To start with, we're going to need to get our ducks in a row by procuring the proper amount/type of materials to make this happen.
For your checklist you'll need:

- (1) Military surplus blanket (or 2+ yards of 60"wide 20 oz. weight wool cloth) or Polar fleece

- (80) yds. heavy duty polyester outdoor thread
- (40) yds 1/2","iron on" seam tape (makes stitching alot easier and keeps stretchable fabrics from bunching with non-stretchable fabrics)
- (10) denim needles (should be #8-#10 duty?)
- (300) yards of heavy duty upholstery thread (2-3 rolls should do)
- (3) sq. ft. 2-3oz. leather
- (1) spool 65 lb. braided fishing line (spectra.. firewire, power pro, spiderline)
- (5) snap assemblies - stainless/brass are best
- Some leftover hardwood
- Superglue - cyanacrylate
- (10-12) bamboo cooking skewers (get more if you want to make kabobs when your done)
Optional accoutrements:
- (3) yds of waterproof breathable laminate (like goretex, entrant, schoeller, etc.)
- (2+) yards of soft, slick, breathable liner material
- wooden beads, antler tips for button toggles
- leather lacing (latigo is best)
- D rings
- 6' Hook and loop sew on tape
- jacquard ribbon trim (comes in thousands of styles, and can be used in conjunction with topstitching to create a very unique contrasting piping/trim look)

Additionally, your going to need the following:
- A marker to add lines and tick marks. Sharpies and similar medium point markers work fine.
- Sharp scissors
- Long straight edge (24"+) can be a piece off of a cardboard box, yardstick, piece of scrap wood, etc.
- Safety Pins
- Paper stapler. Good for mock-ups, and keeping the liner from shifting
- A friend, Family member, or Slave. Opinions and advise are a few of the things they can offer.
- Hole punch. A piece of small diameter metal tubing works also.
- Awl or similar punch for working with the wool
- Leather conditioner/preserver/waterproofer. Lots of people have their favorites like neatsfoot, mink oil, beeswax, etc. I have a preference to neatsfoot on chrome tanned leather.

Now, lets justify our choice of materials by explaining how each one is the best for it's role in this project.

Why Wool? Wool is the oldest form of processed insulation known to man. Over thousands of years, wool has, and will continue to be, the most efficiently accessable form of insulation that nature can provide. While it's weight is higher than many other types of insulation, it's application properties outweigh it's cons. It stilll provides warmth when wet. It does not compress (thereby losing insulative properties). It sheds rain and snow. It  is, by contrast, the strongest protein based fiber... capable of of being twisted and folded upon itself 100's of thousands of times without weakening. It is extremely abrasion resistant. It smothers embers rather than propogating the heat to surrounding fibers (comparison - drop an ember on wool and any synthetic... synthetics will burn straight through). It insulates both ways... keeping you cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather.

Why Breathable laminates? Something good came out of all the synthetic science and it happened to be a laminated piece of material. Original goretex was a great idea. It worked, as intended, to a certain point. When extreme temperatures were greater than the permeability of the laminate, water vapor molecules (from your perspiration) would freeze within the microscopic holes causing the laminates to act as a vapor barrier (i.e.- a solid impermeable membrane). This created a soggy interior and ultimately comfort became an issue. Our intent is to use the barrier in areas where is can stop the most wind, but also allow for a fallback to perspiration resulting from extreme physical exertion. We're going to place it on the front and back body panels and on the shoulders. When was the last time you needed wind protection in your armpits?
Also, If laminates are out of your budget, There are other options. Uncoated (no urethane or sealers for waterproofing) Supplex, taffeta (like camping tent rainflys), and lightweight ripstop nylons can be used in place of any laminate. Their tight weave and breathability stop 90% of the wind and still allow perspiration to escape.

Why polyester thread? Polyester is more stable than other synthetic or natural fibers. It is affected less by moisture, UV rays, chemicals, and heat. Nylon, cotton, silk and various composites are inferior. You may ask, well, why don't we use a kevlar or aramid based thread? These are applicable to certain areas of our project. Aramids do not stretch. Not being able to move with the fibers with which they are locked with will cause surrounding areas to wear more quickly. More on this as we move through the design.

What? Why use seam tape? Can't i just use pins/clips? Boy, was this a trial by error thing. the materials we are using have different limits to their stretch. While wool had an equal stretch on X and Y, when pulled diagonally it would stretch 10% more. Laminates, such as we are using, have almost NO noticable stretch. When both of these are laying on top of each other and being pulled through the sewing machine by the feed dog, the resistance on the pressure foot causes them to slowly misalign along the length as we sew. This difference in material stretch  can leave you with an outer wool shell  1" longer than the liner. That sucks when that happens because you'lll have to pop the seam and restart... all the while mentally attempting to compensate for stretch along a given length. Iron on seam tape is inserted between the 2 materials and heat from an iron bonds the materials together. This limitss the stretch indifference between the materials. The tape is also much easier to use when feeding through your machine.

Optional stuff:
Liner material - this is great if you plan on colder weather. if the liner is not slick, getting in and out of your anorak may be difficult because of friction from your underlayers. synthetics are an excellent choice. Try sourcing out old lightweight curtains that have ribbing (similar to corduroy). These ribs trap heat, and and the thread direction enables you toslip it on and off like butter.

Leather - Chrome tanned is the best because of its water resistance. Don't be tempted to get that nice oak tanned 3 oz. on sale. It will wearout in a few seasons. Keep the leather at ~3 oz. weight, any less and you'll wear out, any more and sewing the stuff on will frustrate to no end. It isn't necessary to add leather around all terminations (cuffs, neckline, lower hem, pockets)... sometimes just the wool itself hemmed out is more durable.. especially around the high wear areas like cuffs and pockets. You'll also need some good 8 oz. leather lacing for the fasteners.

60 lb. spectra/dyneema fishing line? huh? what? You definately are going to use this if you plan on finishing with leather. This is the most chemical proof, indestructable fastening notion for our project. it's low wear and bulletproof construction make it a contender for high wear, low stretch areas. after a couple of seasons, you are going to want to wash this thing, and tossing it in the washing machine is out of the question. Water logged leather needs to be brought back to life with some good conditioner and a little love. aramid based threads are impervvious to this treatment and will hold up much better than any other thread.

D-Rings - are great for lash points. When you need a place to tie something off or fasten something too, d-rings are a quick and simple way to achieve this. One sewn in the pocket for keys or a few on the sides  can go a long way. Brass is preferred.

Hook & Loop, Velcro? What is this atrocity? Yeah it's 80's. It makes a lot of noise and i personally hate it on anything outdoors. BUT, it's the simplest and most perfect way to add an opening, at the lower hem,  for stuffing extra insulation. This is an option descibed in more detail later.

Jacquard trim - Well ain't that purdy! sometimes the nonstop grizzly Adams look just won't cut it with the ladies. After a long hard winter in the woods, the nearest bar sounds like a great idea. But we can't go crawling in there looking like a homeless trapper (don't even ask me for advice on smell ;). So enter the trim. Now you can look like a sophisticated french trappour and delight the femmes with your snazzy celtic trimmed hem.... ahem! There are plenty of places to add trim, and some are not as gaudy as the entire trimline would have you believe. Low key, natural colors make excellent additions and many share cultural background designs that would look good on any article of clothing. Nordic, Celtic, Russian, Chinese, Greek, and Inuit are just a few of the cultural designs i've run across.

Now, lets...
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