[Jararvellir] OT: Help with making a winter coat

[Linda Olson]

Greetings from Josceline.

Denis Zdanovsky wrote:

>I want to make a winter coat for myself.
<SNIP>
>Are there any other options which are cheaper
>but just as effective, and where could these materials be acquired?

If you plan to make a coat strictly to save money, it may be cheaper to 
purchase one than to make it yourself.  Believe it or not, it is usually 
more expensive to purchase fabric than to purchase a completed garment.  
Although a high-end winter coat at a sporting goods store, or an upscale 
clothing store, may run $100 or more, they can be had much more cheaply at 
discount stores (or thrift stores if, like me, you don't mind gently-used 
clothing).  St. Vincent De Paul on Williamson Street typically has their 
leather coats on sale sometime in late November or early December; they also 
have a wide variety of other winter coats for cheap.

If you plan to make a coat because you want a custom fit, or a custom 
design, you should go to a fabric store like JoAnn's or Hancock (check the 
phone book for the location nearest you) and tell an employee what you need 
the materials for, and whether you want a water-resistant outer shell and/or 
a breathable lining. They can suggest appropriate fabrics.  If you want to 
use a high-tech, wicking fabric like Gore-tex (not cheap) and can't find it 
at a fabric store, you may have better luck at R.E.I. (the backpacker's 
one-stop outfitter, on the west side of Madison not far from West Towne 
mall) or even Gander Mountain (the mainstream camping, hunting & fishing 
outfitter, on the east side near East Towne Mall).  I'm not sure if they 
would carry it, but you could call and ask.

Good luck.

In service,
Josceline Leveque
(who is much better at buying clothes than making them)

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