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[Xplosiv]

Haven't gotten the fabric just yet but was proud of technically my first step in making my soft parts xD



Just wondering if anyone sees any hardware I might be missing? Planning on getting the fabric Tuesday-Wednesday, work schedule permitting. Also, it's been years since I touched one of these things so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

(Ignore the EVA foam. Not for my kit, it's for a different project I'm trying out)

[Two_Bears_HF]

I used the same pattern for my jumpsuit, using a nice mid-weight grey denim. It's turned out really well. Looking forward to seeing how you take it.

[Xplosiv]

Yeah, I saw it on a website of one of the other Mandos here and am thinking about Frankenstein-ing bits from all 3 patterns to give it kind of a reinforced waist area, turning the pockets into reinforced joints, and cutting the thing in half to make it a 2 piece.

I was wondering though, I know basically nothing about different fabrics and was currently planning to go with a grey cotton one I found wandering around JoAnns before grabbing the machine. I figured it'd breath a bit better so I'd be less likely to roast and, if I'm wearing it in a colder environment, I could just throw on some of my old army waffles underneath to warm up. One concern I have though is that, although sintra seems light enough, do you think the cotton would be heavy enough for it without the leg armor I have planned sagging weirdly on it?

Also, how is the denim for yours? I was thinking about that instead but was worried about cooking myself xD

[Two_Bears_HF]

Yeah, I saw it on a website of one of the other Mandos here and am thinking about Frankenstein-ing bits from all 3 patterns to give it kind of a reinforced waist area, turning the pockets into reinforced joints, and cutting the thing in half to make it a 2 piece.

I went with just the X-wing pilot ripoff costume mostly, though modified it to have a double-piece zipper closure in the front instead of the velcro. I wanted a single-piece, but with male-oriented anatomy, still wanted easy washroom breaks. 

I did also reposition the patch pockets to be higher and more front-facing on the thighs, to be more similar to Boba's OG flight suit.

I was wondering though, I know basically nothing about different fabrics and was currently planning to go with a grey cotton one I found wandering around JoAnns before grabbing the machine. I figured it'd breath a bit better so I'd be less likely to roast and, if I'm wearing it in a colder environment, I could just throw on some of my old army waffles underneath to warm up. One concern I have though is that, although sintra seems light enough, do you think the cotton would be heavy enough for it without the leg armor I have planned sagging weirdly on it?

I haven't thought too much about mounting armour directly on it yet, but for my kit, that'll only be the knees, really. I've got the plates cut for my chest already, in 3mm Sintra, and they seem light enough that they should make any decent material sag too much with proper mounting.

Also, how is the denim for yours? I was thinking about that instead but was worried about cooking myself xD

I like the denim, but I'm also in Nova Scotia, Canada, and our big convention (Hal-Con) happens in October/November and there is often snow on the ground already, or if not, incoming cold North Atlantic winds, so I like the extra weight/durability of the fabric. So fabric-wise, I'd suggest not making it too thin, but definitely base your fabric choice be dictated by your local climate.

Here's a link to my concepting thread that has some shots of the almost (pre-leg hem) completed jumpsuit: https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=204291.msg2235359#msg2235359

[Xplosiv]

I went with just the X-wing pilot ripoff costume mostly, though modified it to have a double-piece zipper closure in the front instead of the velcro. I wanted a single-piece, but with male-oriented anatomy, still wanted easy washroom breaks. 

I did also reposition the patch pockets to be higher and more front-facing on the thighs, to be more similar to Boba's OG flight

Yeah, I was thinking about zippers but figured velcro would just be easier in and out xD and I'd probably be fine with the one piece, I'm just worried about the day that would likely eventually come when I really need to feed the sarlacc and don't wanna have to be flinging armor all over the place to, uhhh, make it in time xD

I haven't thought too much about mounting armour directly on it yet, but for my kit, that'll only be the knees, really. I've got the plates cut for my chest already, in 3mm Sintra, and they seem light enough that they should make any decent material sag too much with proper mounting.

