Dune working uniform (2021)

Mister Chef

New Member
Does anyone know where templates for the atreides working uniform can be found or where I can acquire a uniform used in the movie?
 
Can you post a pic of what uniform you mean?

AFAIK the only templates available so far are the still suit foam/rubber pieces.

I believe Zurplo is working on the soft undersuits.

I offer the tunics on my Etsy shop.
 
Can you post a pic of what uniform you mean?

AFAIK the only templates available so far are the still suit foam/rubber pieces.

I believe Zurplo is working on the soft undersuits.

I offer the tunics on my Etsy shop.
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There seems to be several fans of Dune 2021 like myself who are interested in recreating their own Atreides uniform. I thought I would start to pattern the jacket of the Working Uniform.

Since I recently lost some weight it is necessary to produce an updated set of master blocks, or slopes, for myself. This will allow me to fit a basic jacket pattern I can use as the foundation for styling the Working Uniform, the Dress Uniform or any other future costumes. For myself and for those new to the process I will start with a readily available commercial sewing pattern. There are any number of patterns which could be used as a starting point. I will be using Simplicity S9190. (I am interested if anyone has other suggestions of base patterns they recommend.)

It might be helpful to explain my reasons for selecting this as the starting point. This is a recent pattern so it should be easy for others to acquire. I already have it in my collection of patterns. It has a minimal number of style elements of its own so it is close to a “blank canvas” we can use to embellish. It was drafted to allow for a quilted batting so it will have increased “ease” or extra room which would be expected or necessary for active wear such as a working uniform. It has a small number of individual pattern pieces which we will use (initially five, but we will add our own as we proceed). It provides a two piece sleeve design. Its Back piece has a dart which provides some tailoring, and which can easily convert to a three piece Back of the style seen in images of Duke Leto. It has a separate cuff. It has a “balanced” shoulder seam which lies along the top of the shoulder. The Front and Back pieces are straight, not tailored, which will make it easy to lengthen the style from a Bomber to a Shirt Jacket or “uniform” length.

The following is my approach. Determine which of the multiple size options to start with based on your chest measurement in the chart on the back of the envelope. Next identify the following pattern pieces for your size – 1 (Front), 6 (Back), 7 (Upper Sleeve), 8 (Under Sleeve), and 12 (Placket). Roughly cut these individual pieces from the larger tissue sheets. You do not need to trim them to the actual cut lines at this time. With an iron set to a cool (Polyester) temperature setting, press each pattern piece flat.

We will now produce a working copy of each piece. We can then use the copy as we make any modifications. The copy can be cut from special white pattern paper, brown craft paper, or even using the back side of a roll of wrapping paper. I make my copy by laying each piece on craft paper. Using a rotary cutter and a cutting mat, I can trim the original piece to the cut line and cut out a copy at the same time.

In addition to the piece outline it is necessary to copy all construction landmarks such as notches (printed as triangles along the cut line), dots, darts, pleats, or other pattern artifacts. Not all S9190 artifacts are needed. For example we will not be adding the pockets, so that does not need to be copied.

Because there are some modifications I already anticipate I can save some time by incorporating these changes before copying and cutting. Let me identify these changes for each piece and also identify the construction artifacts which are essential.


For the FRONT I know I need to add length. The original pattern had a knit rib and fabric panel band at the bottom hem which we are not using. Also the original design was a Bomber length jacket and we want something longer. Because of the simple lines of this pattern we will just extend the straight lines on each side and produce a lower squared-off bottom hem. To start, I added 6 inches to the bottom. This length can be finalized during the fitting process. Pockets artifacts are not needed on the copy.

For the BACK we lengthen it the same amount and in the same way. Mark the shoulder dart.

There are no modifications needed for the sleeve pieces at this time. We will not need the PLACKET at this time.

I then mark the seam allowance on each piece using red ink. Simplicity uses a 5/8 seam allowance unless otherwise noted.

My plan is to make two muslins (test garments) before attempting the real jacket. The first will be just to fine-turning the fit of an unembellished pattern. (For example I expect to have to correct the shoulder length, bicep circumference, jacket and sleeve lengths.)

From this foundation I will make new pattern pieces for a second muslin based on the style lines of the Working Uniform. This will include sectioning the existing pieces (i.e. back into three pieces and padded yoke) and creating new pieces such as the elbow pad and circular neck ring. (Neck ring is my own term for the piece which lies atop the padded yoke. I could not find an appropriate fashion or design term but it evokes the image of the helmet sealing neck ring on a space suit. Maybe a fashion throwback for a space-faring people like the Atreides.) The second muslin will use these new patterns to test construction techniques, proportions, and accuracy to known images.

The first muslin is the bare minimum; Front, Back, Upper Sleeves, and Under Sleeves. Also since this will not have a collar at this point I will remove the seam allowance from the Front and Back pieces. I will not form the dart on the back but only fold up the fabric and sewtack it in place. Also I will not add a zipper or placket but just sew the Front seams together to provide a visible center frontline.

