woobiee Posted June 10, 2021 Author Share Posted June 10, 2021 I've tried MrPoopie's method of hiding the front flap seam (hoping I did it correctly) and even though I did this rather quickly and crudely, I think it may work well for some. Here is a shot of the backside where the seam will be hidden from the front. Instead of making two identical patterns for the front flap, I trimmed one of them about 1/4" on all sides. This one will become the backside of the flap. Sew as usual but constantly lining up the edges. Once finished, one side will be more poofy than the other because of the two size difference. Turn it inside out and the seams get offset to the backside. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPoopie Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 12 minutes ago, woobiee said: I've tried MrPoopie's method of hiding the front flap seam (hoping I did it correctly) and even though I did this rather quickly and crudely, I think it may work well for some. Here is a shot of the backside where the seam will be hidden from the front. Instead of making two identical patterns for the front flap, I trimmed one of them about 1/4" on all sides. This one will become the backside of the flap. Sew as usual but constantly lining up the edges. Once finished, one side will be more poofy than the other because of the two size difference. Turn it inside out and the seams get offset to the backside. Give yourself more credit you did it just like it should be done even with my pretty basic instructions. Nice work. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 10, 2021 Author Share Posted June 10, 2021 Hi all, Chopper informed me to post this up here for you all experts for review. This is my IB bund with a closeup of the fabric. There were discussions in one of the Lancer Request threads that the IB bund/cod material is not compliant with the Lancer CRL. May I ask you all to look at my bund and see if the material will pass Lancer? Even thought it's also from IB, it looks like the shape and material look different than the one in the recent Lancer Request thread. Perhaps one of us has the new design vs an old one -- don't know who has which. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 Thank you again for letting us know about this, Andy. We'll take a look and get back to you in a moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 Hi Andy, just as a follow up -- the Armory team took a look at the current IB bund and, even though the twill fabric is better than the canvas-like fabric they had used earlier, it still doesn't fit with the "smooth white cotton fabric" similar to what was used in ROTJ. It's fine for basic, but we're very sorry to say that it would not clear Level 2. You should be able to find a cotton/polyester blend fabric that has a similar look to what was used in the film. Given your excellent construction of the pouches and working from Mickey's tutorial, I have no doubt that this should be quick work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 11, 2021 Author Share Posted June 11, 2021 1 hour ago, Chopper said: Hi Andy, just as a follow up -- the Armory team took a look at the current IB bund and, even though the twill fabric is better than the canvas-like fabric they had used earlier, it still doesn't fit with the "smooth white cotton fabric" similar to what was used in ROTJ. It's fine for basic, but we're very sorry to say that it would not clear Level 2. You should be able to find a cotton/polyester blend fabric that has a similar look to what was used in the film. Given your excellent construction of the pouches and working from Mickey's tutorial, I have no doubt that this should be quick work for you. You got it boss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Question for pouches and bund specific: For the pouch attachment tabs/flaps and the bund closure at the back, do we need to hide the threading used to sew the velcro on? To be more specific, can we sew the velcro through both layers of fabric or we must only sew onto the backside fabric layer? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 The original pouches were actually sewn onto the bund. You don't need to do that, but if you want to sew velcro onto the pouch tabs, then you should just try and keep the stitching close to or along the edges, so it's not too obvious. And don't do a diagonal stitch through the center or anything like that. For the bund, you do not need to hide the threading at all. In fact, on screen you could see the stitching to attach the velcro along the back. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 It's been over a week since my last progress report but I promise I'm still at it! Previously, it was agreed that my thigh straps were a bit too long. However, I've been holding off on that modification until I heard back on whether the IB flight suit came with real or faux suede. I still have not heard back and I bet my money that it utilizes the faux stuff. To that end, I went ahead and purchased some pigskin suede from Tandy at the recommendation of @AradunFF. On another front, I'm starting the custom pouches, bund, and cod piece. I went to Joann's to pick up some supplies; duck cloth, poly fill, sateen cotton fabric, and lots of heavy duty needles! One actually exploded in my face so now I wear my glasses when I sew heavy materials. I must thank @AradunFF for his invaluable WIP thread for all the recommendations. With pouch patterns printed out, I attempted my first set. After consulting the Scoutopedia, I've opted to keep the seams normal (without any hidden seams). To me they look like they didn't attempt to hide the seams at all. The first set of pouches turned out okay but not perfect -- I know I can do better! I learned two things after this first set: I need to take it slower on the machine (though I find it difficult because the foot pedal on the machine is hard to modulate) Remeasure everything and compensate at every step of the way. With the knowledge gained, I'll have another set done hopefully by this weekend. This time, I'll utilize @Chopper's velcro tips and add some hidden velcro on the pouches. Let's hope I break ground on the bund and cod piece next week! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Good luck my dude. Sounds like you're on the right track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aradun Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Looking good Brother. Make sure to use a fork or spoon handle, or something else narrow and pointy to push out your corners on the pouch flaps before you close the seams so that you have nice sharp corners and not rounded ones. It’s way easier to do before you seam it closed than after. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 40 minutes ago, AradunFF said: Looking good Brother. Make sure to use a fork or spoon handle, or something else narrow and pointy to push out your corners on the pouch flaps before you close the seams so that you have nice sharp corners and not rounded ones. It’s way easier to do before you seam it closed than after. Good luck! Haha, I used a chopstick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 2 hours ago, woobiee said: Haha, I used a chopstick. As long as it's an eating implement of some sort, that's what's important! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 10 minutes ago, BikerScout007 said: As long as it's an eating implement of some sort, that's what's important! Is this in the upcoming CRL Level 3? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 While I wait for more needles to come in for the pouches and the pigskin suede material for the flight suit, I tackled the updates to the knee armor and the belt+drop boxes today. For the knee armor, I went ahead and replaced the 1" elastic that RS used with 3/4". I also took @Chopper's advice and added a large velcro patch to eventually interface with the flight suit so it stays put. Old 1" vs new 3/4" I was careful not to damage or warp the plastic with this scary contraption! All done! Next up is the belt and drop boxes. I slightly adjusted the belt length to fit my waist better and replaced the 1.5" elastic from RS with some 1.5" white cotton webbing. But before I permanently make the change, mind you all evaluate the straps? Are the drop boxes/parachute buckles in the right location? I've included a photo with the thermo det. New 1.5" white cotton webbing vs old 1.5" elastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Andy, everything you're doing looks awesome. For real. Two things to note -- 1) Check the direction of your parachute buckles. The "Slotted" end should be facing towards you. See photo below. 2) This is a super minor point, but I'd move your back right-attachment point just a smidge to the right. But seriously, great work overall. The end result is going to be something you'll be very proud of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 Thanks Chopper! So yeah the buckles...they were originally how you describe it, but I was following the main CRL image: The CRL image has the buckles opposite of the photo you have. Which way is correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 HAH, true. Go ahead and stick with the CRL image. That's a-ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 I've updated the back strap to be more symmetrical. Think that did the trick! On another note, I noticed that the original straps that went through my drop boxes had a 180 degree twist to them. At first I thought it was a mistake but upon further thought I think it is to prevent the boxes from sliding around the strap. Upgrading to cotton webbing made it moot because of the heavier material but for those that use thinner material, it definitely prevented the drop boxes from shifting. Maybe it's common knowledge but if not, here you go! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 I can't remember where we found that out from, but that's how the drop boxes in ROTJ were rigged as well. Nice work so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Chopper said: I can't remember where we found that out from, but that's how the drop boxes in ROTJ were rigged as well. Nice work so far. That's a neat tid bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 Pouches are done! Sewing the front flap to the back was a pain. Something like 7 layers of material! Also made some cardboard boxes as many have done. Lastly, added some velcro to the belt to interface with the cod. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 Question for folks and sorry if this has been debated before. I will be getting my thigh patches redone in real suede this weekend but would like to ask about the shaping of it. These two ref images show different shaping: One of them rounds closer to the crotch area, whereas the other reference has it rounded higher up. Are both acceptable? Personally my preference is rounding it closer to the crotch to somewhat match the arch on the cod. And then, for the shaping of the rear. Is it a mirror image of the front side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Having the suede line up with the arc of the cod is not a requirement or something we look for in Level 2 reviews. Both examples you've shown are within the ballpark of what's acceptable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woobiee Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 It's been awhile since my last update but I assure you the project is alive and well! The project has progressed from multiple fronts. Firstly, the flight suit needed the suede replaced with the real stuff. This was something I was not comfortable with doing myself so I sent it to the tailors for her expertise. Besides the suede, I also needed to let out the back side for me to bend over/kneel more comfortably, as well as shortening the thigh straps a bit. If you are curious, the Imperial Boots flight suit that I have here uses fake suede. In this photo you can see the difference between the fake and real stuff. Lancer Level 2 requires real suede. A question about the butt flap. I have it as two pieces of suede back to back and turned inside out. Is this not correct? Should it be just a single piece of suede? Next up is the cummerbund. Unfortunately, the IB cummerbund was made with a twill material that would not pass Level 2 so a new one must be made. After making the pouches, I was confident I could do this as well. I used AradunFF's thread as a blueprint in conjunction with Chopper's thread of putting velcro in specific areas. I made my bund inside out in order to have a clean seam on the left and right side. The bottom is folded and the top is sewed as usual. It turned out fantastic! Sewing like a crazy man Backside with velcro to interface with the flight suit/flak vest Lines drawn on the backside Bund is now poofy! AradunFF's WIP called for 3 layers of 3/16" fill, however, since I have a smaller frame, 3 layers ballooned the appearance in a negative way so I only went with 2 layers total. Ribs were super stressful to do! Front side with velcro for the pouches Backside with velcro to attach to flight suit/flak vest Finished! Oh and some easy stuff. Added velcro to some arm armor Hopefully the flight suit will be done in the next couple weeks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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