I know for me, only thought I've had so far is just velcro if what it seems like some people do is anything to go by. My "end state" is probably gonna be a heavy armor build, but I'm planning on going in stages to help keep me from being too overwhelmed xD probably first stage "complete" would be similar with the light "Boba" amount of armor and then just adding more as I go. I've seen something about recommended 6mm for the plates with 3mm for trauma and that was my plan for it to give it a bit of a "heavier" look, hence my slight "nervousness"(? I guess) about the weight of them.

I like the denim, but I'm also in Nova Scotia, Canada, and our big convention (Hal-Con) happens in October/November and there is often snow on the ground already, or if not, incoming cold North Atlantic winds, so I like the extra weight/durability of the fabric. So fabric-wise, I'd suggest not making it too thin, but definitely base your fabric choice be dictated by your local climate.

Yeah, I'm from the SW suburbs of Chicago, so our winters get decently cold and our summers get decently hot so I'd imagine it'd be hard to make a "one season fits all" kit xD I did settle on a grey denim as well in the end since, as the missus and I were wandering around JoAnn, we found some and just felt better about the thickness than the cotton without it feeling crazy thick. Helps too that it was on sale from like $21 a yard to $10 xD

I also don't really have a con that I go to due to not really being able to afford to until relatively recently. I did finally go to Gen Con last year after years of my friends pestering me and loved it. Now, I want to build a Mando kit and discover new cons so I can look cool and get pestered for pictures and stuff xD

Here's a link to my concepting thread that has some shots of the almost (pre-leg hem) completed jumpsuit: https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=204291.msg2235359#msg2235359

Checked it out, for what it's worth I'm loving how it's coming along so far! Kinda freaked me out, though, cuz for the first part of the introduction, I thought it was something I typed out xD On my end I'm gonna try handling most of the construction and the wider painting but, because of a bit of shaky hands on my end, the wife is gonna be handling my detail painting as well xD (We have a similar arrangement with my 40k stuff, I build and prime, she paints, lol). If you feel like wading through it, here's my concept:
https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=217368.0

I feel like I might've gone a bit too in-depth to realistically expect anyone to read the whole thing for notes but figured, if nothing else, it'd be good to have all my ideas written out somewhere to refer back to and, if someone does feel like reading it, all the better!

[Two_Bears_HF]

Nice! Your concept looks great!

I need to put together an update to that with what I've accomplished more recently: I've got the armour and helmet primed and painted a base silver metallic, and I'm currently working on mounting the chest plates to the flak vest (which is also complete). I've got a good friend 3d printing the bracers and knees. Holding off on the shin and back plates for now.

[Xplosiv]

Yeah, vest I've got a pretty good idea of what I want, I just gotta figure out how to make it a reality xD found a few templates but I gotta do a bit more research on how to modify it exactly to get the blue underarm sides.

Plates I'm dying to get started on but I'm trying to force myself to get the soft parts done before I start on (what in my mind will be) the more fun part xD

Question though, most tutorials that I've seen show people shaping the Sintra to their bodies with pretty much just a normal shirt on or something. Do you think that's better to get, I guess, a more human shape to some of the parts? Or would it be better to finish the flightsuit and vest and shape it while wearing that? Or does it not really matter in the end? XD

[Second Son]

Vod - The prevailng wisdom is to fit your soft kit to you, and then to fit the plates to the soft kit. You can certainly get plates cut and rough shaped before your vest is complete, but you definitely want to have your plates final shaped, and your mounting figured out before you paint your plates.

Regarding separate colored sides - check my soft parts WIP. I put side panels in that are a different color (natural linen color, not blue, but same difference).
Close-ups:




The side panels are part of the closure; they have 2" wide velcro on the inside to align the front and back, and I added external straps/buckles for extra security and The Look.

[Xplosiv]

Vod - The prevailng wisdom is to fit your soft kit to you, and then to fit the plates to the soft kit. You can certainly get plates cut and rough shaped before your vest is complete, but you definitely want to have your plates final shaped, and your mounting figured out before you paint your plates.

Okay, cool cool. I had a strong hunch that was the case but just wanted to make sure. If anything, it helps me stay on track of "focus on one thing at a time" xD

Vod - The prevailng wisdom is to fit your soft kit to you, and then to fit the plates to the soft kit. You can certainly get plates cut and rough shaped before your vest is complete, but you definitely want to have your plates final shaped, and your mounting figured out before you paint your plates.

