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[SkiBlue1737]

All right! Time to get started!

This is my soft parts WIP thread for my original design concept, found here.

Based off this concept, below is a checklist for the soft parts that are needed. I'll be updating it as I go.

• wrap-able cowl
• waist sash
• girth belt (w/ utility pouches)
• small/short loin cloth
• shin wraps
• boots
• gloves
• flight suit
• vest
• weapon holsters

Obviously, some pieces are going to be purchased, like the boots and possibly the gloves, but the rest I'll be making/learning to make myself. I've got a good deal of sewing experience, so this should be relatively simple for me to accomplish. I'm hoping to spend that extra time and effort to make higher quality pieces.

On that note, this is what I've got started so far. Good news: I've started collecting the pieces I need to start work on my soft parts. Bad news: waiting for deliveries. I ordered fabric swatches, as I don't like to get fabric unless I can see and feel it first. There's a big fabric store by my house, but I wanted to try out some stretch fabric for the flight suit, which they don't usually have a big selection on.

Here are the boots I'm going with:


They're the color I wanted and not the stupid "slouchy" style so the shin wraps should be able to go over them easily. There's a side zipper that only goes half-way up the inner side, so those will be easily hidden with the wraps. And I shouldn't trip and fall (can't stand chunky/platform heels).

Wrap-able cowl should be in the bag, though it might need to wait until I have my bucket. Burda has a free pattern/tutorial on how to make one, so that's where I'll be starting.

Before I go any further, I want some opinions on female flight suits (I couldn't find an answer about this anywhere). I've done a lot of research and looking at examples, and it seems that the ladies get a bit more leeway with the flight suits and vests. By leeway, I mean that some appear more form-fitting than what the guys have. Is it just me, or is this true, and is this acceptable? I have a pattern in mind for my flight suit, but I wanted to double check and make sure it'd be acceptable. Granted, I don't think I want it that tight personally, so I might end up modding it slightly for a looser look that's still close, but not skintight. It has the lines that I want for the suit and is designed for stretch fabric, which I wanted to make the suit out of. I was looking for an honest opinion. If it works, cool. If not, I won't lose sleep over it. My back-up would easily be to make a two piece set out of the same fabric that can easily be hidden with the vest and the sash.

One final piece of update: in the next week or so, I'll be making a duct tape dress form, so I can draft up a vest pattern and armor pieces. I'm kind of excited about getting wrapped up in duct tape.

[Tal Kote]

Wow! Those boots look exactly like the ones that I'm going to be using for mine.



Flight suits! When it comes to me almost anything of a small size will fit me perfectly without having to do any modifications. I have tested an old pair of scrubs to ensure that it fits right. Though the old pair are from school and I still use them, but scrubs in my opinion offer that two-peace effect (that way one can use the bathroom easily) and can be easily hidden by a waist sash, girth belt, and the vest. I'm not that kind of person either who want's a skin tight flight suit, but instead something that will offer a great deal of comfort.

I'm not an OM to say that would work, and would wait for one to chime in. However, what you have so far looks great. Can't wait to see more.

[SkiBlue1737]

Wow! Those boots look exactly like the ones that I'm going to be using for mine.

Flight suits! When it comes to me almost anything of a small size will fit me perfectly without having to do any modifications. I have tested an old pair of scrubs to ensure that it fits right. Though the old pair are from school and I still use them, but scrubs in my opinion offer that two-peace effect (that way one can use the bathroom easily) and can be easily hidden by a waist sash, girth belt, and the vest. I'm not that kind of person either who want's a skin tight flight suit, but instead something that will offer a great deal of comfort.

I'm not an OM to say that would work, and would wait for one to chime in. However, what you have so far looks great. Can't wait to see more.

Haha, I do believe they are exactly the same boots, just different colors!

I was hoping to mix comfort and close-fitting somehow. If that pattern works, I plan on making a mock-up to decide what direction I'd like to go with it. I kind of like the idea of subtle two-tones in the pants part (kind of like Sabine's), since the torso will be covered by a vest; the challenge will be finding appropriate grey colors. If I need them, there's a scrubs outlet about 15 minute drive from my house, but I'm hoping to custom-make the soft parts as much as possible. It's so much fun and can be so rewarding, even if it hurts the wallet a little.

Thanks for the input! I've been quietly stalking your WIP, waiting for your updates.

[Tal Kote]

Well which ever route you take I'm sure it'll turn out awesome LOL!

