1. DIY BLAZE ORANGE COMPLIANCE Ghillie:
Predator hunters, military snipers, paintball warriors and wildlife photographers know the advantages of a ghillie suit over standard camouflage patterned clothing. Simply put, IT WORKS. Really well, in fact. If it didn't, they wouldn't use it. PERIOD! Regardless if how realistic a particular printed camouflage pattern is, it is still only two-dimensional. It relies on shading, printed shadows and artwork layering to give the perception of depth. Three-dimensional clothing uses the added technique of material layering to produce naturally occurring shadows and depth. I wanted to make a 100% legal ghillie alternative to aid big game hunters around the country. Some states allow the use of blaze camouflage patterns, but for the sake of brevity, I chose solid blaze orange. To view a list of the various state requirements for blaze orange clothing, click on the following link: www.www.ihea-usa.org/hunting-and-shooting/requirements/hunter-orange-requirements
The centuries-proven application of three-dimensional concealment principles allows a working compromise between high visibility for hunter safety and reduction of the human head silhouette and outline for decreased focal ability and object discernment of big game animals.
The centuries-proven application of three-dimensional concealment principles allows a working compromise between high visibility for hunter safety and reduction of the human head silhouette and outline for decreased focal ability and object discernment of big game animals.
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The Supplies
Choose different textures, as you are restricted by the blaze orange compliance. Cut any fleece, polyester mesh, broadcloth about 1 inch wide. This way, should a game warden stop you and question the require square-inch coverage requirement, you can reasonably show or measure the proper coverage. For the other materials, specifically the stranded varieties, any of the fashion yarns like the Red Heart Scrubby (pictured above) or eyelash yarn provide dramatic texture variations. Regular yarn and paracord can also be used. Tie the material to an 18" x 24" or 24" x 24" piece of orange netting. If you can't find orange netting, you can buy white netting and dye it orange. RIT dye in the Tangerine color will come the closest, without having to mix different dye colors. Tie or safety pin the netting to the desired hat, making sure your vision is not obscured. I recommend that you treat your blaze orange ghillie with a UV blocker like Atsko's UV-Killer. You can also make similar ghillie panels to attach to an outer garment or safety vest.
2. GOING "ORGANIC" WITH A CABBAGE & SPRAY PAINT MODIFICATION
Australian camouflage pattern developer David Clode shared this really interesting spray paint modification with me to better enhance commercially available camouflage patterns. David chopped up a head of cabbage, sprinkled the cuttings on a T-shirt, and then spray painted over portions of the shirt. You're not limited to cabbage. Try using kale, celery, anise (fennel), or other lettuce varieties. Here is a link to his full website article, https://camouflagepatterns.wordpress.com/multicam-spray-paint-modifications/ Below are some photos of the process:
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Photos owned and provided by David Clode. Used with permission.