Rain skirt

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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derail3
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Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:49 am
Location: usa san francisco ca

Rain skirt

Post by derail3 »

Recently it has been raining a lot more then normal in California. After a week of pulling on and off rain pants. I started looking for a rain skirt/wrap that would cover the legs from waist to boots that would not require me to take off my boots.

I found a company call “Emergent Designs” www.Rainskirt.com that makes one.

Does anyone have experience with this company or their product? Are there any other rain skirts/wraps you could recommend.
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pelmut
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Re: Rain skirt

Post by pelmut »

derail3 wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:16 am ...Are there any other rain skirts/wraps you could recommend.
Yes, it is easy to make one from a piece of rip-stop nylon tent material.  

Make it from enough material to go around your waist whilst wearing a skirt, with a good overlap plus at least an extra 18" (500mm), the height needs to be long enough to reach from your waist to the ground (it will shorten a bit when you turn the waist band).  Cut it in half to form two panels.  The waistband must finish up shorter than the hem, so cut equal triangles off the sides of each panel to leave the top edge of each panel half the length of your waist plus 6" (150mm); the cut-away triangles taper down to leave the hem full length.

Turn 0.25" (6mm) of the left vertical edge of one panel and stitch it down, turn it again 0.5" (12mm) and stitch it again - then do the same on the right vertical edge of the other panel. Place the panels together with the turned edges on the same side but turned away from each other.  Stitch down the full length of the unturned edge and most of the turned edge except for about 8" (200mm) at the top.  Turn the skirt inside out and stitch down the edges again, taking care that the raw edge doesn't protrude through the line of stitches.  Begin this second stitching about 1" (25mm) from the end of the seam and sew towards the open end, turn the material at the end and sew along the length of the seam, then turn the material again and sew back about 1" (25mm).  This prevents the stitches from unravelling later.  Make sure you have left 8" (200mm) of the turned seam unstitched to form an opening that can be overlapped to tighten the waistband.

Turn 0.5" (12mm) of the waistband edge and stitch it down.  Turn 1.5" (37mm) of the waistband and stitch it down.  Stitch about 6" (150mm) of Velcro to each of the ends of the waistband where they will overlap.  At this point the skirt is inside out, so turn it the right way around.  Wear the skirt with the seams at the side, the overlap will be found to give convenient access to pockets in the skirt beneath (if you are lucky enough to have one with side pockets).  If the ground is already wet when you put the skirt on, pull it on over your head.


[If you have a zig-zag machine or an overlocker, you may be tempted to do the seams a different way, but the "French seam" described above is preferable because it acts as a drainpipe for any water that gets through the stitching.  Similarly, I have not suggested turning the bottom hem because it will only hold water and isn't necessary on tent material which is prevented from fraying by the waterproof coating.]
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Fear i Sciorta Dubh
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Location: Ireland

Re: Rain skirt

Post by Fear i Sciorta Dubh »

pelmut wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:30 am
derail3 wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:16 am ...Are there any other rain skirts/wraps you could recommend.
Yes, it is easy to make one from a piece of rip-stop nylon tent material.  

Make it from enough material to go around your waist whilst wearing a skirt, with a good overlap plus at least an extra 18" (500mm), the height needs to be long enough to reach from your waist to the ground (it will shorten a bit when you turn the waist band).  Cut it in half to form two panels.  The waistband must finish up shorter than the hem, so cut equal triangles off the sides of each panel to leave the top edge of each panel half the length of your waist plus 6" (150mm); the cut-away triangles taper down to leave the hem full length.

Turn 0.25" (6mm) of the left vertical edge of one panel and stitch it down, turn it again 0.5" (12mm) and stitch it again - then do the same on the right vertical edge of the other panel. Place the panels together with the turned edges on the same side but turned away from each other.  Stitch down the full length of the unturned edge and most of the turned edge except for about 8" (200mm) at the top.  Turn the skirt inside out and stitch down the edges again, taking care that the raw edge doesn't protrude through the line of stitches.  Begin this second stitching about 1" (25mm) from the end of the seam and sew towards the open end, turn the material at the end and sew along the length of the seam, then turn the material again and sew back about 1" (25mm).  This prevents the stitches from unravelling later.  Make sure you have left 8" (200mm) of the turned seam unstitched to form an opening that can be overlapped to tighten the waistband.

Turn 0.5" (12mm) of the waistband edge and stitch it down.  Turn 1.5" (37mm) of the waistband and stitch it down.  Stitch about 6" (150mm) of Velcro to each of the ends of the waistband where they will overlap.  At this point the skirt is inside out, so turn it the right way around.  Wear the skirt with the seams at the side, the overlap will be found to give convenient access to pockets in the skirt beneath (if you are lucky enough to have one with side pockets).  If the ground is already wet when you put the skirt on, pull it on over your head.


[If you have a zig-zag machine or an overlocker, you may be tempted to do the seams a different way, but the "French seam" described above is preferable because it acts as a drainpipe for any water that gets through the stitching.  Similarly, I have not suggested turning the bottom hem because it will only hold water and isn't necessary on tent material which is prevented from fraying by the waterproof coating.]
Fair play to you pelmut. If that is the easy way to make one, I’d hate to see a more difficult method.

If it was left to me, I’d just have to bring a towel!!!!
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