(Black)berry picking chaps

I love blackberries but I hate getting torn up by the thorns while picking them.  I (like many others) have a strong reaction to even the smallest poke so I bundle up but my jeans never protect me enough to want to wade in.  I often sacrifice the best berries because they are just out of reach.  Earlier in the summer, a friend suggested getting hunting chaps to help with this.  I looked into them and decided they were too expensive.  But it got my mind going and I decided to make my own.  I'm not a quick seamstress or the most handy creative person so it took me awhile to actually finish them.  Unfortunately, I didn't get them done in time to actually use them this berry season but I pushed through to finish them anyway so they will be ready for next year.

I basically modeled them after my chainsaw chaps, although I didn't use them as an outline, just the basic idea.  I took a couple pairs of thrift store jeans that I had decided I didn't actually like after all but hadn't donated back yet.  I also had some cloth pads that I no longer needed and wanted to use for something rather than tossing them.  (Ideally something that wouldn't offend anyone's sensibilities.)  So those became the padding in my chap jeans sandwich.  The only money I spent on these was the buckles because I didn't already have something that I felt would work as well.

They are a bit baggy and kind of twist on one leg and if this ends up being an issue, I'll trim them a bit or add another buckle to each leg.  I also might need to lower the buckle on the calf as well.  But those will be minor adjustments and I'm happy with how they turned out.

Of note: I did bruise my sewing  machine a bit in the process.  It wasn't set up for sewing the thick areas on jeans and I pushed it too hard at one point.  Broke some of the plastic off the foot and snapped a needle.  But I replaced the needle and didn't miss the plastic (yet).  So, if you are inspired and decide to make your own with jeans and you're also a bit of a sewing novice, keep that in mind.

I'll report back after I use them next August.

I never minded a few scratches from them.  I used to get in so much trouble because there was a HUGE berry bramble on the way home from the bus drop off.  I would get home, shredded and purple from eating my way through the berry patch when they were ripe.  That stuff does NOT come out of clothes.  My experience with blackberries is that nothing short of heavy leather works well. Interested to see how well your chaps do.  

Chaps worked well. 8/10. Protected great from the front but the buckles aren't quite tight enough to snugly wrap around and protect the back / sides of upper legs. I'll work with them as is for now but probably modify this winter when I break out my sewing machine.

I'm so happy I made them. Most comfortable picking experience I've ever had.

awesome.

My mother used to say that free blackberries are not free if you tear your clothes picking them. I go with wellies and leave the ones to far in. However I do do something for nettles, I use two thick pairs of trousers and wellies of course. since nettles manage to sting through one pair of jeans.

I do admire your industry and ingenuity!

The berries in the bucket are calling my name. You hear them too.

Interesting solution for picking blackberries!
I did something totally different. Some years ago I took a cutting of a blackberry bush that had very nice berries (a little bigger than the ordinary wild kind), but was also very thorny. I planted the cutting in my back yard, where it grew to be a nice bush. I pruned the bush in shape, so I could reach (almost) all berries from all sides.
Now for this year I picked all ripe berries from it (and made jam) and pruned it very heavily. Next year I want to be able to pick berries from all sides again.

Pruning as it grows its a fantastic idea, and actually something that's mentioned in a lot of catalogs. But, it can be a real challenge, when the berries are truly wild, and insanely out of control, long before you get to the land, like ours are. The terrain here, where much of ours grow (in huge brambly patches) is on hazardous, steep hills, and not conducive to safely getting in there, to prune with larger equipment, and I'm not physically up to doing it by hand. I don't know - maybe if I do it a very little at a time, but I'd still need some form of protection.  I think these chaps are a fantastic idea, whether used for picking, pruning, or both.

Here in France people go blackberry picking armed with a cane with a hook on it. Not your usual walkingstick, but one with a metal hook at the end. You guessed right; no need to lean in too far in the bushbush, you can draw the juiciest berries into picking range with the hook. Clever

My grandmother showed me a great secret for getting berry juice out of fabric. It's amazing how well it works! Pour boiling (truly boiling, not just hot) water slowly from the inside through to the outside. Just keep pouring it slowly, slowly and you will be surprised how the stain fades away. Who would have guessed?

My Dad also showed me how to take a 2x10 or 2x12 or whatever sized board he had laying around and lay it down over the top of the bushes. Pick the near ones, then lay the board over them and start walking. They support it amazingly well and smash them down a bit so you can walk in and get the next ones. Also, we always unwind a wire coat hanger and make a long hook, similar to the cane mentioned earlier. With it you can reach a whole lot more.

Ninas Nature wrote:Here in France people go blackberry picking armed with a cane with a hook on it. Not your usual walkingstick, but one with a metal hook at the end. You guessed right; no need to lean in too far in the bushbush, you can draw the juiciest berries into picking range with the hook. Clever

I'm in northwest Washington and not France, but we do the same thing. Except it is an old hooked walking cane we used, snagged at a thrift store for just this purpose Your post inspires me, though! I might try making a longer one with a metal bicycle hook in an old broomstick for next year.

This is what I finally did: I hacked down all of my thorny volunteers and then I planted thornless blackberries in my orchard. The berries are large and delicious.
Living where I do, Himalayan blackberries are invasive - no square inch of land is safe. When I first moved here I used the keep a small patch for picking (and yes, pruning, pruning, pruning), and hacking out the rest as they appeared. Tired of the blood but still loving blackberries I bought thornless starts. It the best thing I ever did. They take care of themselves and just keep giving.

Now, of course, I still have to hack out the thorny ones but it’s much easier to do it while small. And during the rainy season it’s possible to excise some roots from my heavy clay soil, slowing them down some. I was born and raised in Wisconsin and also lived for long periods in southern Indiana and the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in California (not too far from the “government school” made famous by Steinbeck, and yes, it’s real). None of those places prepared me for the great blackberry takeover. It’s really something.  Without cold cold winters or desert + crazy heat to slow them down, well …..

My rant for the week.

Just a gentle reminder: this thread is in the sewing/fiber arts forums, and is about the chaps, rather than the care, maintenance, and types of blackberries. We do have some great threads about those topics, in the other forums. 😉