My Kit

[Wes]

I also forgot, I need Brachae(sp?) anybody have a pattern?? Materials? Wools or linens???

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Fleece for your sub... hock: hock: you will melt man.....but the comfort in the cold will be amazing :wink:

[Caballo]

Here you go from Brigantia's website!
http://ironage-history.com/brigantia/kit_clothing.htm


" Material for bracae, tunics, dresses and cloaks must be chosen carefully. The best guide is to look in a book like the Osprey Men-atArms series number 158, "Rome's Enemies (2): Gallic and British Celts" (ISBN 0-85045-606-1). This is what we are trying to look like. Preferably no plain materials, go for checks and stripes. Definitely NOT tartans, the public recognises these and knows they are at least l4th century.

Patterns should not be too busy or bright: we are trying to emulate materials dyed with natural vegetable dyes and woven by hand on a vertical loom. The coarser and thicker the better. Pure wool would be perfect, and expensive, but there are cheaper wool/artificial fibre mixes available (Caballo note- personally, I wouldn't go for the artificial fibres.... :? )

We usually find that 2 yards of a bolt of material 2 yards wide is enough for one pair of bracae, one tunic or one cloak. This can cost as little as £10, or less if you really shop around or look for old woolen blankets in car boot and jumble sales.



When making clothing, plan ahead and work out how exactly how much material you will really need before you buy, and be certain that you have enough before you start cutting. This is what tailor's chalk is for. Bracae (trousers) were invented by the Celts, and could be worn by men or women. These are easiest made by using a pair of baggy comfortable jeans as a pattern. Fold the material: this will be the line of the outside leg. Take one leg and lay with the outer seam down the fold in your material. Mark an outline with tailor's chalk, allowing an extra 2".



at the crotch seam, inside Ieg seam and ankIe. AIIow 4" at the waist . (This is important. They must be baggy. Tight bracae are crippling and split embarassingly on the battle field, often in front of the public. This has happened to me.) Cut out two such legs. Stitch each separately from ankle to crotch, then stitch together along the crotch line from the navel to the small of the back, and turn inside out to hide the hems so far. Hem the waist on the outside, and include a 2" tube all the way around the waist, open at the navel and at the small of the back. This is for threading through a string draw-cord, in the fashion of pyjamas. Remains have been found with modern-style belt loops, but this is more work. Try on for size with the cord drawn comfortably tight, and pin the ankle hem at a comfortable length. Trim the ankles (if necessary) and hem on the inside. When worn, draw the ankles tight with a piece of cloth, string or leather cord. Long bracae were common, but if you want to be cool in Sumner it is perfectly authentic to have a pair that end just above or below the knee"

The other alternative is to get a pair of buckskin/ leather/ nubuck/ deerskin jeans , cut the the legs down and re-do the stitching. I plan to do this over the winter to replace mine!

Cheers

Caballo

[M. Demetrius]

Wes, to make braccae, what I did was this. I got a pattern from a fabric store for medical scrubs. You know, like they wear on ER. I laid the two pant pieces together along the OUTseam. Then I traced over that with a piece of that white banner paper you can get at WalMart or other store.

The idea is to eliminate the outseam. You'll need to overlap the outer edges of the leg/hip curve for that, but you can keep the strange shape of the inner leg. That makes them fit correctly around the rise measure.

Then you want to check the width around the leg, making sure it's not too tight. Adjust the angles if needed to make the shape simpler.

I added around 4" to the waist, since they're supposed to ride higher than modern pants, and checked the dimension to make sure it fit around the belly ok. They should ride high like 18,19th century trousers.

I made a pair from an old bedsheet to make sure they fit right. Then I cut the good cloth. Adjust the length to what your unit says is correct for them, mid calf, just below knee, whatever is right for your centurio. Same pattern can make ankle length, just extend the leg down.

They're not exactly like the Thorsburg braccae, but if people are close enough to inspect your crotch seam, well, they're probably friends anyway, so they won't complain, right? :lol: Last time I did a little research on braccae, there weren't many samples to compare with, so I just wear them, and don't worry about them. I can't explain this part, but I got tired of getting nearly undressed to urinate, so I built an openable fly into the most recent pair I made. If you know how to make, say, 19th century cavalry britches, you can do something similar, but put the buttons facing the inside, so they don't show. Add a drawstring and you're done. Easier than a Charles Dickens frock coat!

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Wes,
My braccae(actually feminalia since they're short) were fairly easy to make. I took an old pair of jeans that still fit well and took them apart. Instant pattern! Just be sure to leave a bit extra for the seams. You can always trim off any excess. You can deal with the placket any number of ways but I made mine lace up( like old style football pants). Being in a warm climate I only wear them in very cold,damp weather(like Mobile in February,'eh guys?). Much discussion here previously on fabric from leather to wool. Fairly easy to make. Good luck.

[Mark Headlee]

Wes,

Try Mary Ann Sullivan out in Ca. (you can contact her through Hib. here on the RAT board..he's the centurio on Legio Hisp.) She made most of my soft kit and her workwomanship is second to none. I supplied her the materials and could not be more happy! PM me and I can give you my fabric sources if you are interested!

[Crispvs]

Or, of course, you could go for no braccae at all, which would match with most of the comtemporary visual evidence for soldiers' appearance. It is true that braccae were certainly known by the Romans, but in the first century AD they probably fell well within the realm of 'barbarian clothing' which soldiers might occasionally be seen in under campaign conditions. Just because trousers are an obvious item of clothing for us in modern times, it was not necessarilly so for the Romans. When it came to cold weather they already had sufficient options for keeping warm which did not include trousers, and when it came to modesty, the evidence would suggest that it didn't bother them much (not in the modern sense anyway).
My short article on cold weather clothing can be found here: http://www.romanarmy.net/coldweather.htm

As for pteruges, the choice is up to you. You could choose to have them or you could choose not to. If you do choose to have them however, make sure that they are fairly tough and defensive and that there are enough of them. You could go for thick leather or padded and stiffened linen (my preferred option) but do not make them look like the 'pteruges' you see on statues of emperors - those are not the sort of pteruges that would be seen on a common soldier kitted out for combat.

You kit looks good so far but I would get rid of the buckle on the baldric and would sew it up so as to shorten the baldric quite a bit. There is no good evidence for the presence of a buckle or fastener on the front of a baldric (although there is some evidence to suggest the use of a small buckle right next to the scabbard) and if your sword pommel is not just about touching your armpit when you are wearing armour then you will not be consistent with the majority of contemporary images of Roman soldiers.


Crispvs

[Caius Fabius]

yep, if you gotta wear pants, join the cavalry.