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How to Make a Snow Ghillie Suit

Originally designed for gamekeepers in Scotland, and later adopted by military snipers, the ghillie suit is basically a hunting blind that you wear. Hunters now use ghillie suits as well. A ghillie suit is a one-, two- or three-piece outfit that is covered in camouflage that does two essential things: blends the wearer into surrounding colors and contrasts, and breaks up his outline. A do-it-yourself snow ghillie applies these same principles, and it's not complicated to make.

Things You'll Need

Winter insulated overalls
Winter windbreaker with hood
White nylon netting, 2-inch web
12-lb. test fishing line
Sailmaker's needle
Shoe-Goo adhesive
White spray paint
Black jute yarn
White jute yarn

Instructions

- 1
  Lay out the overalls and jacket, with the outer areas facing up. Spray paint the overalls and jacket, including the hood, with white spray paint until they're completely white on the outside.
- 2
  Fit the netting over the fabric of the overalls and jacket, one panel at a time, and cut the netting to fit each panel.
- 3
  Attach the corners of the webbing to the fabric with a drop of Shoe-Goo adhesive, letting each panel dry before doing the next panel. Ensure that the webbing is equally spread over the material to prevent binding.
- 4
  Sew each glued corner of the webbing to the fabric using the sailmaker's needle and fishing line, using at least five stitches per corner. Add another dab of Shoe-Goo to each corner to secure the stitches.
- 5
  Cut the black jute yarn into pieces 10 inches long. Make five-string bundles of 10-inch yarn, then tie each bundle to the horizontal netting at one end, using two overhand knots, and leave tails that are 6 to 8 inches long. Tie five black jute bundles per horizontal web, on 10 randomly selected points throughout the outfit. These will make black and gray spots on the finished ghillie.
- 6
  Repeat the process using white jute yarn, and fill every horizontal web with five bundles of five strings each. With your fingers, twirl the ends of the jute yarn to unravel the tips and make them frizzy.
- 7
  Repeat the process again using white jute yarn, this time filling the vertical webs at the same density. Fray the ends again.
- 8
  Put the suit on, and lightly trim the jute to ensure that your vision isn't obstructed when the hood is on and that the jute isn't in the way of your hands. Wash the suit in cold water and hang it to dry.

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