From: MAHE@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu
Subject: Re: coat making:  any advice?
Organization: Yale University
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 17:31:58 EDT

Let me second Margaret's idea of the neck-warmer.  I recently moved
from California to Connecticut, and I've learned a couple of unpleasant
things about cold weather, alas.  I have asthma, and can't really tolerate
breathing air below 20o, so I'd be miserable a lot of the winter if
I didn't have a nice assortment of neck-warmers.  These can be made
very easily, a tube of stretchy fabric a bit smaller than your
hear circumference, about 12" high.  Since I wear glasses and they
fog up easily from breathing, I find that it helps to add a bit of
elastic at the top and bottom, barely smaller than the tube, to
help keep things in place (i.e. over the nose and under the glasses).
I like to make them out of wool jersey for everyday, and stretch
Polarplus is very good for really extreme weather, as when skiing.
You should be warned however that this outfit does give you the
mugger look, and that old ladies will occasionally cringe away from
you...
 
Blood vessels in the head and neck can't constrict like in other
parts of your body in response to cold (that's to keep you from
passing out everytime the temperature drops a bit).  In consequence,
you lose about 40% of your body heat through the head and neck.
A hat is a necessity, but a neck-covering will help too.  Then
you need to protect your extremities from the cold so your toes
and fingers don't freeze and fall off.  When you have the appropriate
gloves and socks/boots on and your extremities are still cold, it
means you need to cover up your arms/legs more, because the heat
is getting lost on the way to the extremities.  Beware of tough
mid-westerners who tell you that you only need a little vest to
be warm - either they lie or their metabolism is not the same
as yours.
 
The layer concept is also very useful.  I find that on the East Coast
I often have trouble because the indoor is heated to 80o, which makes
it even harder to adjust to the outside temperature, and makes it
impossible to tolerate a sweater of any kind.  This leaves the coat
and gloves/scarf/hat/boot combo to provide all the insulation.
I tend to wear warmer pants, since it's easier to tolerate them
in hot conditions when wearing a light shirt, and it's easy
to bundle up on top but not to add more layers on the bottom
before braving the great outdoors (without doing a real strip act).
 
A good solution for very cold weather, one that works even when
climbing mountains in rather extreme conditions, is an inner layer
of light but wicking material, that can be worn alone and keep you
warm when wet - wool jersey and Thermax leap to mind.  Then a middle
insulating layer is necessary (or several :-).  A big thick wool
sweater if you have one, a down jacket if you're not going to get
wet, or best of all a Polarplus jacket (300 is the heaviest weight
and the most appropriate for this).  Thinsulate is also a popular
insulating material, but has to be enclosed between 2 layers.  It's not as
easy to sew as Polarplus, but shouldn't be a problem if you're a quilter.       er weights of
Last but very important, you need some kind of wind-proof and water-resistant
layer.  I tend to shy away from outright waterproofness, since you usually
end up dripping in sweat if you do anything in it but lie down, and
presumably you'd be at least walking around outdoors.  Something very
good and reasonably cheap to consider is Supplex, a tightly-woven
nylon that feels reasonably like cotton and will protect you in
anything but a downpour.  Goretex is very nice, but very pricey,
and it has to be factory-sealed or the seams leak dreadfully.
The insulating and wind-proof layer can be combined, as in
a Polarplus-lined Supplex jacket, but you do lose some flexibility.
 
What you choose for a coat material depends in great part on what
you intend to do for your trip.  if you want something to go from
the mall to the museum or the opera in the city, a wool coat does
seem like a good idea.  If you intend to be outside as in skiing
or walking in the country, where you have more chance of getting
into directly into snow or getting wet, synthetics are probably
better because they'll dry easier.   Make sure you are not using
metal in an outer layer, so your zippers don't stick together with
the cold and your fingers don't stick to frozen buttons - all
fastenings should be plastic, and preferably good-quality
plastic designed to resist cold.  Rain Shed also has a good
assortment of notions (and patterns).  A zipper is nice, but it needs
to be covered by a flap or it'll let in wind and rain more than an
ordinary buttoned closing.
 
I have a pair of stretch-Polarplus tights that are the warmest thing
I've ever owned, they're copied from Patagonia's $85 model but
the fabric is under $15/yd at Rain Shed.  A pair of wind-pants on
top of that, and you could climb Everest.  On the other hand, if
you stay in town you might find a couple pairs of corduroy pants
sufficient, or wear silk long johns under whatever warmer pants
you already own (mail-order from Winter Silks).
 
Be aware that you probably can't buy in Florida stuff that'll get
you through a real winter.  The thickest coats for sale in Northern California
are barely adequate for an Eastern Fall, and even then.  You really
should order materials from colder parts of the country (G Street
fabrics in DC for wool, Rain Shed in Washington for synthetics?).
I'd also recommend buying accessories by mail-order.  Thinsulate-lined
gloves (mittens are even better because your fingers keep each other
warm in them) and boots are a very good idea, and would be unbearable
in Florida.  Try Lands' End (now that they're discontinuing imported
quilts) in Wisconsin, or REI in Seattle for reasonably-priced stuff.
 
Make sure you have a lot of wool socks, nothing can replace them.
Most of all, don't be afraid to look silly...
 
Marie-Christine
mahe-marie-christine@yale.edu
Newsgroups: alt.sewing