Welp… I left the original 16th-century German Men’s Hosen sitting in the washer too long, and the blue bled into the yellow. Of course, I decided I needed a new pair to wear about a month before an event in June 2025. When I made the hosen back in 2022, I was in a hurry, and yet again, I was in a hurry and did not precisely document this build as well as I would have liked.

I decided to go with hosen that would terminate just below the knee again. I went with a haphazard construction of the outer wool layer. The outer wool does not follow a specific seam alignment and has a somewhat patchwork construction. However, this time I decided I wanted the legs to be contrasting colors but matching patterns. I used the left leg of the original version of the pants as my design template.

The original outfit theme was a wealthy man attending an event where Ferdinand was visiting, dressed in military-inspired attire, similar to some of the hijinks described by Matthäus Schwarz in the First Book of Fashion. This new version followed the same theme.

Getting Started

I lucked out, I had enough of the wool I initially dyed for this project. I started by washing the blue and yellow wool separately several times and pressing the wool with the steam iron. I also had some medium-weight black linen on hand.

Next, I laid out the linen and patterned out the initial shape on he bias using my favorite pair of jeans. I chalked out the shape, keeping the seam down the back of the leg (not the inside of the thighs, in this time period the vertical seam ran down the back of the leg). The fit needed to be tight and high-waisted. I cut it out and basted the hosen lining together. I then tested the fit and made adjustments until I was happy with the fit. I ended up bringing in the seams to shore up the waist. Since it is so high-waisted, I didn’t want it to gape at the top.

Once I was happy with the lining, I used it to cut out the pieces I had planned for the pants.

Cutting and Sewing the Outter Wool Layer

I used the lining as my pattern for the outer wool and began marking and cutting out the pieces I had planned for the hosen. I approached it in a very patchwork fashion. Working from the top, I cut all the pieces into sections, such as the front and back butt of the pants. I hand-sewed the pieces together using a back-stitch as I went, using waxed linen thread in blue and a dark gold. Then I cut out and embroidered the slits before moving on to the next section. I ironed with heavy steam and a clapper as I went, steaming the seams and embroidery. The wool is a flannel and has a twist, so I had to finish each slit with embroidery stitches to avoid fraying. I left the top waist and fly seam unfinished.

As I assembled each section, I tried on the hosen wool outer layer over the linen lining and tested the fit. I noticed once I attached the slashed strip just below the top front and back-butt section, I didn’t like the fit in the crotch, so I just cut off most of the drop in the crotch and added some alternating color gussets. I then cut and embroidered four lower leg panes to finish off the hosen thigh panels. I sewed them to the outer wool hosen and tested the fit until I was happy, then I finalized the seams. At the bottom of each leg, I added about a 4-inch band in the alternating color and hemmed the bottom seam. I also doubled back and finished sewing the lining using my machine. I left the fly seam of the lining unfinished for now.

Sewing the Lining to the Outer Wool

Next, I tried on the linen lining and figured out where I wanted the waist to sit. Think very high-waisted. I marked and pressed the linen to the desired waist. I double-folded the fabric, creating a firm band at the top of the lining, and finished the edge with a whip stitch. I then put the outer wool hosen over the lining and pinned the waistline along the outer wool. I pressed the outer wool waist and then whip-stitched the lining to the outer wool.

Once I was happy with the waist, I tried on the hosen and finished off the front opening (fly) where the hosen would close. I pinned the fly and adjusted it until I was happy with the closure. I pressed it and finished the seam by double-folding it over, the lining with the wool. This created a firm edge to add eyelets for the fly closure. I added complementary linen thread hand-sewn eyelets to each side of the fly in a spiral lacing configuration.

The Codpiece

Lastly, I created a flat codepiece to finish it off. I like a flat codpiece, a protruding one is to distracting. Since I had made these hosen before, I used the shape from the old flap codpiece and cut out the pattern. Then I sewed it together and added two eyelets to each side corner. Then I pinned it on and figured out the fit. Once I was happy, I whip-stitched the bottom point of the codpiece to the crotch seam on the crotch gussets. Then, I marked the hosen where the eyelets of the codpiece sat. Then I added eyelets to the hosen, through both layers, to allow it to tie on both sides of the front of the opening seam. I added a hook to the inside of the top middle of the codpiece flap, allowing the top to hook to the pants. I also added eyelets to the waistband through the wool and linen to allow the existing wams eyelets to tie in.

The Finished Look

With the hosen finished, I quickly washed them on delicate cold and dried them flat. I washed them to ensure the pants matched the wams (doublet/jacket). No significant issues occurred, and the yellow was only slightly muted by the blue as desired. The biggest hassle I had was finding silk stockings from https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com that matched the blue and yellow. I had some more of the dye, but the fabric took the dye differently, and I had to get creative. However, in the end, it all worked out.

I wore the hosen to the event, and they were a hit. Super comfy and they looked great. I do wish the waist were just a half inch higher all around. When I cut the crotch drop off, I lost some length in the torso and only had a limited amount of edge to work with on the outer wool section. Next time, I’d leave a lot more fabric to allow for those adjustments.. Once the hosen were tied into the wams, it was fine. When the hosen heated up, they got a lot looser.