Coping with mud?

[Orphena]

This year our Faire (Country Ren fest,Ontario) went thru a terrible storm, causing a LOT of mud. We have a soft site,that takes place at a Heritage Farm - our site is more fields with bushes than anything else. During the storm, we were drenched by the rain, and after the storm, we had to deal with avoiding copious puddles (many of which were hidden until you stepped in them). Our pub sits in some low ground, and although the rain was kept at bay by the huge tent, the ground to get there was a good 3 - 6 inches of mud. By Day 2, the grounds were so sodden that you could not avoid the mud. Many ladies wore boots under their gowns to at least save their shoes. My hems were sodden to the knees.

Although I have a hem guard (3 inches of ultrasuede at the hem), it really wasn't sufficient to handle THAT much mud.

Any suggestions as to what could be done to protect more of my skirts in really terrible weather?
What abuses and solutions has your garb experienced?
(I have started a bad weather story topic in Squire's tavern, but wanted to know specific GARB ideas as well)

[isabelladangelo]

Short of hiking the skirts up (which is period), I tend to just use a lot of oxyclean when I get home.

http://www.freewebs.com/isabelladangelo/xmilkmai.jpg <- Mid Calf skirts are period (for peasants at least)

http://www.wga.hu/art/zgothic/miniatur/1501-550/1flemish/05f_1500.jpg <- Just below the knee


http://www.wga.hu/art/zgothic/miniatur/1451-500/21griman/06months.jpg  <-skirt hiked up and hidden by an apron

[gem]

I can't stand mud. Cannot. STAND. It. Absolutely my least favorite weather, and something we dealt with here almost daily back here from about January through May. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Hoping it's not so bad at Fair this fall.

That said, on muddy days, I go pirate or at least VERY washable.  For me, my day improves HUGELY if I'm not afraid of stepping in the mud, so I wear completely waterproof ankle books when I can so it's no big deal to actually tread through puddles.

What about making a new, more washable skirt for your muddier days? Something really sturdy that will take the abuse of multiple hard washings. Or possibly also something... brown.

[Syrilla]

It only helps to a point, but I scotch guard my hems. 

[DonaCatalina]

This is one of the reason that I try to use cotton brocade or cotton velvet for my skirts. Its a lot easier to wash.
Having said that, Scotch Guard is Great!
You can wash and wash but don't dry clean your scotch guard. Solvents will destroy it.
If you already have mud stains in your skirts Dawn dishwashing liquid in the bathtub will help that since about 30% of that stain will be oil based.

[operafantomet]

I second what Isabella said - hike the over skirt up. Perfectly period. Wear a washable underskirt, maybe one sewn especially for "mud days", and it will look decorative as well.


Florentine ladies anno 1559 attaching the hem to the waist to lift the overskirt and reveal the underskirt. Though decorative, it was even more so practical, making walking easier. And though it's hard to tell which social class these ladies belongs to, the white shoes and bright colours points toward overclass or upper middle class. It wasn't just done by working women.

If you do this on both sides, your overskirt would be pretty much safe from the bud. Another alternative is to pull it up evenly all around, like the examples Isabella showed.


This woman, slightly more working class, has simply rolled up her whole overskirt:

Maybe not as elegant, but again: perfectly period. Just make sure you have a cool, contrasting skirt lining...

[gem]

Did anybody mention pattens?
http://www.armlann.com/wpattens.htm

[Adriana Rose]

I soak my skirt hems in oxyclean water, a good deal of the cleaner in the water the more the better. It gets alot of the grime out of my hems, I even soak my little boy's britches in it too because those ALWAYS have dirt stains.
For nobles scotch gaurd may be the best.
If you dont want to muck with the whole extra laundry step part maybe have a skirt that has a higher hem? But if your faire is prone to sudden cloud bursts like mine its inevitable there is going to be some mud

[Orphena]

Good ideas, one and all!

I have never used scotch guard - is the intent that it is easier to clean - or does it somehow repel the mud?

In terms of hiking skirts up - I do what I can - but I have no permanent way to do this, so end up carrying them all day. I do wear noble - and am on cast, and as I have only the one gown, and tis my character's costume as well, I cannot easily wear a different one. Making an easy to clean underskirt is a great idea, which I shall implement- but the forepart would still have to be carried, as I cannot figure a way to hike that up as well as the overskirt.

I found also, that when sitting, (which one must do at the evening's festivities), the farthingale also gets..contaminated!

I am wondering if it might not be prudent to make some kind of guard that extends a good 8 inches up the front and back of the hem, encasing forepart, overskirt, petticoat, and farthingale. Something waterproof? Something removable?

Gem - I love the idea of Pattens - but those dont look like they would do too much - a half inch of wood would not have helped me! Has anyone tried them? Do they work?

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

When dealing with mud, I use AMWAY's LOC(Liquid Organic Cleaner). Because mud is organic, this gets out mud of garb like a pro.

I put the hems of my gown and underskirt in the tub of warm water, pour in some LOC, and the mud melts off without hurting the fabric. The LOC braks up the mud. This is what I use to wipe down our garb after each wearing. Keeps the garb fresh and clean withpout having to go to the Cleaners.

[isabelladangelo]

On the muddy days, forgo the farthingale.  You might want to sew a couple of rings on the outside of the dress to the sides and to the inside (same place, just one inside, one outside) where you can take a ribbon and loop your skirt up.   What is more period (they had mud in the 16th Century!) is this:

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/english.jpg

She has "suspenders" for lack of a better word to hold up the front of the skirt.  I'd use a belt, similar to what she has in the picture, to hold up the back as well.  Just flip the very back of the dress through the belt and pull it until you are sure it will hold.  

Once you have the dress up, farthingale is out of the picture, use the new underskirt rather than the forepart.  

[Orphena]

A lot of great ideas here - thanks ladies.

Unfortunately, I did not really have the option to go without the farthingale - as one of the shows I do is "dressing a Lady"... and I start in my tudor undies. I think that without my farthingale, my skirts would drag even more in the mud ... perhaps I will have to make "mud" gear - something plainer, easy to wash... perhaps 2 matching ones for once the first one gets unbearable.... and hike the over skirt up as suggested. I will continue to ponder what will work for my gown....

Don't tell m'lord... I'm going to have to go fabric shopping again....

[Syrilla]

Scotch guard is only for the hem area.  As you do not want to close off your natural fibers breathablitiy.  I normally spray it at my guard and down.  It will discourage water absorption, with will keep some of the mud from encasing the fibers.  Other than removing a attached guard, so the dress will be shorter, or doing as the other ladies suggest, there is not much that will keep mud off of the gowns.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

2 years ago on a  rainy and muddy day at the MNRF, my Black, Mary Queen of Scots gwn was coated at the hems. I let the mud dry. I put the hems of the gown into the tub and cleaned them with the LOC. Not only did the Italian Velveteen come clean, you cannot tell where there there was mud in the first place.

The gown took several days to hang dry because there is a lot of fabric that had to be cleaned.

[lys1022]

I can't think of the name of the stuff that VIII's wife uses on her costuming.  You might want to PM him on here and ask.  It is REALLY effective at keeping the Scarby mud at bay, and our mud is pretty notorious stuff.