on your forehead, just below the hairline.

2. Wrap and pin the veil in place.

3. Roll/fold up the tail of the under veil, to help create bulk at the back of the head.

 

4. Pin this roll up so it is clear of the neck.

5. Centre the second veil so it is slightly further up the forehead than the first.

6. Use a large pin to secure the two sides of the veil at the nape of the neck. Make sure the head of the pin faces down and the point angles slightly away from the head. Make sure this is tight.

7. Find the centre line of the second veil, a few inches up from the hanging hem.

8. Pin this above the forehead.

9. Use more pins to arrange the veil into a whole range of rumples and bumps, as seen in various illustrations from 1450, especially those of Rogier van der Weyden.

Clothing for 1420-1482: One outfit from 1450

Here is an outfit I wear regularly. It is based on images from 1450 in Franco-Flemish artwork. Last weekend I attended a 3-day camping event - it was hot so I wore the layers up to the kirtle, without sleeves. Yesterday, I presented a unit, for a school group, on life in the Middle Ages - these photos were taken straight after that event.

First layers 

Smock/sherte - Linen with embroidered neckline and cuffs. A high scooped neckline without embroidery would be more common in most lower to middle class outfits.

Shoes - These leather poulaines are by far my most comfortable shoes. It took a few events to get used to walking, as the soles are very slick and the pointed toes collect long grass. Now, they are by far my favourite to wear. They have been worn in all weather, including under ankle deep water and mud at a very wet Great Northern War. A great purchase!

Hosen - woollen knee high hosen. The garter is unnecessary for this pair and was only being worn to as part of the demonstration.

Veil - this headwear is a combination of two veils. It is a middle class style, and can be altered to many other styles, by ruffling the outer veil and pinning into different bumps. I will detail the method in another post.

Structure - underskirt

This under skirt adds structure to the kirtle skirt. It keeps my legs warm and creates a solid base for the kirtle. There is less evidence in the mid 15th C in the low countries for this layer. It appears to be a common French practice of the time to wear multiple long sleeve kirtles at once, negating the need for the underskirt. It was 37 degrees Celsius last time I wore this outfit, so I must admit that it is a very rare event (maybe once a year) that is cool enough to wear multiple full sleeve kirtles. This layer is a compromise, rather than a strict reconstruction.

Kirtle layer

The green kirtle is laced in the front, using solid brass rings. When put on, it laces smoothly. After wearing it for a day, the lacing shifts to gap over the bust. The skirt is tucked up, as seen in illustrations of ladies working in doors. Those working in fields often only show the kirtle layer, and are tucked up to bare the lower legs for ease of movement. I wear a small purse on my belt - there are images in Boccaccio's Decameron of two girls with pouches in this position. There are other images of women with purses hanging on the kirtle layer, showing beneath their lifted gowns. These other styles seem to hang more to the sides, and do not show their attachment to the belt or kirtle. The sleeves are pinned on, and come in a range of colours and materials. None for dirty kitchen work, rich silk brocade for under a gown with hanging sleeves.

Gown

This black woollen gown is in the middle class houpeland style. It originally had a fur lined bodice, but it turned out to be too hot. The fur is now a trim around the neckline and cuffs. 

Clothing for 1420-1482: clothing hook and eyes - Where are they?

http://www.colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk/D/dressfasteners.htm

The page above is for a metal finds group in England. What I see on their page is 2 pairs of 17th century hooks and eyes that look very similar to both modern hooks and eyes and those I have seen from the 15th and 16th c. What I also see is a huge gap in their items - where are the 15th century finds?

Clothing for 1420-1482: Part 3 Arming jack

This item of clothing is part of the outfit that will be worn with the armour and helm crest. This arming jack forms the layer directly under the torso and arm protection. 

The outer shell was made in 13 pieces - front bodice left and right, back bodice left and right, front peplum left and right, back peplum left and right, front collar left and right and back collar. The outer pieces were cut from lightly fulled grey wool. The torso and peplum were padded with two more layers of undyed wool.

These 3 layers were first held together with stay stitching, as shown in red on the left image.

The 3 layers were then quilted together using a straight stitch, as seen in grey, on the lower right corner of the left image.

