I’m concerned about being wet and cold at Gulf Wars, so I’m reading up about cloak construction.

I’d gotten a recommendation for an oilcloth cloak – but I know I don’t want to use modern vinyl oilcloth – yuck.  I read here on what is apparently a weaver’s bulletin board, that reconstructing period oilcloth isn’t a good idea…

On the other hand, you do not want to make an oilcloth cloak. Oilcloth is a serious fire hazard, quite apart from the oil migrating into whatever you are wearing underneath the cloak and ruining in.

Instead, she recommends a felted wool cloak.  I’ve messed around with felted wool miltary blankets, and she’s right, it takes an awful lot of water to get through it.  I once made a ruana-like thing (Isaac Mizrahi pattern) out of old felted military blankets, and it was fairly impervious to any but the most heavy rain.  Pity I don’t have it any more.

I also read on the same site that it would probably be worthwhile to raise a directional pile on the outside surface of the cloak, to carry the water droplets away.  This makes sense to the scientist in me – use surface tension of the water to protect myself.  Obviously there’s lots of commercial treatment products that increase water resistance too – I expect I’ll do that too.

I also agree with the idea of constructing a separate hood, rather than attaching one – my present rainjacket/windbreaker has an attached hood, and the seam gets incredibly wet.

In bad weather, you should wear a detachable hood on top of the cloak. This will provide an extra layer or two of fabric across the shoulders, usually the first place for rain to soak through.

Military blankets are fairly easy to come by – I haven’t checked my local outlets yet, but there’s French 100% wool blankets for $20 each online.  60"x80".

Regarding pattern, still from the same source:

• Avoid shoulder seams.
• Make all seams flat-felled (look at the inside leg of bluejeans), and lap them in the direction of shed.

Then there’s this discussion of cloak patterns, also from Stefan’s Florilegium.  I have heard about capes versus cloaks, and have worn a fair few in dance productions, so I know about the strangle effect.  Wear a chintzily cut cape with a slippery lining while executing a series of pirouettes, and not only will you run out of oxygen – the director will yell at you for scaring the audience!

My favorite cloak – the one that was guaranteed to stay put on my shoulders – was cut as a donut.  The diameter of the inner circle was large enough that the fabric was gathered to achieve the finished neck dimension, which provided so much ease at the shoulder, that the shoulders kept traction in the gathers, and the whole thing stayed put.  So I think I’ll try to recreate that.  It looks like I’ll need three 60" x 80" blankets.