Regarding separate colored sides - check my soft parts WIP. I put side panels in that are a different color (natural linen color, not blue, but same difference).

The side panels are part of the closure; they have 2" wide velcro on the inside to align the front and back, and I added external straps/buckles for extra security and The Look.

Oooo, I really like that, thanks for sharing. Admittedly I didn't scour all the WIPs for ideas on the vest, but the ones I did manage to find that were doing that sort of thing all seemed to have a more open design rather than closed. Hoping to get more of a heavier IBA look than the lighter Plate Carrier look, so I might be stealing taking some inspiration from this design xD

------------------------------------------------------

For an actual update on my progress:
Hasn't been too much cuz work and other pesky real-life things keep taking up my kit time xD I have been able to get most of the pieces cut out for a prototype from some thrift store curtains so that I can make sure I got the base sizing right, so I can test out some ideas I have for a few of the details, and to make sure I still remember how to sew after all these years xD here's the pieces so far:


If I did it right, I've got the front pieces, back pieces, yoke, sleeve, and lower "pockets" done. Gonna try to use the pocket templates for knee and elbow reinforcements and, for those, I'm thinking of maybe trimming them down, giving them 45° angles on the corners, and putting some horizontal stitching on them to give them a "stronger" look. Still gotta cut out the sleeves and the "normal" front pocket template that I'm planning to sew completely on to give it a sort of thigh reinforcement. Also thinking about trying the horizontal stitching on that as well.

Only have 1/2 the collar cut out so far as I've hit my first speed bump with this. The pattern calls for 2 of them to be cut out and for it to be cut on the fold. I had gotten these so I could mark everything out on the first cut piece before removing the template and cutting the second:


However, I think I've gotten the wrong things xP They're Dritz fabric marking pencils but, when I tried using them, I only got the faintest line after several passes. Tried light and heavy pressure but never got more than the faintest ghost of a line. Just wondering if these are the wrong pencil for what I'm using, if I just got a lemon, or if there's just something arguably better to use? For reference, the curtains are a heavy-ish cotton.

[Second Son]

So one thing to do with cutting mutliples on the fold is to double up your cloth - fold a piece of cloth in half twice and put the pattern 'fold' line on the common fold in the cloth and cut it out from there. It works best if you're using a super sharp rotary cutter. You could also double up some paper and transfer the pattern to that, cut/unfold it and lay it out on top of two layers of fabric and cut the whole stack - also best with a rotary cutter.
I'd recommend getting actual tailors chalk and/or a chalk wheel for marking fabrics. I've not had success with anything but that or sharpie pens (for making muslin pattern pieces). Bonus action on the chalk wheel if you don't have a pounce wheel - the little teeth in the chalk wheel will actually punch through paper a little and transfer any lines you trace along into a series of tiny holes so you can duplicate patterns onto more durable paper. You can also use this to trace lines through a sheet of paper folded in half so the pattern lines are copied and mirrored at the same time. Follow back along the perforations with pen or pencil for solid lines.

Oooo, I really like that, thanks for sharing. Admittedly I didn't scour all the WIPs for ideas on the vest, but the ones I did manage to find that were doing that sort of thing all seemed to have a more open design rather than closed. Hoping to get more of a heavier IBA look than the lighter Plate Carrier look, so I might be stealing taking some inspiration from this design xD

steal take as much inspiration as you like vod - I think my solution works well and if it helps others to get out there doing Mando stuff I'm all for it.

[Xplosiv]

Gotcha, I'll give that a go. Another reason I decided to make a cheap prototype before tackling the real thing, learning how to make the final process smoother xD

And yeah, I remember chalk being the tried and true method. Saw the pencils and pens and wanted to give that a shot to get a more "permenant" line that can still wash off. If it ain't broke... xD

And yeah, it's always been a "problem" of mine that I sometimes have problems with creating a solution to something I want to make from the ground up. Give me a foundation, though, and I can modify it to the point of being pretty unique. See "I can't sculpt things in Green Stuff to save my life. But give me a Dremel and a bunch of mini bits and I can make a pretty cool looking custom model" xD

[Xplosiv]

Bit of an update on progress so far! Managed to get everything cut out, marked, and ready to start sewing.



