OT - campfire blanket

You also need it FIREPROOF. There will be sparks flying around and you don't want something that will melt (like fleece) or go up in flames (like most lightweight synthetics).

Cotton treated with borax and then sprayed with a water-repellent coating from an outdoor shop.

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Thanks, Jack, I did think about that. I am not overly concerned about the sparks - normally I wear a fleece jacket to the campfire (if cold), and yes, it has a couple of melted spots, but it never did melt through.

But I definitely would consider coating.

Thanks, Hanne in London

What about wedges of denim from the legs old, worn out, soft blue jeans for the outside? The patches should look nice against it. Then a nice polished cotton (or high quality batik?) for the lining... that would give a bit of 'slippery' to the lining.

Leslie & The Furbabies in wet, wet rainy, thunder-y MO.

Leslie,

You are right, that would look really good, but ... I have to carry this beast around with me to get to/from camp. I think it would just be too heavy. It also would take forever to dry out if it got wet at camp.

But I do like the idea of maybe using batik for lining.

Thanks!

Hanne in London

Fair enough- I didn't think that far ahead. There's a lovely cotton that looks similar to worn jeans- chambray, maybe? Not real sure of what it's called, but it's very similar in appearance. Also, there's a brushed cotton with a suede type feel to it- my 450 count bedsheets feel like that after several washings. A soft blue color would work and have a similar appearance to worn jeans to really set off your patches. BTW How would the patches dry after being wet??? Is that an issue?

Leslie & The Furbabies >> What about wedges of denim from the legs old, worn out, soft blue jeans

The patches (newer ones anyway) are mostly synthetic, and so drying is not an issue :-) And all my old ones which are not all synthetic are very thin, woven ones, as opposed to the new (mostly embroidered) ones.

Thanks again, Hanne in London

I've got a sweater that is lined with Goretex and is lovely and windbroof. The Goretex actually looks like a navy cotton fabric with a slight sheen, and is very lightweight

Might be difficult to find though

I wouldn't use fleece or anything too fuzzy. Fuzzy fabric gets just full of stickers and twigs and grass bits and everything else you don't want. My dad used an old army blanket, turned it into a poncho, and stuck patches from various scouting events all over it. It is not very lightweight, however.

liz young > Apologies for being off topic, but this does involve sewing, and you

How about ripstop nylon for the outside.

Julia > Apologies for being off topic, but this does involve sewing, and you

From my own experience in camping and Middle Ages re-enacting I know that "frozen back while roasting the face" feeling quite well. My own cape is cotton crushed velvet but I think a nice medium weight of wool would work better with less weight. Wool breathes better so it is cooler when it's warm, and yet warm when it is cold out. Good wool isn't scratchy and can be machine washed. The velvet is heavier, but oh it looks awesome.

Avoid too long a cape. You don't want one that drags the ground behind you as you walk, or that you could step on and trip while walking near a fire.

Avoid lightweight or flowing material as it is likely to catch a breeze and be blown towards flames. Lightweight fabrics won't give you the warmth you want either.

You should avoid man-made fibers like the plague because they melt and stick on the skin if they catch fire. Think cotton flannel rather than fleece. The flannel will drape better and it will look nice for a longer period of time too.

Pre-wash all fabrics before sewing.

Darker colors with a pattern don't show dirt as much as light or solid colors. Avoid directional patterns since you want to do a circular cape.

Whatever you use for a lining, don't attach it to the outer material along the bottom edge. If you do, you will have a very odd looking cape after you wash it a time or two. Just hem the bottom edge of the lining.

Debra in VA See my quilts at

Very unsafe around a fire. Debra in VA See my quilts at

Having read Debra's post, I thought: how about cotton sweatshirt fabric? If you used that for the outside, and lined it with cotton flannel, you'd be toasty, it would be quite light, look good and reduced danger of fire. Sounds ideal to me!! . In message , Hanne Gottliebsen writes

This makes me think of boiled wool -warm, washable and fire resistant! Looks classy too, and will repel light rain. You can make your own -find a good big piece of wool flannel in a light to medium weight and toss it in the washer and the dryer. It will turn into a smaller piece, which you can then make into a cape and wash on the wool cycle as needed. Cotton flannel for lining would be cozy. (Pre-shrink that too!) Roberta in D

"Debra" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Debra,

I've got a couple of catalogues from fabric stores in Denmark (I have much better access there than in the UK), and _all_ their wool (and wool mix) is dry clean only.

What/where should I look for to find washable wool (which would be ideal for me, I think).

Hanne in London

Debra wrote:

Roberta,

How long is a piece of string?

No, really, how much is wool likely to shrink, and in both directions or only lengthwise?

Of the wider bolts, if I lost 10% of the width that would be ok, but a lot more and it would end up begin shorter than I want (or pieced, which I _really_ don't want).

And what kind of wool fabric would you look for? How thick, how loose, called something special?

Thanks,

Hanne in London

Roberta Zollner wrote:

I found some online which is 67% wool and 33% polyesther, and another one which is 75/25 wool/pylo, both washable.

This does have polyesther, but do you all think it is wool enough to be safe enough around a fire? As in won't melt, not as in untouchable!

Thanks,

Hanne

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

Get a sample and test! I did a piece that shrank 5-7%, not bad. Wool flannel suiting, or maybe wool gabardine. Not sure how wide you need, but piecing isn't the end of the world, especially if you're lining it with something. Roberta in D

"Hanne Gottliebsen" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:f4j5hc$t70$2@qmul...

Both polyester and wool are "self-extinguishing" -- remove the source of the flame and the fabric goes out. Melted poly drips. Wool does not.

Can you ask for a sample and do a burn test to see if you like what happens when it is burned?

LL Bean has washable wool blankets:

do Fairibault Pendleton: Pendleton also does lighter weight machine washable wool fabrics for garment manufacturing -- I'm sure they can tell you if there's any yardage available: How much shrinkage and what the hand will do when you wash "dry clean only" woolens is difficult to guesstimate. Loosely woven fabrics tend to shrink more than closely woven ones; closely woven ones can become quite felted. Worsteds show less of a change with washing than woolens.

Kay

Remember polyester MELTS and will stick to your skin like lil beads.

Butterfly (remember something from Home Ec)