Caleb’s armor is mostly done. I say mostly because we haven’t done the hosen yet, because Alicia wants to learn how to make them so we’re waiting to drape the pattern until she can be there, too. But the body armor is done.
It consists, as usual, of braies with a double-layered linen undershirt and a single-layer linen tunic. Because Caleb is very apple-shaped, I wanted to have the body garments be very full from the shoulder down. I used this opportunity to experiment with what I have been calling “integrated gussets” – really just gores that run all the way up into the sleeve.
If you’re going to do this, play for the gores to run almost all the way to the wrist. It’s the only way you’re going to get enough fullness out of them. In both garments I ended up having to insert gussets anyway, as you can see on the outer layer.
The trim on the brown overtunic is bias-cut linen. I so rarely trim things anymore; this was our concession to the fact that Caleb is really a Norman, not a 13th century French- or Englishman. I continue to really like using bias facings on necklines, and if I’m going to trim a skirt I’d much rather do it this way than using commercial trim.
These braies came out really extra-saggy. I could take them up, or I could teach Caleb to roll the waistband, or he could cram some of the extra bulk into the tops of his hosen. He says they’re very comfortable, though, so who am I to argue? I don’t have a picture of them on him, but I do have a picture of them on my living room floor.
Documentation is here.
Still to come: the hosen.
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