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[Hik'aari]

Hey everyone,

So I am just starting out with my Mando build and starting with the soft parts first.
Have my one piece suit and looking for some feedback.

To Do List:
Remove Dickies badges
Remove zip on rear buttock
Shorten sleeves to wrist length
Shorten legs to ankle length

Do I need to remove the chest zips? They will be covered by a vest and armor.

The overall itself is tight from shoulder to groin, there is no option of shortening it. I am long bodied and short legged as far as clothes are concerned.
The clumping around the buttock/back... would this be sorted by bringing the legs in slightly? or are the shape of the legs approve able?

The current plan is a cod piece front, a rear Kama and a girth belt sized Sash cloth tied round (long body means I will have a noticeable gap between Cod and Ab plate unless I get something wide through the middle).

I will also be opting for full DW armor, so thigh, knee and shin plates.

If needed I can get photos again later but they wont be with sun-light. It seems my brother doesn't quite understand the request of "Full length"

Thanks

[GardenGeek]

Do you have someone who can help you hem the pants? I think if you hem the pants (or even just tuck them up to get an idea) it will help with the baggy bottom (hehehe) and help everything hang a little straighter. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you have a rear Kama, you won't even have to remove the rear zipper, and if the front pockets are going to be covered, that seems allowable as well, though I'm sure someone has asked the app team in the past.  

[Hik'aari]

I can see what you mean thank you.

I found a more helpful helper

The sleeves rolled up about an inch, and the legs came up about 3 inches.







My helper and I have agreed that I need the legs taken in otherwise it will clump up too much with the armor. It fits nicely around the chest and arms.

I think i will still remove the rear zip. If the wind blows the Kama will flap and you will see it. With a vest and armor it won't move so you wont see them

[Kris Jasra]

You've already put some thought into this, so I'll give me tuppence. The chest zips can stay (once you get the vest on you'll know if they are going to dig in and need to be stripped).
Back pockets are fine for now, once the kama is done make sure you take a good look at your rear end and see if anything shows.
Good call on the labeling, get that off.
The bagginess at the back will be covered by the vest and kama. Tailoring that bit will likely be down to whether it feels awkward with it bagging under the vest and whether you overheat as thinning the material down will keep you cooler.
Leg and arm width I would leave for now. Get your plating sorted and then see how it looks. Some flightsuits are tightened down quite nicely by gauntlets/leg armour. Some decide to bag out and flop over the armour. I would however, regardless of if they need taking in width wise, advise tucking them into your boots, hem them to ankle length plus a tiny bit and then add a couple of elastic stirrups to keep the bottom hems down instead of letting them wander up your leg.
And just a couple of ideas which I've taken to using - I tend to turn the collar up and make it or use it as a base for, a neck seal. And with sleeves that long I cut a small thumb hole and use that to stop my flightsuit escaping at the wrist.

[Kebii'laar]

Do you have someone who can help you hem the pants? I think if you hem the pants (or even just tuck them up to get an idea) it will help with the baggy bottom (hehehe) and help everything hang a little straighter. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you have a rear Kama, you won't even have to remove the rear zipper, and if the front pockets are going to be covered, that seems allowable as well, though I'm sure someone has asked the app team in the past.  

So long as it's not visible in the finished kit, it's completely fine.  So the chest zippers are no problem at all, and yes, with a kama that butt pocket is ok too.  Likewise, if the side pockets are covered, they can stay.  If you don't want to have something that would cover them, then I have no idea.  I haven't had to think about getting rid of mine.

As for hemming, that's probably the way you'll need to go.  Try rolling up the legs until it's not lumping at your ankles anymore, that should give you an idea of how much you'll need to raise them.  Same with the arms, they definitely shouldn't be going past your wrists.  The legs look like they need to be taken in, too, and possibly the arms. 

You said the torso is tight, is it uncomfortably so?  The body is what you want to make sure fits properly, the arms and legs are no trouble at all to hem after the fact.  Altering the torso is a big pain.

EDIT: After typing all of this, I see that you posted a response with half of the ideas I already suggested.  But I'm too lazy to modify my entire post, so here it is anyway 

[GardenGeek]

If you want to take in the legs in the end- put on coveralls inside out, and have your handy assistant pin the legs on the seam!!!! to how tight you want them. Sew down your pin line, don't cut the extra fabric.  Flip right side out and try them on again to make sure they're perfect. Cut and serge the new seam when you're happy.

