[Low-Tech/High-Tech] Looting and Improvising arms and armour in Victorian London

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Per my husband, who is a tailor, what you're describing would take the better part of a full day

Presumably that depends on the weight of leather, the quality of fit, and the quality of stitching. Taking leather sheets, making holes in them with an awl, wrapping it around the torso, and lacing it together with heavy cord shouldn't be too time consuming (though simply cutting any material suitable for armor is going to be quite time consuming). If you want to shape it so it actually has good coverage and fits well, it's a lot bigger task.

However, I would suggest forgetting about general improvised armor, other than heavy clothing (DR 1 vs cutting) and instead constructing improvised shields.