Leggings
Hide for one legging
A finished legging with fringe
Breechclout to be worn with leggings
Make a type of clothing worn by outdoorsmen on Missouri's frontier.
Materials
Review general instructions on leatherworking and gather the items listed under basic materials.
Procedure
- Obtain two medium to large deer hides. Hides should be large enough to encircle leg and long enough to reach from your waist to the ground.
- Fold one hide in half lengthwise with right sides out. Insert fringing strips, if desired, so strip protrudes from between halves of folded hide. Sew seam using a saddle stitch. Leggings may also be sewn together wrong side out with fringing strips protruding on the inside. Use a whipstitch. When legging is turned right side out fringing will protrude and seam will be concealed.
- Cut fringe strips into fringing.
- Attach leather strap to upper outside edge of legging. This can be done by taking a piece of leather approximately 1 inch x 24 inches (2.5 cm x 60 cm) and inserting one end through a hole punched in the legging near the seam. Push the leather strip halfway through and knot. The strip is used to hold the legging to a belt at the waist.
- Repeat procedure with other hide to complete second legging.
Note: Since leggings were nothing more than hollow tubes, they were always worn with a breechclout. The breechclout is simply a long piece of heavy cloth (approximately 12" x 60" or 30 cm x 1.50 cm for an adult). The cloth was passed between the legs and over the top of a soft leather belt in front and back.
