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[Kryamla Redalur]

Great progress so far! I’m liking the vest, can’t wait to see more from you.

[KayJ2112]

Thank you all for the support and guidance! I don't think I'd be able to keep going without all of you!

The road goes ever on and on...
(and I know I haven't even gotten to the hardest parts yet!)

Progress continues and it seems like my days are always divided into two parts: A- home & sewing vest; B- work & helmet work

Part A: my vest
It's getting closer at least. Dummy isn't quite the same size as me, so she doesn't fill the vest quite right, but it's a good idea right now for getting the gest. Also, excuse all the many pins. I like to keep them in until I topstitch. Which will be next week.


Still not too sure about that dip in the front, but I'll have a better idea of how to fix that if need be once I have the girth belt. That's hopefully the next paycheck or so Overall, though, I like the way it looks.


Side lacing will have gold grommets. The lacing matches the flight suit.


(Sorry this one's a bit blurry, me and the camera don't actually like each other!) This one has me the most worried at the moment. There is a black weatherproof separating zipper in the back there, which I plan to cover with a panel. I've already been cautioned on back closures being more difficult, especially as I plan to have back plates. I'm leaning toward the split plate design in my above post, which will actually have an exposed spine. Like I said though, I'll cover the zipper with a panel. I suppose I could sew it straight up the back (Velcro neck closing) and depend on the side lacing for actual closure, but I've been warned about that as well for taking the vest on & off repeatedly and quickly. Thoughts? Assurances? Clarification? Ideas?

So that's where that is at the moment. Sitting in the back room on Dummy, waiting until next week to have more work done.

Part B- my bucket:
After taking out the center of the visor, I'm now trying to open up the visor more by mashing up two pieces from two different pep patterns. I am trying to minimalize the amount of structure I'll have to redo and take out of the helmet I've done so far.  So here's the plan right now-


These are the right cheek pieces I want to mash. The top is my current JFSW-Sky cheek piece, but I want the curve of the A7R on the bottom. So I'm going to draft a new cheek piece with the curve of the A7R basically on top of the Sky piece. The pieces between visor and cheek will accordingly be adjusted.


And here are the two right visor pieces that I'm going to mash. Sky and A7R, just like before. I'll need the curve of the A7R to match the cheek piece, and I'll need the Sky to be along the top and the correct depth.  I think this will be the best way to get a bit more of the vision I need. It's doable, right? Now I just have to draft the pieces... yikes!

Actually, I kind of like the drafting part. It's soothing, focusing so much. So while I may be at work right now, I'm going to go work on that, while watching season 5 of Orphan Black.

I really do appreciate all of the feedback and encouragement. It would be very easy to get discouraged or decide to go out on my own and not be official without it. So keep it coming, please! Until next time!

[KayJ2112]

So, it's been a minute since I did an update!

And my kit's only undergone a couple new renditions.

Since the last update, this is pretty much what I had going on


First off, I revamped my vest so that it fit my form a little bit better. 


With the new vest & my design,

 I tried an armor party, nearly had an anxiety attack, then scheduled one on one work & came away with plates!



I started putting together my soft parts, switching from my original idea of a blue flight suit to a black one. And when I did that, my color scheme & paint design suddenly clicked!



I sanded like a mad woman (sanding is my life now)  and got all my plates ready to mount with magnets and then...




PANDEMIC HIT

My job closed down and going back to complete my plate build in a one on one got put on hold. I ended up quitting my job & had lots of time to work on my kit while looking for a new one. I told myself I could wait for the next one on one to finish plates or, ya know, I could give it a go on my own. So I did.



And I made my own holster for a blaster I'd purchased.  Pretty proud of that one as I'd never done leather work before!


When I was finally able to get back to a one on one, we did a lot of fine tuning on the stuff of made on my own, but the biggest task was reshaping and cutting down the chest and back pieces we'd done before. I'd only gone & lost 35 pounds during lock down.





This also meant sanding sort of started all over again. While at the one on one, I tried on a helmet other than the pep one is been struggling with for years & fell in love with it. I bought it a couple of days later & it joined my work pile.



Halloween 2020 was fast approaching & I knew I wanted to wear my kit out for our local trunk or treat, so it was time to start painting! Paint has never been my friend, so it was a nerve wracking thing.  I did a lot of scrap testing to make sure I knew what I wanted & tested out how I'd apply the color design. Then I jumped in. After primer, everything was painted black, followed by red, then gold. Then it was taped off & painted blue. Pulling off the tape was the most amazing experience! It looked EXACTLY like how I'd imagined!!!! I didn't get the helmet done, but it was still fantastic for the outing!













The weather turned cold almost immediately after, so that put further work on hold. I didn't get back to my helmet until spring/ summer 2021, when FanX was officially announced to happen. I knew that even unofficial, I wanted to wear my kit! So I got back to it & repeated previous paint steps & got it all done.






It was amazing the difference having a completed helmet made on the kit!


A little bit of weathering followed, & I was ready for my dietary full day of wearing it out in public with a friend & then a quick meet with 501st & Kraft Clan!




Now, I think after so many years, I think I might be ready to go for approval!