 

 To mark the inner quilting, I made a pattern on card and removed the pieces as each was marked in chalk.







Once the outer quilting lines were finished, the edges were graded. This meant trimming the two padding layers back so as to remove the bulk were pieces would be stitched together. Without this step, there could be up to six layers of wool in a seam, which would have made an uncomfortable and visible lump. I was then able to sew the side and shoulder seams through the grey wool, only.

I used a combination of straight, stab and back stitch. Stab stitch was used were it was difficult to insert and recover the needle in a single motion, as it allowed me to have more control over much stitch would be visible from the outside. The back stitch was used to give more strength  in areas that were likely to be under additional strain, such as immediately below the armscye on the side seams and the outer edge of the shoulder seams. Straight stitch was used where ever possible, as it is much faster.

 

When the pieces were joined, the seams were felled. Some were laid to the side, for added strength (if a seam opens there is another row of stitching to hold the pieces together before a hasty repair). Others were opened and flat felled. The decision for which process would best suit each seam was based on how much strain the seam would be under as well as how the pieces naturally sat flattest.

 The seam allowances around the curved armscyes were clipped before flat felling. 

 The lining was made from undyed linen. 

This inner jack was based on the following styles.

 

Boccaccio's Decameron, 1430-40 French translation

This inner jack style is shown several times in this document. Common features include a narrow waist, curved armscyes with straight sleeves (not a wide grande aissette style, as shown in the image on the right), front closure and full length sleeves. The length in this case is to the bottom of the groin. Due to my high waist, although I made my arming jack in the same ratios of bodice : peplum length, this resulted in my jack finishing higher up the body than the one shown above.   

Also shown in Boccaccio's Decameron are these jacks. The brown one pictured on the top is clearly laced up the centre front, with the hose pointed to the lower edge. The blue jack is shown open, with pairs of eyelets stitched down the centre front. It also shows the peaked back collar. The green jack in the lower image shares the peaked back collar and narrow waist. These images show the same 13 panel arrangement I chose to use, though it could be argued that the collar in some images has two back panels. The peach coloured jack on the lower left image shows the hose attached several inches up from the lower hem. Looking back up to the top right Decameron image of the reclining man, we see that the centre front closure is not laced. There is also no lacing visible on the top left Decameron image. Wire hooks and eyes were known to be used as fastenings during this period. I have chosen to use hooks and eyes. I will add eyelets to lace the hose on at a later date. The reclining man has a red collar shown under his outer garment. This seems to be the most common way to see the jack in the Decameron.

http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/manus/218/eng/56+recto/?var=1

1430  There are straight horizontal on the upper thigh of each man, which could be additional articulations on the upper edge of the cuisses or could be representations of horizontal lines on the lower edge of a jack. 

Speaking again of eyelets as closures, there is a range of evidence for their use during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The following website has a great range of extant and textual resources on hooks and eyes.

http://www.historiclife.com/essays/jacks.htm

The extant jacks and the textual references to jacks in this webpage suggest that pure linen and fabric of a cotton/linen (fustian) blend would be appropriate. I used wool on the outside before I was aware of this information. At the time, I had reviewed a lot of images and the artists appeared to treat the jack fabrics in the same way as other items I knew to be made of wool, such as town robes and women's gowns. Further more, there were some French images showing what seem to be corrizana's with sleeves of matching fabric. As far as I know, the corrizana has no or short sleeves, so hypothesised that it may be possible that the sleeves were from the jack worn underneath, of a matching fabric. I will use cotton/linen, linen or a skin next time.

Interestingly, one of the extant jacks, which is heavily padded, has only 3 pairs of hooks and eyes - one at the neck, one on the chest and waist. I have included *a lot* of pairs up the centre front of my jack, rather like the use on a doublet or gown. Perhaps I will try just 3 pairs next time, though I suspect I will sew eyelets down the front of this jack at the same time I add the eyelets to attach the hose. 

Janet Arnold's 'Pattern's of Fashion' shows two more extant hooks and eyes (pp. 16, 24), though these are not on jacks and are from a later time.

http://lochac.sca.org/collegium/notes/FLorence%20stays%2008.pdf

The webpage refers to an Italian item with hooks and eyes.