I will stop here to do some actual work and see if there is interest to continue my documentation and posting.
 
Making a muslin for a new (to me) pattern paid dividends. The design ease for S9091 was much more than I expected. Without a quilted batting, the size I thought I would need was much too loose for my taste. However for this pattern there is a quick method to tune in to the correct size. With the straight line sides, each increase of the side seam allowance by 1/2” will reduce the muslin by 2” or one pattern size. For example from size 50 to size 48. To test a smaller size just sew in new side seams.

I also decided the neckline was too V-shaped so I am moving it higher and making it more round. As I expected I also needed to make some changes to the shoulders. I need this on most patterns as I seem to have narrow shoulders compared to the “average” used by pattern companies.

Shoulder fit is critical as (almost) all upper body garments hang from the shoulders. The shoulder is critical because the garment front, back, and sleeve all come together. There are two areas for potential problems and each should be examined. There is when the Shoulder Tip is too wide or too narrow (length), and Shoulder Tip too high or too low (slope). Only after the shoulders are dialed in should you focus on the lengths and circumferences of the garment.

Finally I decided on the jacket hem length. There are few on-line images to guide me. It is clear the jacket length on the Working Uniform is much shorter than the Dress Uniform. This is consistent as a longer hem is more formal, and a higher hem would allow more freedom of movement required for working, training or battle. At least until I get better information (from the film release or your critiques) I will have the jacket bottom align with the bottom of the sleeve. Visually this will provide a straight line when standing erect with arms at the side. A “uniform” look. This is also an easy point to measure as it is where the hand and arm meet, about 1” below the wrist bone.

With a new modified base pattern I was now ready for the more interesting part – drafting the style lines and creating a Working Uniform specific pattern.

My approach was to examine as many images as I could find and identify the individual pattern pieces required. First is the one piece padded Yoke. This has a one piece overlay I am calling the Neck Ring. The neck ring encircles the neck and also extends down over the Yoke and onto the Back. The back of the jacket is actually three pieces – a center Back and two Side Back panels. In the front, the Yoke attaches to a patchwork of four seamed pieces on each side of the invisible, separating Front Zipper. Again for discussion purposes I am calling the piece directly below the Yoke – the Chest. The piece below the Chest – the Abdomen. And there are two Side Fronts. Behind the Front Zipper will be the Placket. There is also a straight standing Collar.

My current thoughts on the sleeves is there are four parts. The first, the Under Sleeve may be the same as the original pattern piece. The original upper sleeve will be divided into (at least) the Bicep which contains the sleeve cap and holds the Atreides Hawk, the pleated Elbow Pad, and the Sleeve Bottom. Each sleeve will have a separate two-piece barrel Cuff.

I have identified two other elements of the uniform. Paul's shoes are clearly seen as 5.11 Tactical Men's Company 2.0 Tactical Boots. There is also a CST (certified safety toe) 2.0 version with a composite toe. The newer 3.0 versions removed the 5.11 identification from the tongue of the shoe but otherwise seem identical. Unfortunately none of these are currently listed on the company website at this time but are available from several authorized distributors. The Cobra buckle belt seems to be the Black 5.11 Maverick Assaulters Belt. This is available as of December 2021. It is important to realize you may need a larger size than normal as this is worn outside both the pants and the jacket.

Any and all comments and critiques of my observations and assumptions are welcome.
 

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I am not currently looking to make the full costume, I am however interested in the Atreides sigil on the shoulder of the jacket.
654fd09bbc9b82f688f4b18fb983c078.jpg

I've made a 3d printed mold to cast it in rubber, which I've made available HERE, however it is mirrored because i used this image as a template and for some reason the bird looks the other way on the costume.
E8IwcVKWQAU7vf_.jpg

The mold is for a "unified" version of the sigil as I'm making it as a single patch, but I'll be uploading the mold for the seperate pieces early next year, when I'm back home. I'll also add the correctly mirrored version then.
I've been having some trouble with the casting because the silicone I'm using doesn't play nice with the resin from the 3d printer. I also have some concerns about the durability of the silicone, as well as a way to properly attach it to velcro/the jacket. Would casting it in a flexible urethane be better?
 

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Thanks for pointing out the eagles facing direction. I hadn’t noticed that while watching. I wonder if they have done the common thing with those where ‘heads’ face forward. It’s commonly done with insignia on shoulders , face toward the enemy.
 