Here's a good tutorial with pictures.  Just ignore the waist band part http://www.pleatsandruffles.com/2013/10/tutorial-how-to-take-in-pants.html?m=1

When you hem your pants, leave more material than you think you'll need, just in case.

[Kris Jasra]

And also, when pinned and before sewing - make sure you do a sitting down test. Hearing a rrrrrip sound at an event will never be fun.

[Hik'aari]

Thank you for the feedback everyone. I shall read back over it tomorrow to try and summerise back into my never ending to do list

[Korran Orainn]

And also, when pinned and before sewing - make sure you do a sitting down test. Hearing a rrrrrip sound at an event will never be fun.

10/10 advice. Can confirm...(sadly! Whoops, sorry Poison Ivy, those *are* my Star Wars boxers...)

[Ashen Kelborn]

^^^^^^What they all said :-)^^^^^

[Hik'aari]

Progress is slow however I finally received my order from Eternal Armories

Deathwatch 2.0 helm with 2x Westar-35

I can't stop staring at it next to me on my desk

I also have a new flightsuit that fits better but needs tailoring just as much.
I also aquired gloves and material to make vest, neckseal and Kama.

Hoping to have more progress now the helmet is here to inspire me on

[Ashen Kelborn]

Progress is slow however I finally received my order from Eternal Armories

Deathwatch 2.0 helm with 2x Westar-35

I can't stop staring at it next to me on my desk

You wait till you paint it, then you'll be wearing it all the time 

[Hik'aari]

Certainly make the postman jump!

[Hik'aari]

Today I taught myself how to use the family sewing machine (which is likely as old as me, but it is a Brother so its a good one) and managed to not seriously injure myself.

So from concept:



To realization



Then I just threw on a pashmina I will use as a cloth belt as a colour test:



This is only a half Kama as I am planning on making the DW thigh plates with gun holsters so I do not want to hinder access to the Westars

[Havelock]

Nice, vod!

[Kris Jasra]

Looks good. Know that feeling though, had to switch out my old (and much loved) kama for one which didn't wrap as far round when I got my pistols. There's nothing worse than not being able to grab your blasters when you need them.

[Tal Kote]

This looks good. Love that kama

[Hik'aari]

Thank you. Everything below the horizontal stitch lines is seperate so all 4 pieces should flap in the wind, and move just enough to allow me to sit

[Ashen Kelborn]

Looking really good there Nip's, if I knew you were such a dab hand I'd have got you to make me one 

[Hik'aari]

You wont be saying that when you see the state of this flak very I am making butchering

[Korran Orainn]

Gorgeous work, Vod!

[Hik'aari]

So now I have a few pieces made up I thought I would kit up to see how it looks, and I must say this is the first time I have started to feel like a Mando since starting this whole process.

On my vest (which I guessed my way through making) I opted to make it like a poncho, with side zips and velcro fastenings



So now for the all round shots:





(Yes this is blurry, I had to tear my brother away from his xbox so clear images werent his priority haha)





Then I had to do this to finish :p




Things I know already:

• This new flight suit fits a lot better than the old one; I do need to shorten the arms as a minimum and perhaps the legs. Both of them will need to be taken in as it looks very baggy under my arms. I am planning on getting professional help for this
• These are not the boots I am going to be using, I just used them for the height. I am looking for something calf length that will go over the flight suit and have shin and boot armor attached directly too
• The top most belt is there in lieu of an ammo belt, and was just holding the sash on

How does the vest sit? Width wise it matches where the flight suit shoulder seams start (this was pure luck and in no way planned).
The length of it finishes perfectly at my belly button (I am long bodied and short limbs)

I have not attached any shoulder bells yet as I am still working on shoulder armor designs, taking inspiration from medieval armor. I want to go for weaponsmaster eventually so shoulders are one thing I want a bit more armored than standard plates. My understanding is that you don't need them on the vest if you wouldnt see them when the shoulders are on?

I also have no idea how high or low the Kama and sash need to be? Should the sash start where the vest finishes or should it actually tuck under the vest?

I have so far attempted the neck seal twice and have failed both times. Next week I will try once more. The guides I have been following dont seem to work out, they always seem too small to actually fit

Where would people recommend looking for ammo belts? Better to buy or are there designs out there to work from?

[Russiya]

What kind of ammo belt do you have in mind I'm sure I could get you set up with something check out my commission page in my signiture

[jett drexel]

you've done a grand job there ver nip welldone.

[Simmy_82]

All looks great thus far. Looking forward to seeing more vod!