Couple of completed suits

TyeDyeBoy

Spaceman
Allllllrighty then.

Most of the suits are flapped, and several (six I think... nope, five) are patched and complete. Here we have images of our two models, Tye and Monee, showing off the hottest styles of 2678 or whenever, I forget the years of WCP.

Here the ever suave Tye strikes the corniest poses possible.
http://tyedyeboy.net/pics/suits/completed/tye1.jpg
http://tyedyeboy.net/pics/suits/completed/tye2.jpg

And here we have Monee showing off the red shirt effect.
http://tyedyeboy.net/pics/suits/completed/monee1.jpg
http://tyedyeboy.net/pics/suits/completed/monee2.jpg

We are a bit dismayed that the red shirts won't be more visible, but whatever. The suits look alright as it is. The 4XL is also complete, and it seemed worth showing off. It's kinda hard to have a scale to measure it by since it covers me so well, but I'm sure you'll get the idea. Note that A) the tips of it's legs are on the floor, and B) if I moved over a bit, it'd cover our 36" TV screen with ease.
http://tyedyeboy.net/pics/suits/completed/4xl.jpg

And there we have it. A few more should get finished tonight. Other work is on hold until one of the fabric stores gets more of the backpack webbing in stock (Fun Fact: Monee has bought ALL that TWO different fabric stores had in stock to get this far. Don't worry kids, this stuff is dirt cheap).
 
Those are excellent. I look forward to seeing people see you in the parade. Long live the Confederation!
 
2681 (G)

4X might be a bit big, I guess. :) Actually, my WC3 suit fits me snugly, and it's nowhere near that big... oh well.

Anyway, they look really really awesome -- looking forward to D*C! I guess I have to buy boots...
 
Bandit LOAF said:
2681 (G)

4X might be a bit big, I guess. :) Actually, my WC3 suit fits me snugly, and it's nowhere near that big... oh well.

Anyway, they look really really awesome -- looking forward to D*C! I guess I have to buy boots...

Crid said you'd wanted it baggy, and this definitley will be. Hopefully it won't be TOO baggy. There are velcro straps at the hips to help that, fortunately.

And yes, TC. They are indeed really sweet.
 
Where did you get the buckles from? Did the Fabric store carry those too? *been trying for a while to get my hands on those* Also, where did you order the flight suits from? Have a friend who's been looking to get his hands on one to make a BL uniform.
 
Ok, a quick how to.

http://www.armysurplusforless.com/productInfo.cfm?prodID=608&colorID=81

Pick your color.

The suits will need to have the chest pockets, left sleeve pocket, and nametag removed. These can be easily accomplished with a standard two dollar stitch remover and five minutes of work. Because the chest pockets merge with the main side seams, you have to cut it as close as possible to the seam. From there it can be picked out or ignored, it's only visible on close inspection.

The buckles are pretty standard and can be found at most fabric or sewing supply stores. In this case, Chris bought them in bulk on Ebay. They aren't expensive, and you'll need five per suit. Each buckle needs ten inches of backpack webbing to attach properly (you can skimp if you need to, but the stuff is cheap), five inches on each side. Fifty inches of it per suit.

To make the flap there are a few methods you could try. In our case we picked two fabrics. One was a simple broadcloth of a very close color to what we were going for. This wouldn't be strong enough to hold the buckles alone, so we went with a "backbone" of a strip of canvas. This gave it the ideal durability, and just so happens to hang open in the right way. Of these extras, the canvas can be priciest (around $10 a yard), but you'll only need half a yard of each for one suit... you could probably manage two suits with half a yard, but I doubt the fabric store will be eager to sell 1/4 yards. Suck it up. Pick up matching thread too, you'll want it the same color as the rest of the thread in the suit.

Much of the rest is kind of eyeballing it. Cut the canvas to a strip of around five inches wide, and the broadcloth an eensy bit more than double that. Wrap the cloth around it like a taco, and sew around the edges to hold it all together. Using the pictures up there as a guide, sew one side of that to the suit. I recommend that this bit be a double seam, as it'll take the brunt of the punishment.

From there, eyeball the buckle placement. Working with the webbing is a bit trickier: once you cut it, you need to use a candle or something to melt the edges to keep it from fraying. Sew the buckles on well. A square of stitching to hold it to the suit will do.

Not very detailed instructions, but it's not a tricky process really. Remember, measure twice, cut once.

If you want to go for a slightly more authentic look, find some pockmarked rubber material for the shoulders. Monee and I couldn't find any for this batch, but it should be a relatively simple retrofit if anyone wants to do that.
 
Mmkay, I'm gonna attach the tail to a belt... and then just cut a little hole in the back of the flight suit to stick it out. That should work, I think.
 
Full Flight Suit, heavy latex mask, ski gloves, a Full Helmet, walking in a parade - all in atlanta a week from now (when we just had a heat index of 105 here Sunday)? Someone might need to be responsible for making sure LOAF gets his fluids ;)

C-ya
 
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