I ended up going back to JoAnn's and grabbed one of (almost) all the different fabric markers. The one that looked just like a colored pencil ended up working as well as I thought it would (it didn't xP), the chalk worked as well as I remembered but wasn't the biggest fan of the shape of it (wasn't comfortable for me to hold/use personally), and found my favorite to be this marker:


Honestly, it kinda feels like one of those cheap markers I used to have back when I was a kid (always feels like it's going to run out of ink at any moment), but it leaves a nice mark, washes off very easily from what I tested, and actually bleeds through the fabric a bit, letting me do my markings on the wrong side of the fabric (in case anything doesn't wash out) while leaving me with guiding marks on the right side to use while I'm sewing. However, so far I've only used it for my prototype flight suit made from Goodwill curtains I picked up and I'll probably recheck it on the denim my actual suit will be made from.

I also finally got to put thread to fabric as well, attaching both the normal pockets and one of the knee pockets before I decided I was done for the day xD


I added some straight lines across the pockets at 1" intervals and sewed the pocket holes shut to convert them into knee and thigh reinforcements. I might have to work on the spacing of the lines, however, as it leaves the bottom space slightly larger than the rest (1 1/2") and haven't decided yet how noticeable it is/how much it bothers me xD After the other knee will be the yoke up by the neck. Thinking about doing the same horizontal lines on that as well.

As always, any tips/suggestions are very welcome!

[Second Son]

 The reinforcement patches with the horizontal stitching feels very in-universe to me.
For the yoke consider running the stitching vertically for a visually distinct but simliar design element.
Are you planning to do the patches in the same fabric or a contrast fabric on the official flight suit?

[Xplosiv]

Ooo, I like the idea of vertical lines more! Not that much of all this detail is gonna matter, since most of it is planned to get covered by armor anyway xD I feel better knowing it's there, even if it's not obvious xD

And I've been flipping back and forth on alternate colors for the reinforcements, usually I'm leaning more towards doing them the same color as the rest of the suit so that it's not just "busy for the sake of being busy".

To give the flight suit a bit more pop/something more going on with it, I was thinking of using a contrasting thread with it. Originally was thinking of using the white thread for that, but over the last few days I've been realizing that might just blend in more with the grey denim I've got (it's a bit lighter than what I originally had in mind). The other main colors is navy blue and black, and I think I'm leaning towards using black thread for the flight suit as I was planning on using navy blue thread for the flak vest.

Also, looking for advice on this. Was just thinking about how I did the lines on the reinforcement parts before I sewed them on but was wondering if it might be a better idea to sew the patches on first and then go back and do the lines from I guess a structural point of view? Or if it doesn't really matter and I'm overthinking it? XD

[Second Son]

Also, looking for advice on this. Was just thinking about how I did the lines on the reinforcement parts before I sewed them on but was wondering if it might be a better idea to sew the patches on first and then go back and do the lines from I guess a structural point of view? Or if it doesn't really matter and I'm overthinking it? XD

Depends.  If you are doing a little interfacing for structure or just applying the patches as-is, you could potentially get the patches interfaced(if using) and turn all the edges in with pins, topstitch them down and then do the feature stitches. You could turn under and topstitch around all the edges first as close as you can make it, and then stitch directly on top of that line to attach it to the main panels, before doing the feature stitches.

If it were me, I would probably do lightly quilted panels, and apply them as mostly finished pieces. I would assemble cloth sandwiches (backing, batt, face fabric), hand baste the quilting lines, turn/finish the edges of the panels and then edge stitch the patches down (two parallel rows close to the edge and close together), snip the basting threads out and do final quilting as part of the decorative topstitch stage. There'd be 4 layers: main suit fabric, panel backing(could do this in a complimentary/contrast color - subtle edges showing), batt, and another layer of face fabric. Then take the pieces and continue assembling the garment.
If you do use any batting, I highly recommend a natural fiber like lightweight wool. Definitely not a poly batt.