And another thing...rain garb...

[Wickedvox]

I'm going to need to make something to protect myself from the rain while remaining h/a too. A cloak, cape...suggestions?
And fabric...wool? Microsuede? What has worked best for all of you?

[isabelladangelo]

Depending on how wet it is, I tend to go Norse.  ;-)  Well, if it's a downpour because the Norse were the first pirates!  That, and I could care less if my tunics get ruined.  They are washable!   Velvet?  Not so much...

You want your rain garb to be either a)something you don't really care about or b) something you like but is shorter than you would normally wear.  Rain isn't the problem.  It's the evil evil mud that lurks around when it rains that is the problem.  So, nothing floor length and I try to keep it ankle length if not shorter.  Turkish, Norse, and pretty much any "peasant" outfit will work.  There are painting of peasant women with there skirts hitched up in all sorts of interesting ways - typically to just below the knee. 

For an overcoat/cloak; it depends on what time period you want to do.  A cloak is fine for most things - just make it out of wool.  Wool is amazing in rain - particularly if it's made of homespun wool.  Fleece can work well too.  Unlike us, our ancestors didn't mind getting a little wet.  They didn't melt.  ;-)

[Orphena]

I agree - a cloak made of wool is a good investment.

Watch that your hood is cut in such a way to avoid hood flop - and let me know how to cut my next one!

Try to have it fasten in more places than just the neck - in rain I am always struggling to keep it closed.

Straw hats in the rain, followed by sun tend to reshape themselves - so be aware!

Hike your skirts up as high as you can, consider adding a mud guard on the bottom of them - I use a strip of ultrasuede that protects from some mud, and also wear and tear on my hems.

Also - dry socks / change of shoes are invaluable!

[isabelladangelo]

Watch that your hood is cut in such a way to avoid hood flop - and let me know how to cut my next one!

There are a few ways I've seen - my personal favorite is just making the hood BIG so it flops forward.   You can put a small weight (fishing weights, I'm told, work wonders) at the center front top of the hood.  Or, you can do the old drawstring but that looks a bit funny to me.   Some ladies put combs in the front of the hood to keep it in place.   

[Wickedvox]

So basically suck it up and hike it up lol. What is hood flop?

[gem]

Wicked, I have given probably more thought to rain/mud garb over the years than it deserves. LOL I have a waterproof walking cape and a wool pirate coat, neither of which I love as much as my other garb. The pirate coat is nice because I didn't have to make it it's lightweight but warm for the rainy days that are also COLD... but I don't feel like I pull off the pirate look as well as I do H/A middle class. Sigh. The waterproof cloak is nice because, well, waterproof, and the fabric is glorious (DWR [durable water-repellant] microfiber--that fabric that mundane rain coats are made from), but the color and style don't suit me... and because of the fabric/construction, it's very heavy and warmer than I want for the days when it's rainy and HOT, which is pretty common here in the Great Swamp Plains.

So I'm going to turn this around on you. You guys are on cast this year, right? What do your character and costuming guidelines say? Your rain garb should match the rest of your garb (see "pirate" and "walking cape" rue, above!). You should also account not just for the wetness and muddiness you anticipate--but the accompanying temperatures. Heavy, warm rain gear might not serve you well in a hot summer downpour. Pick a style of period outerwear that fits with your garb, and make it out of something waterproof and/or very washable.

Fabric-wise, I personally really like the DWR microfiber; it passes for a heavy sanded silk and it's easy to work with; you could make it into any kind of garb and get something completely water/mudproof. I still have some in my stash and am debating what H/A thing I should make with them. (Maybe a partlet from the black?) This year I also bought some wool-blend gabardines in muddy colors, planning to make a new kirtle of some kind, but other projects have shoved themselves to the front of the queue. Last year I ended up just wearing older garb on muddy days, and that actually worked out nicely! (Except the muddy pawprint I got on my partlet that never completely washed out--sob!)

[Kate XXXXXX]

Waxed cotton rain cape:



I now have a hood to go with it.  This one is lined in a wool mix tweed.  It kept me dry and toasty in an hour of horizontal driving sleet a week apssed Friday!