Category: Clothing

Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 3 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) Front And Back Seams Now you have two separate pieces and each piece (left and right) has one completed French seam. You can pick front or back for the next seam, I will show with the back. To join them into a single 4-panel piece of cloth use the same French seam procedure. The only difference is to start at the top and only go down the sharp angle Figure 17.   Right sides out, pin from the waistband area down to the sharp angle. Sew with a running stitch. Flip the …


Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 2 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1.) Figures 4 and 5 (below) show a little more of the process of tracing. Note that the shorts themselves are moving around a fair bit.                     Figure 6 shows that using this method of keeping parallel to the seam you will wind up with a gap. That’s not a big deal. Extend the lines out and you’ll be done drafting the pattern. The little error here doesn’t matter. Extend the lines and you’ll be fine. Then cut the pieces out.


Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 1 , by N.C.

Being able to make your own clothing is an old-time skill that shouldn’t have been forgotten. Our forefathers made their own hunting shirts and buckskin leggings out in the wilderness but with modern cheap clothing few of us know how to make our own clothing anymore. I taught myself how to hand-sew garments and what I found is that it is an excellent project for intermittent spare time or for multitasking. It doesn’t tie up all your attention. You can make useful progress in 5 to 10 minutes. It’s easy to pick up and put down. You’re practicing a skill …


What is Old is New Again – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Keeping warm will be another area where we revert back to old ways. I see lots of prepper articles and YouTube videos about sawing wood for heat. Back in the bygone days, one of the daily chores of children was picking up “sticks”. Many of us may remember the old nursery rhythm with the line “five, six pick up sticks”. These sticks were used for cooking. Heat from the daily food preparation was just an added bonus in the colder months. We may want to lower our expectations of post-TEOTWAWKI comfort. Trying …


Merrell Chameleon 7 Stretch Hiking Shoes, by Thomas Christianson

I generally love Merrell hiking shoes for everyday wear. They are usually comfortable, fairly durable, provide good support, and give good traction under most conditions. I recently tested a pair of Chameleon 7 Stretch Hiking shoes. They have a neoprene collar around the ankle and over the top of the arch that makes them extremely comfortable as walking shoes. Unfortunately, the neoprene collar of the Chameleon begins to feel uncomfortably tight if one wears the shoes for an extended period of time while sitting at a desk, driving a car or doing pretty much anything that is not walking. The …


Siege Belts, by Thomas Christianson

I recently tested three Siege Belts: the standard-sized Fury buckle with the “Gray Man” finish, the large oval Frenzy buckle with the “Cloudburst” finish, and the large rectangular Ferocious buckle with the “Gray Man” finish. I found all three belts to be comfortable, versatile, attractive, and strong. The heavy buckles and extra strong straps of all three belts were also perfectly suited to allow the belts to be used as improvised tools for self defense in situations where other more suitable tools might not be available. The belts are all handcrafted in the USA. They were priced at $149 for …


Three Pairs of Gloves, by Thomas Christainson

Gloves protect hands. When I am cleaning the outside wood boiler, gloves protect my hands from burns. When I am clearing snow, gloves protect my hands from frostbite. When I am using a chainsaw, gloves protect my hands from cuts and scrapes. Overview In recent months, I have had the opportunity to test three different pairs of gloves under a variety of different conditions. Mechanix FastFit Coyote Gloves and Gardenline Heavy Duty Work Gloves protected my hands from abrasion, laceration, and cold. Igloos Men’s Leather Driving Gloves protected my hands primarily from cold. The Mechanix gloves were on sale for …


L.L. Bean Wool Cresta Hiking Socks, by Thomas Christianson

Transportation is a wonderful thing. Whether flying a jet aircraft or bumping along in an oxcart on a dirt trail, it is great when someone or something else is expending the energy to carry us and our stuff where we want to go. There are some times and some places where transportation is just not available. At those times and in those places, we are dependent upon our own two feet. In those types of situations, good boots and good socks may be the difference between getting where we need to go and not getting anywhere at all. Foot problems …


Useful Tools For The Homestead, by Hollyberry

I love reading about homesteading back in the late 1800s thru the 1940s. I also like to study photos from earlier times, especially kitchens to see what they used. Back then there was no microwave, Kitchenaids or food processors. What you had was what you had and it better be durable as there was no Walmart around the corner to replace what you just broke. Most household kitchen countertops today are cluttered with all kinds of machines designed to make our lives easier. Today’s homesteader can spend a lot of money on “essential” tools only to sell them off for …


Keen American-Built Boots, by Thomas Christianson

I recently bought a pair of Keen American Built Boots at a consignment store. They cost me $44.99. These Braddock Waterproof Mid Soft Toe Boots run $220 per pair, new. The Keen Braddock mid-cut boots are very sturdy, though the soles are somewhat stiffer than I prefer. They are also extremely warm, making them most suitable for cool weather use. All in all, they are decent boots, and American-made. But they somehow lack that measure of comfort that gives a pair of boots a place of affection in my heart. It may just be that my feet are a funny …


A 12-Month Preparedness Checklist – Part 1, by Reltney McFee

It has been said that amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics. I have attempted to put things aside for rainy days, and, with Mr. Biden at the helm, and Mr. Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation, well, my achy knees tell me that rainy days are a’comin. This last November, I had the epiphany that I needed to check the condition as well as charge of my batteries. This is a task for me semi-annually. I inspect for signs of leakage, I test the strength, using a voltage meter. Radio Shack used to sell them for $10-$20, once upon a time. …


Doing Laundry Off-Grid and DIY Soap Recipes, by E.H.

When living completely off-grid, without either running water or corporate electricity, I wash clothes by hand and that’s okay. One way to maintain a good attitude about hand-washing laundry is to stay on top of it. Facing a mountain of dirty laundry with no washing machine can stir up feelings of dread, so I do it in small batches on a regular basis. I’d rather head for a laundromat when confronted with a big pile of stained and stinky laundry. Days are coming, however, when that won’t be an option, but you can bet things will still keep getting dirty. …


RedHead Ultimate Work Pants, by Tom Christianson

RedHead Ultimate Work Pants have an appropriate name: they are a good pair of pants to wear while working. They are comfortable, durable, stain resistant, and well-cut. The pants, which are manufactured in Bangladesh, are made of a lightweight cotton canvas. They retailed for $39.99 at Bass Pro Shops at the time of this writing. The Backstory I recently decided that two of my pairs of work jeans had reached the end of their useful life. The holes had gotten large enough that I had a hard time getting my feet through the legs of the pants rather than through …


Hiding and Tracking – Part 1, by J.M.D.

I enjoy learning new things and picking up new skills, and the many activities I engage in such as shooting, paintball, backpacking and, of course, prepping give me ample motivation and opportunity to do so. A year or so ago while on a backpacking trip with some friends I met a guy who was a pretty decent tracker, and after he kindly spent some time on that hike showing me some of the basics I decided that tracking (and evading trackers) were some skills that might be useful in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. Since then I’ve taken training classes, read books, …


Silver Fox Army Socks, by Thomas Christianson

I recently bought six pair of Silver Fox brand U.S. Army Men’s Cushion Sole Socks. In terms of comfort and durability, they leave a lot to be desired. In fact, I am so badly disappointed by the performance of the Silver Fox socks that I do not recommend them for field use. If you are desperate, Silver Fox socks are better than no socks at all. But if you have any way of getting Darn Tough Wool Socks, Smart Wool Socks, or another quality brand, then they would probably be a better investment. The Backstory For everyday tasks during the …