CURRENT STATUS: (UPDATED 2/22/2019)The flak vest is almost done! I just need to finish up a few "last looks" details, but I plan on posting a pic soon of what all the soft parts I have together at the moment: black flight suit, grey flak vest, grey boots (which need some minor mods to be approvable).
UP NEXT: (UPDATED 2/22/2019)- Girth Belt (same material as vest)
- Boot Mods / Cover Fabrication
- Kama / Loincloth Combo
- Ammo Belt
Hello All,
I'd like to preface this with a link to my concept thread,
which can be found here. But I will re-post the concept art here for convenience:
The End Goal:Version 1 | Version 2 |
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I started working on this and gathering materials about a year ago, but just ended up getting busy and made no real progress until recently. But, I'm finally buckling down to get things moving, and I'm super excited! I've decided to work my build from the inside out (soft parts first, then armor...) and this is what I have so far:
Flight Suit:TOP:Capezio Women's Turtleneck Long Sleeve Leotard (Black, Medium) - $29.50
Bought April 23, 2017 on Amazon (product link) BOTTOM:Baleaf Women's Yoga Barre Workout Stirrup Leggings (Black, Small) - $20.99
Bought April 23, 2017 on Amazon (product link no longer available)NOTE: I plan on covering the logo on the back of the waistband with a similar fabric.
Boots:Halsey, G by Guess (Gray, Women's Size 9) - $46.52
Bought April 23, 2017 on Jet.com (product link)NOTE: The boots have a zipper detail on both the inner and outer facing sides. I plan to cover the zippers with spats/boot covers made out of the same pleather that I'm using for the Flak Vest (shown farther down in the post). The spats will act as a mount for the shin armor.
Flak Vest (Custom):DESIGN SKETCH:PROGRESS PHOTOS!I used an old over-sized t-shirt to plan, pin, and cut the shape of the pattern I wanted (princess seams!). It was not until this point that I realized that the logo on the shirt has always been completely off center
I pulled these pieces off my dress form and drafted a pattern using "Sewable Swedish Tracing Paper" (
product link), making a few modifications to allow for a 5/8 inch seam allowance and an extra flap over the left shoulder where it will all snap together:
PATTERN:FRONT, shown first / BACK, shown last
(outer view for both)
Then I got to sewing!
Adding the neck seal:
... and that's where I am now. I'm currently waiting for my new "snap pliers" to be delivered so I can be sure that the neck and shoulder close properly before adding any cap sleeves and side buckles. Hopefully, I should have them by tomorrow! In the meantime, here are some pictures of the hardware I'm going to use for the snaps and D-rings on the belt buckles for the sides:
I'm really looking forward to hearing any feedback or suggestions! Like I mentioned earlier, I'm really excited about this project. Once I finish up the vest I'll post some photos of what it looks like all together so far with me actually in the gear