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/yourgarb/2008/Alaina.htm

The woman on this page says she has an extant hook and eye. I would love to see it.

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4672/12973/

France, 1440  This beautiful brigadine (which can't be a corrizana, I am told, because corrizana means 'little breastplate' which this does not have) is pretty much exactly what I want. I believe that any arming jack under it would be shorter than the maile shirt or would be visible at the hem. 

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4576/13807/

And finally, for your entertainment, here is a pourpoint, which I may consider wearing under (seems the logical way, and I have spoken to a re-enactor recently who wears hers like this) or over (because that may explain the different coloured sleeves seen on these items) my jack to point my leg harness to. 

Clothing for 1420-82 in the low countries: part 2 Women's hosen

This is a guide to show you how I make my hosen. This pair were made for sale and teaching, and as such are machine constructed. My own 15th century clothing is all hand sewn; the order of steps is much the same, with just a little more time involved.

This post will show you how to make some hosen using woolen cloth and a sewing machine. I would be delighted if you tried hand sewing, as I am convinced that it produces a better result but most people prefer to attempt new projects on the machine. I believe, now, that I need to adjust my pattern to remove the ankle seam. Though there is some (very vague) evidence that it could be acceptable, its absence in most illustrations makes me think that it must not be a common feature. First, some background.

 In Boccaccio's Decameron, you see women wearing footed hose, without shoes over the top, as well as hosen inside shoes. The left image shows a dark covering on the calf and foot, with a self-sole, not a shoe over the top. The middle image shows red socks worn alone and the final image shows red socks worn inside orangey red pattens or slippers. While it is not possible to see full length of these hosen, they are distinct from the images of women wearing shoes, and fit the foot and ankle closely, like men's self-soled hosen in the same document and many others of the time. None of the women's hose pictured shown seams though men's hose from the same document clearly show a seam running straight down the back of the leg.

  

 

http://www.wga.hu/index1.html   1412-1416

Women are also depicted wearing hosen in the Limbourd brothers' February. The lady in blue, seated, seems to have some sort of lumpy ridge around her left ankle and some wrinkled on her right shin. Her shins are also a slightly different colour to her hands and face, implying it is not visible skin. The woman in the background on the left (sorry for flashing their genitalia at everyone) clearly wears reddy pinkish hose, rolled down to under the knee. Since the bulk of the roll under her knee is finer than that of the man pictured in the upper right detail, it is possible that she wears short hosen.

http://appalachianforums.com/archives/Dickenson_County,_Virginia_Archive.pl/md/read/id/249290
The 15th century artist Israhel van Meckenem created this image. The hosen the woman wears are loose at the knee, and collected by a garter. The pattern is clearly extended straight up from the widest point of the calf. We cannot see if the garter is tied or buckled, though no loose ends are visible. No seams are visible on the front or sides of the legs, or around the ankle region.

http://romandelarose.org/#read;Douce195.001r.tif

France, 15th century, Roman de la Rose, Bodleian Library MS Douce 195, 66v, p. 138

In Roman de la Rose we see a woman wearing black hosen with black shoes. Only the edge of the shoe leather shows up, and there is a similar light line seen under the knee where a garter would sit. Since we know shoes were made from leather and the artist has depicted these edges in the same manner, it is possible that the garter is also made from leather. The woman again wears the hosen rolled down to under the knee, and no seams are visible.

Heironymous Bosch, Adoration of the Child, Detail  http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

From looking at the wear patterns seen on images of beggars and workers who had worn out the bottom portion of their hose, it appeared that it was reasonably common for hose to be worn away to the ankle. The logical progression from there is that it would seem sensible to replace hose feet when they wore out, since the remaining leg was still functional. I know that is all conjecture rather than fact - it simply explains my thought process when starting to make hose a few years ago. The image above shows a man sitting in front of a fire with either no foot portion on his hose or a single stirrup strap under the foot - I have a large poster of this image and it is still hard to tell if the line under his foot is a strap or a stick. I feel that he is holding his calf and there is a strap under the foot. Either way, this image was another that compounded my desire to attempt making hose with a seam straight up the back of the leg and another around the ankle. I have been wearing this style for a few years now and can say it is very comfortable and wears evenly. The next batch will be based on another pattern, probably something like this or this.

