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[D'shon Lorra]

It is done. A pair of jeans that were bound for the rag-bag have been cut down to make a lower-body plate carrier. It has the hip guards attached using chicago screws through hand-sewn button holes and the thigh guards attached by a large velco patch with the carrying straps reinforced with pleather and buckles. Check it out:
1. The layout, with rough cutlines sketched in white oil pastel on worn black denim:
a. front

b. left

c. right

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2. The cuts made and straps added:

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3. And on over yoga pants for giggles (without and with the cod and tail that now share the cod belt):
a. front

and

b. left

and

c. right

and

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When I put the sash and belt-carried pouches on over top, I am sure the only part that will be visible will be the straps. I will eventually talk myself into sewing up the places that are currently safety pinned, but most likely no one will know but me.

The jeans will also live on in the patches now sewn on my black flight suit. Had to give it patches in roughly the same spots as the brown, and the not-quite worn-through denim at the edge of the worn-through places made patches that look like they have been through hell since becoming patches. Because the life of a Maul Mando has not been sunshine and rainbows in the years since Vizsla lost his head...

[D'shon Lorra]

Cross-post from the thread in our Clan Arqet area.
Ruus’Alor Sol’yc took pictures for me on Sunday after much perfecting of placement for the alternate black flight suit. The mottled brown flight suit behaved so much better, it was unsettling: the looser fit caused the entire vest to settle correctly. We were both hot and tired after being out in the direct sunlight so long, so I am not surprised my helmetless pic looks like I fought my way there. It is appropriate.
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1. Armor Kit
-:- a. Front

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-:- b. Right

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-:- c. Left

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-:- d. Back, with cape

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-:- e. Back, no cape

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-:- f. Helmetless   

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2. Weapons - each bayonet rides in a sheath in a spat, so has an outboard face and an inboard face, “inboard” meaning it rests against my leg and isn’t exposed to the world like the outboard face.
-:- a. Outboard, Sheathed

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-:- b. Outboard, Unsheathed   

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-:- c. Inboard, Sheathed

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-:- d. Inboard, Unsheathed

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After discussion with my Ruus’Alor, I am holding the staff in reserve, hoping to let it weather naturally as I practice with it and use it to smack stuff in my backyard.
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These are meant to be application pics, so I will start that process tonight. Happy thoughts, please!

 

[D'shon Lorra]

Feedback has been received and worked off.
1. The list

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The backplate, that I thought I might have to recreate from scratch, proved very easy to make even more curvy: I put it in the oven up on a block so all four corners drooped. Being two layers of 3mm sintra, it developed a couple of new gaps that had to be filled in with apoxie sculpt after it cooled, but that worked out fine and made the edges that touch more weathered. Another Happy Accident.
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I went after every bit of paracord with a sandblock, to fuzz it up, then dabbed fabric dye on to discolor it, but I don't think much of that detail shows in the photos, if any shows at all. If I get dinged for paracord weathering again, I'll just have to take closeups and resubmit.
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If the mods I made to the bayonets to make them more vibro-blade than knife pass muster, I'll post those details another time. I think they look great from an arms' length, but not so much zoomed in.
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2. The updated kit
- a. front

(I swear I was standing as straight as I can, but my left shoulder looks like it is riding higher than my right and throwing the whole chest rig off. I added straps under the plates, to get the spacing of the collar pieces, breastplates, and iron heart just right before attaching them as a unit to the vest.)
- b. right

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- c. back

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- d. back without cape

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- e. left

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- f. helmetless

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3. The updated weapons including the bo staff that I held back in the first place
- a. front

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- b. back

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- c. bayonets front

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- d. bayonets back

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- e. artsy angle to show core of staff

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4. The updated black pouch, now patched, with a paracord and D-ring clasp, and weathering

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The photos have been sent, so now to wait to hear back again. 

[D'shon Lorra]

Cross-post from my thread in the Clan Arqet area.

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Third round of photos have been sent to answer this feedback:
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The session on the sunny day - yesterday - produced some really good shots, but some unusable, so a second session was done today in clouds. Hopefully the mix of the two session will not cause me trouble.
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Paracord weather detail shots were taken to show the fuzziness and dye job:
1. The D-ring carrier on the front

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2. The round ring carrier on the back

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3. The front of my rig

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Backplate shape and edge details:
1. Left side curvature

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2. Right side curvature

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3. Right edge silver vs white sintra

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4. Left side silver vs white sintra

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The standard set to prove I was in my kit for both sessions.
1. Front

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2. Helmetless

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3. Right

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4. Back

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5. Left

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Knees and Thigh plates do not touch, but from the height of someone standing, the angle from the front looking at all of me is usually enough to make it appear the outboard edges touch. Their distance from each other can be seen in the side views. These detail shots were sent to try to remedy that - my photographer was not limber enough to get down on her knees, so this is what I shared.
1. Front in sun

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2. Front in sun, cropped

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3. Side in clouds, cropped

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Maybe the third time will be the charm? 

[D'shon Lorra]

Cross-post from my thread in the Clan Arqet area:
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Thank you all, vode, for the help and kindness over the last two years: it is done!
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Happy email today:

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Many thanks to everyone! And an extra shout out to Michael/Vhekadla Yustapir for one last pointer to the tune of "Why are you avoiding weathering the sash?" because I failed to understand that when the app team pointed out my "paracord belt", they meant my girth belt/sash, especially its brand new shiny mental buckles. I didn't make it from paracord, so I completely misunderstood them and was slow on the uptake. Doh!
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So, it got hit with some dustings of paint (mostly for fun, but the black rubber coating I like did affect the buckles) and then the buckles got filed a bit and allowed to soak in bleach for a couple of hours.
Filing:

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Bleaching:
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To allow me to send in an additional 'after' picture of the belt:

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It seems that was the final piece of the puzzle. 

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Woah, that belt weathered up nice!

Congratulations on your approval!! All that hard work really paid off!

[Aster Veris]

Congrats!!!!