I was reminded that thrift stores can be a mando's best friend. Of course my luck with finding stuff in a thrift store isn't to good. But I myself am thinking of hitting the local walmart up to get a general idea for my scrubs. I want to have all my soft goods finished up before I start on actual armor plates. Make it a little more easier to get the plates to fit just right LOL! I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

[SkiBlue1737]

Well which ever route you take I'm sure it'll turn out awesome LOL!

I was reminded that thrift stores can be a mando's best friend. Of course my luck with finding stuff in a thrift store isn't to good. But I myself am thinking of hitting the local walmart up to get a general idea for my scrubs. I want to have all my soft goods finished up before I start on actual armor plates. Make it a little more easier to get the plates to fit just right LOL! I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

I actually found a few pieces at the thrift store this past weekend that I'm either using as a reference or going to be the base of my duct tape dress form. If you don't have much luck, try going to different stores or trying different days. I'm in driving distance of about half a dozen thrift stores, and they're all in different parts of town, so they'll have a variety of different things.

I'm doing the same thing with the same thought in mind; soft parts first, then armor pieces, helmet, weapons, and gauntlets (those last two will probably be the hardest parts for me). I want to get started, but I hate this waiting... >.<

[SkiBlue1737]

Things have arrived!! [Apologies for the amount of photos and ramblings when no real decision as been made yet. >.<]

Pattern envelope back:



Turns out the pattern I'd been wanting to use has the option of having an invisible zipper in the back of the suit that goes all the way up through the collar. Since that's exactly what I wanted, SCORE. Yeah, it might be easier to use the restroom with a two piece suit, but I really like the lines and look of this suit for a sneak thief, going for this kind of look.



The fabric swatches arrived with it. There's a lot (I added the swatches that I've collected for various reasons from the past year as well, but you can't see them in this photo). I got a mix of greys, blacks, and burgundy. Most of the extra soft parts will be black, since that's the only real non-clashing color combination that I could come up with. I might add a splash of burgundy in the shin wraps in the form of little strap ropes or something, but I'll wait to see what it looks like as it comes together.



Here's a good shot of the two greys, black, and burgundy together in a line. This is the only shot I could get without the lighting of my "office" washing out the colors. The grey (can't decide which one) will be used for the suit. They're mostly all stretch fabrics, as I was thinking that the majority of her soft parts would be easier to move in if that's what they were made out of. However, I know the vest needs a stronger material, and I'd like it to have something more durable.



I got this gunmetal leather to see what it looks like, and I kinda fell in love with it. I'm not sure what I could possibly use it for in this kit, as it's a very light color, but I will keep thinking. I'd love to use it for the vest, but that's almost like saying "LOOK AT ME, I'M A TARGET!" Though, I'm starting to wonder if it'll work for a utility belt, as I wanted her to have pouches to put tools in.



I won't settle on anything just yet. I plan on visiting the giant fabric store by my house this weekend to see what else is available to me (so I don't have to wait for anything else to arrive, just to make a decision). The boots should arrive next week, which should help in selecting which fabrics to use.

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[Kavryn Falco]

If you don't want to use that leather for your vest, I think it would make a great girthbelt.

The vest material ought to be sturdy and nonstretchy. Most people go for duckcloth, although leather is also a solid option. I wouldn't recommend pleather or vinyl - too hot.

[SkiBlue1737]

If you don't want to use that leather for your vest, I think it would make a great girthbelt.

The vest material ought to be sturdy and nonstretchy. Most people go for duckcloth, although leather is also a solid option. I wouldn't recommend pleather or vinyl - too hot.

Now that you mention it, I think making it into the girth belt is the way to go. Thanks!

I appreciate the tip about certain fabrics; I'd like to avoid getting too hot in the vest as much as possible. Pleather and vinyl also don't look very good in my opinion, at least for a vest that holds armor. I'm hoping to scout out some good choices for the vest this weekend

[SkiBlue1737]

Well, some good news and some bad news.

Bad news: my previously not-so-serious car issues have turned into quite serious car issues. I wasn't able to make it to the fabric store this weekend. And I will probably be using my costuming budget money to fix it. Will have to wait until November to purchase more supplies.

Good news: my boots have arrived! I was so excited yesterday that I put them on immediately when I returned home from work and didn't take them off until close to bedtime. >.< Having them in my possession should make selecting a fabric for the flight suit much easier.

[Tal Kote]

Wanna know the craziest thing I've been doing with my mando boots? I've been using them in my job interviews. Yeah crazy but they look really good with the semi formal clothing I have for interviews. Lol! Still using them for my overall mando kit. Great job vod!

[SkiBlue1737]

Wanna know the craziest thing I've been doing with my mando boots? I've been using them in my job interviews. Yeah crazy but they look really good with the semi formal clothing I have for interviews. Lol! Still using them for my overall mando kit. Great job vod!

