Sword wounds

[LadyStitch]

May sound silly but that is what I am running into.  I have costumed some actors for a Robin hood play and they are using live stage steel.  For many of them this is the first time they have ever used live steel on stage.  They have a great fight captain, and fight choreographers.  My problem is that every time they sheath their daggers and swords they somehow manage to poke holes, and rub holes in their costumes as they miss their sheaths when they put their blades away. Right now all I can do is patch the holes but what can I do in the future to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

The costumes are basic cotton tunics belted over cotton peasant shirts, with tights underneath.
http://www.dallas.net/~pst/cover1.htm

[isabelladangelo]

Get them to practice with a sword more often.   

On the serious side, a tight weave linen or a leather jerkin of some sort would be better suited rather than the easy to rip cotton broadcloth.  Wool is also more forgiving if you get a tight weave.   You might want to look into punch testing that is used for SCA fencing garments. 

[LadyStitch]

As that is what the director wanted, and the entire cast had to be constructed in less than 3 weeks, I did the best with what I got. 

I'll see what I can do in the future about that loose weave issue.  I didn't think about that.

[Elennare]

Seriously, they need to practice WAY more if they're stabbing themselves/their costumes when they put their swords away.  I say this as someone with experience as a fight choreographer.

If that's just not in the cards, for whatever reason, can you attach a small flap/patch of leather to the costumes where they keep getting stabbed?  That should keep the sword tips from poking through.

[LadyStitch]

Seriously, they need to practice WAY more if they're stabbing themselves/their costumes when they put their swords away.  I say this as someone with experience as a fight choreographer.

If that's just not in the cards, for whatever reason, can you attach a small flap/patch of leather to the costumes where they keep getting stabbed?  That should keep the sword tips from poking through.

That is why I come here for suggestions.    They are nearly done with the 30 performance run, only 3 shows left. This is an issue I will bring up with my actors, director, and my fight choreographers.  Any costumer is sensitive about their costumes being damaged, but damaged by stupidity will take them off the deep end.   Chalk this one up to learning experience but going forward heads may roll. ( Ask me sometime how the actors learned the hard way that smoking in costumes is a BAD idea.)

[Butch]

You can BACK the areas that are getting poked with leather.  Color the leather the approximate color of the material before you sew it in.  Quilt the leather in, don't just sew around the edges.  Or, you could glue it on with contact cement.

[LadyStitch]

I reviewed the costumes for more 'wounds' last night.  The only one who really any real damage is the lead actors, go fig.  I'll ask him what he has been doing that might have caused it. One time couldn't figure out why a seam kept popping on a guy's jacket.  Turns out the guy didn't want to tell me that the director had changed his fight choreography so he had  these large sweeping movements in a very tight fitted jacket. Like I said, I'm chalking this one up to learning experience.

As for the leather suggestion, I'll try that in the future.  It would just be difficult to find emerald green pig or deer leather at a moments notice

[Butch]

Go to Tandy and get the dye.  Heck, they may just give you a sample there!