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Snow locks for warmth
A simple way to avoid cold draft is to sew snow locks into your clothing.
In jackets you sew a thinner fabric as an inner jacket from the waistline and down to a couple of centimetres above the fold. End the “inner jacket” with an elastic or rib knit band so the inner bit fits tight around your hips. In this way you prevent cold and snow from getting under the jacket.
The same method
can be used at the sleeve endings and in pants to prevent cold from entering the legs.
Another way which gives similar results is to create drawstrings by sewing on narrow bands and make tunnels for cording.
You can use a thinner nylon cord or a round elastic cord.
Drawstrings for function
A drawstring sewn in this way can also be used to keep details of garments out of the way as in this example where we have sewn it at the jacket sleeve just below the elbow.Sew the band runt the sleeve at a suitable level. To create a channel you have to sew two seams
at the edges of the band.
An alternativ is to sew the band on the inside of the sleeve and use eylets to create two holes for the cord. Pull the cord through the channel and let the two ends of it hang out. Use a cord lock.
Now you can pull the sleeve tight and for example keep it in place above the elbow.
This is a good way to prevent tear and unneccessary wear of the sleeve folds when being outdoors using a wheelchair in bad weather.
Another way of pulling the sleeve end up to prevent tearing is to sew a drawstring along the length of the sleeve’s lower part. Sew a band with two channels (three seams) from the wrist up to the elbow. Leave the end of the channels open. Pull a cord through one of the channels from the elbow to the wrist. Continue pulling it through the other channels back to the elbow again.
The two ends of the cord stick out next to each other through the channels at
the elbow end. By pulling them tight and using a cord lock you wrinkle the lower part of the sleeve and shorten it. A shorter sleeve in bad weather means less tearing.
Drawstrings are useful when you want to be able pull clothing aside at times and leave in place at other times. They are simple to insert and you can use them in all types of garments.
Band, cords and locks can be found in sewing stores with larger stock.
