[Sca-cooks] more clothing tips for pennsic

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

ah, finally a few minutes! some other things you should know about going to
Pennsic.......

lets see....
if you have any medical conditions you will want to fill out an "ohmygod"
form at the chirurgeons (medical tent)  they will give you a sticker for
your site token
this tells any medic that you have a file with *important info* back at the
medical tent.
(mine says "allergic to Pennicillin, Codeine, etc")

you may store any really touchy medicine at the medical tent in their
fridge.

be very nice to the chirurgeons, they are great folks.

Clothes:
linen is your friend.  i know, i keep saying it, but its true.  but it MUST
be pre washed to get the sizing out.

light weight wool is your second best friend.  it can keep you warm on cold
wet days, without overheating you.

silk is third.

polyester is your *enemy*, it will trap your sweat, make you hot and sticky
and miserable. and Gods forbid you set your sleeve on fire at a camp site or
candle.....(thus speaketh the clumsy fabric merchant)

remember that the way to identify polyester, lycra, and other materiels is
that they are *plastic* and when set on fire they do not burn so much as
MELT.
ask anyone who has worked on a burn ward.... you do not want to have
polyester near fire.
if  your _linen_ sleeve catches, or wool, it will burn, and rolling on the
ground will put it out. (usually wool doesnt burn well , it tends to be
woven too tightly)
if a polyester sleeve catches fire, even after you put it out it will have
MELTED, and can have melted onto your skin.  this causes very bad burns
indeed, and makes the burn ward very unhappy to see.
people like us who camp, and cook, and otherwise deal with fire must be very
aware of things like polyester.  if you MUST wear plastic fibers (why i dont
know) then at least wear a layer of natural fiber under it, so it cant stick
to your skin.
this holds for ANY time you are near fire... not just Pennsic.

the more underclothes you have, the more often you can change them, and the
more comfortable you will be without having to do laundry.
while most people have the usual "big blousy chemise/tent" (so do i) i
prefer just making a light weight T tunic, close fitting, in linen.  i wear
this under my kirtles.

ANYONE can make a surcoat.  surcoats require almost no sewing skills.
make at leat one ligh weight wool surcoat, it can save you so much greif if
the weather gets wet and cold.

hoods
a period style hood and capelet (you know, a hood with a shoulder cover?)
can be made form almost any materiel, out of leftover yardage.  they look
great and protect that vulnerable back of your neck from sunburn.



Kirsten Houseknecht
Fabric Dragon
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
www.fabricdragon.com
Philadelphia, PA     USA
Trims, Amber, Jet, Jewelry, and more...

I worry about you, wear a reflective sweater...