That's awesome! Why not use them for more than one thing? Sounds like they work really well for that application! I was going to wear them this weekend, but because my work shoes don't breathe very well, I tend to wear sandals on the weekends to let my feet air out. :/ My apologies for the TMI.

However, car issues have mostly been solved. Serious issues, but a completely AVOIDABLE cause. When I went to get my car inspected in June, I also had the guys change the oil in my car. Those jerks put an oil filter on that was TWO SIZES TOO BIG for my car. It's been leaking oil ever since and finally started seizing up and refusing to start for the past two weeks. Once my husband and I PROPERLY changed the oil and put the right filter on, the check engine light went off, it starts and runs so much better now. NO ONE but my husband and I (and my father) are allowed to do anything to my car anymore. Period.

I'll be updating this post with some final swatch/boot combo pictures to get some advice/suggestions as to which fabric to use for my flight suit. All the swatches have arrived. Almost there! Once I've got the fabric picked out, I'll work on completing the flight suit. Once that's done, picking out fabric for the rest of the soft parts should be quick and easy.

[Tal Kote]

Exactly! I've been thinking that but our weather is a little to warm for that, and my feet sweat like crazy. Yeah sorry for my TMI LOL!

Overall, I am happy that your car is fixed aside from the di'kut people putting in an oil filter two sizes to big. C'mon now! I do get where you are coming at though. My dad is the only one who will touch my car, because those "certified" mechanics don't know what to do sometimes.

Can't wait for more progress

[SkiBlue1737]

Exactly! I've been thinking that but our weather is a little to warm for that, and my feet sweat like crazy. Yeah sorry for my TMI LOL!

Overall, I am happy that your car is fixed aside from the di'kut people putting in an oil filter two sizes to big. C'mon now! I do get where you are coming at though. My dad is the only one who will touch my car, because those "certified" mechanics don't know what to do sometimes.

Can't wait for more progress

My father and husband are still surprised that my car is even running after that. I'm super glad it is though.

Also, I saw this is your armor thread:

If you can I'd wait till you get your helmet - I find that getting shoulders proportioned right works best with the helmet. As it is - make them bigger you can trim them down, make them smaller you'd need to make new ones.

I think this means I should give into temptation and buy my helmet now. >.<

More lame updates!

Boots are awesome. Test wore them at work a few times. They're quite comfortable! I kind of wish that they were a little more flexible, and the bottom/sole was softer, to allow for quieter footfalls. I feel like that would've played better to the sneak-thief character concept, but it was REALLY HARD to find anything like that, and I didn't want to modify softer sole shoes to look like boots. Most that I found were the ballet flats, and I cannot wear those to save my life.

All fabric swatches are here. I'm just being difficult about choosing the fabric for the flight suit. Once I decide on one though, my progress should start flying by.

Here are the swatches, with and without the boots:













I tried my best to get the colors to show accurately with my camera. I'm definitely leaning more towards the grays and not the slate-looking ones. I'm not sure about that dark marble gray at the end; it blends too much into the boots. I was hoping to give them a bit more contrast, even though they'll be covered in shin wraps. I also don't want the flight suit and vest colors to look too similar. I'm kind of torn between the top two left gray fabrics that are on the boot. UGH. SO MANY CHOICES. I figured that once the flight suit done, choosing the right colors for the rest of the soft parts should be much easier. Suggestions and advice welcome!

That red swatch is burgundy. I put it there for a reference, but going back to my original color scheme, I want the color on the armor to have a bit more purple in it.

[Ihala]

I like the boots and I agree with having more of a contrast to the colors, it will photograph better.
As far as the flight suit design, have you considered a two piece?  Basically leggings and long sleeve T?  I say this for two reasons:  that's a lot of detailing and work that will just get covered anyway and (more importantly) it is really a pain to totally have to un-kit for a potty break.

[SkiBlue1737]

I like the boots and I agree with having more of a contrast to the colors, it will photograph better.
As far as the flight suit design, have you considered a two piece?  Basically leggings and long sleeve T?  I say this for two reasons:  that's a lot of detailing and work that will just get covered anyway and (more importantly) it is really a pain to totally have to un-kit for a potty break.

I'm honestly still kind of on the fence about that. It would certainly make wearing and making the flight suit much easier on me. I honestly don't mind the work to put into it, though you do bring up a point that the detail I like so much will end up being covered. I'll see if I can find other patterns to work with, as I'd like to make as much of this kit myself as I can.

Thanks for the advice!