warm garb

[ladybriony]

Hello everyone!

Sherwood Forest Faire in Texas starts next week and we're having a bit of a cold snap.  I'm hoping it'll warm up a little, but I want to be prepared in case it stays cold.  What would you all recommend to keep you fashionable, yet warm?  I'm thinking leggings under my skirt and a long sleeves chemise, which i have, but what about outerwear?  Should I buy something there?  My character is sort of a woodland maiden, so I'm sort of into the wolf pelts for your shoulders.  Would a cloak be warmer?  Any advice is appreciated!

[Merlin the Elder]

Layering is going to be the most help. A cape does wonders. As a wizard, I'll wear a cape or robe anyway, and it has proven useful at Sherwood before. I think we had sleet in 2012 opening weekend.

[isabelladangelo]

Unless you know exactly how it was caught or you are using cutter coats, I'm stay away from the idea of a real fur -particularly wolf fur.   

Wool is what everyone wore in the middle ages and Renaissance  - QEI wrote many laws dedicated to insuring England's dominance in the wool market.  A wool cloak is very simple to make and very warm.  I have a red one for my 18th century kit and I love it.  It doesn't look warm as it flows really well but I wore it in December in 39f temps and I was perfectly warm.   

If you can find them or make them, wool stockings are a dream for keeping you warm.  Ditch the farthingale if you normally wear one - it's just a giant fan.  Great in the summer, horrible in the cold.   Instead, wear a lot of skirts/petticoats- layering is key.   Although it's hard to tell if they had them or not at this point in time, I would recommend a quilted petticoat for cold days.  I went to the local thrift store and cut up an old satin quilted comforter (it says it was from Target at one point) and used that to make a quilted petticoat for my 19th Century kit.   It's very warm and makes the skirts stick out a bit as well.   

Don't forget mittens (the haven't changed much in a few hundered years), a scarf or shawl (thick knitted kind), and a hat.  You loose a lot of your body heat from the chest/neck/head.  By covering up (high necked smocks are awesome in the colder months) and wearing a hat, you can trap more of your body heat and not be cold.   

I hope that helps!

[Rowan MacD]

  If you want to make a simple cloak on the cheap (I rarely see any for sale at faire for under $100.00) and you have a sewing machine-hit the fabric store for the widest fleece fabric you can find in a decent muted color and make yourself a full circle cape. 
   All you need to draw the pattern on the fleece is a piece of string and some chalk.   Instructions are available on the web in a number of places.
  I added another smaller circle to mine that covers my shoulders down to just above my elbows.   This can be flipped up over your head to form a nice, draped hood for inclement weather or just  to keep your head warm.
  The hardest part is finding just the right clasp to use.   Some folks cut slits in the sides for arm holes.   
   Mine took less than 3 hours to make, hood and all.

[Crimson]

I'm doing the same thing.  I've made a reversable cloak with flannel.  I've recently made a lined pirate coat with removable sleeves so that it can work in cold and warmer weather.  I'm making most of my garb lately, right now I'm making a leather underbust bodice.  I'll wear leggings under my suede cloth breeches that I made that will tuck into my boots.  I'm a pirate character so I'm making all sorts of interchangeable pieces so that I can pick and choose depending on the weather.

I spent TOO many cold weekends camping at TRF this past season, I don't want to be ill prepared for Sherwood.

[gem]

I have a whole Pinterest page devoted to Cold & Muddy Garb!

You loose a lot of your body heat from the chest/neck/head.  By covering up (high necked smocks are awesome in the colder months) and wearing a hat, you can trap more of your body heat and not be cold.   

I second this. See my avatar? That hat and partlet are just cotton broadcloth (NOT one of nature's great insulators!  ) but are MUST-HAVES for me on chilly mornings. I also love my wool sleeves.

I'm kind of iffy on the cloak thing. Unless it's really warm--wool with a lining--I don't find them nearly as warm as coats, especially if it's windy or you're on the move (they're fine to huddle under). I have a wool pirate coat now, and I find myself grabbing it on nearly every cold morning, even if it doesn't go with the rest of my garb.

This is what I looked like on the last morning of Fair last season--it was about 40 degrees and windy.