More pages to look at
This page has some useful related information including an extant garter. This page has a great picture showing some over-the-knee length hose hanging in a workshop, as well as very good information on construction and research.

So, I type this up and have a bit of a search only to find this page. Bettina's website has some new pictures of hosen, including an extant pair from the fourteenth century.

Construction Process

After deciding that I wanted make hose with a separate sole and a seam straight up the back of the leg, I began to pattern. I do not pattern from numbers, rather I pattern directly. That means that to make a new pattern I take some fabric with minimal stretch or stretch comparable to the finished material and I pin it on until it fits. This part of the process means you need to have a good idea of where you want the seams to sit, before you start pinning. The ankle seam came about after finding it was the only way I could get a truly snug fit around the top of the arch and back in to the lowest point on the calf. Evidence does not point to its existence, though it does not comprehensively deny it either. Not great research - more of a work in progress.

1. Make a pattern 

This document is not going to show you how to make a pattern, just how the hose are constructed. I will record some instructions to give a rough idea, though. 

Draw around your foot onto firm, non-stretch fabric and cut around this shape, making it at least a 2 inches too large. Drape fabric over the arch and pin it as tight as possible to the sole piece. Mark a neat line around the ankle. Try to remove your foot and ease the pattern off 3-4 mm at a time until you can work your foot out - it should be difficult but not impossible. Remember that the ankle will firm up as you sew a seam at that point. Trim the ankle line, remembering to leave 1 cm seam allowance. Sew the sole and upper together and try it on. Make adjustments until you have a nice fit. If this takes 10 goes, who cares. Better to get a good fit. Put the hose foot on and repeat the process to get a pattern for the calf piece.

2. Choose your fabric

I have selected a medium weight wool that has been lightly fulled. This type of fabric was becoming more common in the 15th century. It should be prewashed to reduce the chance of felting, shrinking and dye runs. Choose something that feels all right on your ankles, as there will be a lot of contact. Choose something with at least some bias stretch, as this will give a better fit. To check the bias stretch, look at the threads in the fabric. The grain goes along the same line as the threads, while the bias is along the diagonal line, 45 degrees to the threads. Pull it on 45 degrees to check the stretch. If you are looking for other options, silk hose were known in the fourteenth century and linen lining was present inside garments throughout the fifteenth. Wool, however, has usually been woven to provide the most give and provides warm as well as cushioning, making it ideal.

3. Cut the pieces out

Lay your pattern pieces so they are on the bias. Don't forget to cut a seam allowance. It is useful to mark the seam allowance on each side of each pattern piece. 

  sole

 upper

             calf

4. Constructing the Foot

Lay the upper on the sole. Pay attention to marking the left and right soles and uppers as well as the correct side of the fabric. 

Position the seam up the back of the heel. It can help to make positioning marks on the pattern pieces. Spend some time easing the pieces around the curves and pinning in place.

 Sew around the foot, taking care to ease the fabric of the upper to match the curve on the foot.

 When you are happy with the lower seam, sew up the heel. If you are going to flat fell the seams (which is certainly more comfortable), now is the best time.

Before flat felling the sole seam, clip the curve. On this fabric, I clip three quarters of the way in to the stitching, 1 cm apart on the curves and 5 cm apart on the straight.

 The flat felled seams join up like so on the heel. Try not to sew over the top of other seams. Hand sewing leaves much less visible seams.








The finished foot.

5. Adding the calf piece

 Pin the calf piece on to the finished foot. Be careful to line up the back seem with the heel seam. The hosen can look very messy if this is out even by a few millimetres. It can be beneficial to take a needle and thread to put a few tacking threads through the foot and calf pieces at the + intersection, in both directions.








After attaching the calf piece, flat fell the lower edge of the seam.










Sew up an inch of the calf seam and then flat fell upper portion of the ankle seam.










6. Finishing the hosen
Hem the upper edge and try on your new hosen. Don't worry if it takes 10 seconds, 20 seconds, a minute to ease your foot into the hosen. Once your heel is past the narrow ankle point, your foot should pop into the hosen for a smooth, comfortable fit.