Under that cotton skirt and high-necked smock is A LOT of long underwear--both period and not. I had on fleece running tights and a pair of bloomers (bonus skirt floofing!!), and a long-sleeved Cuddle Duds top. The hat is heavy cotton velvet and covers one of my ears (both is better; I just kept swapping  )

The really nice thing about this ensemble is that it doesn't call for any of my skin to be exposed, anyway, so it's easy to conceal all the warming layers without them being distractingly visible and out of place. An outfit like this, with the open chest, is harder (and that chainmail gets ICY fast. Yikes!).

[ladybriony]

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I've never made my own garb, but I may take a crack at making the cape and some extra skirt layers you suggest. 

Gem - I'm following your garb boards on pinterest!

[Rowan MacD]

I'm kind of iffy on the cloak thing. Unless it's really warm--wool with a lining--I don't find them nearly as warm as coats, especially if it's windy or you're on the move (they're fine to huddle under). I have a wool pirate coat now, and I find myself grabbing it on nearly every cold morning, even if it doesn't go with the rest of my garb.

My regular cloak (purchased at an SCA event 8 years ago) Is black wool with black broadcloth lining, it has kept me nice and warm in 40 degree, windy weather, but I seriously layer for cold weather. Tights and a set of  substantial tie on sleeves for your garb are a must.   
    I made the full circle cloak for a friend (it's not lined) who said it kept her pretty warm when worn over her garb. 
The lack of sleeves can be a pain though, you do have to come out from under the blanket eventually.

[Sev]

I'm a performer/volunteer at several faires in New England, so I often can't wear a cloak or even a coat because it would interfere with my job, either by making me less recognizable as a character, or simply impeding my movement. However, I've found a number of ways to keep myself warm without changing the outer appearance of my garb much at all!

LAYERS!!

I will wear one or two layers of leggings under my breeches/skirt, plus knee-high socks as an extra layer for my calves and feet. I have a nice thermal-knit shirt that is low-cut enough to hide completely below even my low-necked smocks, and a fairly neutral color so it doesn't show through my sleeves. I have arm warmers (that were long socks until I cut the toes off!) that hide pretty perfectly under my sleeves, too. If it's exceptionally cold, I'll throw a scarf on, find a way to cover my ears (sometimes simply pulling my pirate's bandanna over the top of my ears can be enough), and wear some fingerless mitts.

Accessorizing with a cold-weather garment can be a LOT of fun, so if that's what you want to do, by all means! There's some awesome advice and inspiration in this thread already! But if you ever find yourself unprepared garb-wise for a cold day, definitely remember to hide some layers under your garb. You get to look as fabulous as ever, and you'll be toasty-warm, too!

[DonaCatalina]

Silk Long Johns

Soft warm and don't add annoying bulk

[Ginette]

Being on a limited budget, ok ok there is no budget for new garb or fabric to make garb of any kind.  But working Sherwood this season, I plan on using all my cold weather running gear.  It's all black or gray but keeps me crazy warm and super easy to put under garb. 

[ladybriony]

Hello all!

So, I've been doing some browsing and found an option:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/165482349/ready-to-ship-black-and-red-hooded?ref=shop_home_active_5

It's fleece, which would be really warm, but is fleece a weird fabric to use as a cape?

I also found a polyester velvet cape at the local Wicca store for $30 more.  I love the look of it, but I worry it isn't warm enough.

Advice?

[isabelladangelo]

A big NO on the poly velvet.  Not only will it not hold up (poly velvet is notorious for thinning if you look at it funny), it will not keep you warm at all. 

I have a fleece cape that looks just like wool.  It's super warm and my Mom was "borrowing" it constantly until I made her her own wool cape. 

However, if you need it this weekend - sewing is really your only option.    Some of the best capes tend to be out of old army blankets.   Go to the thrift store and see what you can find.   You might even find a decent cape!  I found one for my 1860's kit out of velvet last year.   

[Rowan MacD]

 Isabella is right-If you can't afford the fleece material, find some blankets at the thrift store an whip up a circle cape.
   2 pieces sewn at the neck line and if you don't have a clasp you can sew on ties.   Better than nothing ^_^.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8259918_sew-hooded-cloak.html

[ladybriony]

Thanks Isabella!

I've never actually worked a sewing machine, so this might be the best course of action for me.  Sherwood opening weekend is Feb 8, so I messaged the etsy seller to see if it would arrive at my place by that friday.  You're a HUGE help!