Thanks for pointing out the eagles facing direction. I hadn’t noticed that while watching. I wonder if they have done the common thing with those where ‘heads’ face forward. It’s commonly done with insignia on shoulders , face toward the enemy.
From what I can tell, the bird on the right arm is also the mirrored version, although I don't currently have a way to take 4k screenshots. Maybe someone with the BluRay version might be able to help out.
It would've been cool if the birds were both facing forwards, especially because the heads on Letos collar are mirrored. Curiously enough the characters are almost never filmed from the right side while wearing this uniform and when they are the arm usually isn't visible. Maybe they wanted to hide the fact the birds are looking backwards. Or it's just a coincidence. More likely the costume department didn't flip the asset when they designed their mold so the casts are mirrored.

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Yeah I've just re-watched the portion around Duncan appearing again on Arrakis and both shoulders are facing to the left. Don't have the ability to take a screen shot except using a phone but with pause on the big tv its pretty clear. So it is a common mold for both of them.
 
There is also an image where Paul's insignia is missing the head entirely. I was wondering if it was like the rug in the Oval Office. There are actually two rugs. When America is at peace the eagle faces the wheat in it's talons and when at war it faces the arrows. I have not made a final decision but I am thinking about stitching on individual pieces of black leather for the insignia.
 
I am not currently looking to make the full costume, I am however interested in the Atreides sigil on the shoulder of the jacket.View attachment 1522368
I've made a 3d printed mold to cast it in rubber, which I've made available HERE, however it is mirrored because i used this image as a template and for some reason the bird looks the other way on the costume.
View attachment 1522369
The mold is for a "unified" version of the sigil as I'm making it as a single patch, but I'll be uploading the mold for the seperate pieces early next year, when I'm back home. I'll also add the correctly mirrored version then.
I've been having some trouble with the casting because the silicone I'm using doesn't play nice with the resin from the 3d printer. I also have some concerns about the durability of the silicone, as well as a way to properly attach it to velcro/the jacket. Would casting it in a flexible urethane be better?
Glad someone else is working on this, I'm planning to make Paul's Caladan outfit and the trench coats he and Leto wear have the same sigil on their sleeves. I've experimented with cutting the shapes out of vinyl and gluing them on, but from what I can tell the coats are made of some kind of waxed cotton (feel free to correct me if anyone else knows better), and the fabric glue doesn't hold very well. I'm not sure what else to try. Stitching would leave visible threads, and velcro would make the sigil stick out too much from the surface of the coat.
 
Glad someone else is working on this, I'm planning to make Paul's Caladan outfit and the trench coats he and Leto wear have the same sigil on their sleeves. I've experimented with cutting the shapes out of vinyl and gluing them on, but from what I can tell the coats are made of some kind of waxed cotton (feel free to correct me if anyone else knows better), and the fabric glue doesn't hold very well. I'm not sure what else to try. Stitching would leave visible threads, and velcro would make the sigil stick out too much from the surface of the coat.
I've tought about laying a piece of cloth, cut to the same shape, onto the uncured silicone so that it bonds to the sigil on one side and gives the glue a good surface to bond to on the other side. That would at least help it stick to the silicone which generally doesnt really stick to anything.
For fabrics I've had good luck with CA glue although i think its not really made for that so take this with a grain of salt. It tends to harden very stiff so it might not be ideal for a flexible part.
Alternatively you could rough up the area to be glued with some sandpaper to give the glue more surface area?
 
I've tought about laying a piece of cloth, cut to the same shape, onto the uncured silicone so that it bonds to the sigil on one side and gives the glue a good surface to bond to on the other side. That would at least help it stick to the silicone which generally doesnt really stick to anything.
For fabrics I've had good luck with CA glue although i think its not really made for that so take this with a grain of salt. It tends to harden very stiff so it might not be ideal for a flexible part.
Alternatively you could rough up the area to be glued with some sandpaper to give the glue more surface area?
I did think about trying super glue of some kind, but of course that'd be pretty risky in case of spillage, and I have no idea whether it'd fair much better against the wax coating. Sanding or wearing down the fabric seems worth trying, although it'll be tricky to get it in just the right spots. I'll have to experiment with different tools.
 
I am not sure it would work for this application but I have seem people 3D print thin, low-heat plastic appliques and then use an iron from the backside to press them into the fabric. The filament melts and bonds to the fabric.
 
Here is my initial jacket pattern draft. It is easier to show the drafted style lines for the Working Uniform than to explain it. However that is the final work product - which may not be correct. The following was my approach and assumptions to recreate what I hope is an accurate representation of the film uniforms. By walking through each decision I hope others can support or find fault with my choices. I have tried to use only available film images to support the draft so there may be some gaps.

The quilt lines on the Yoke are very critical to the overall style lines of the garment. In the front the outermost quilt lines align with the seams between the Chest and the Side Fronts. On the back, the same quilt lines align with seam lines between the Back and the Side Backs. The quilt lines themselves run perpendicular to what was the shoulder seam in the original pattern. It is my observation the Yoke has three equal width panels in the center of the shoulder with a partial width panel on each side. I took my finished shoulder width and divided by 4 to determine the panel width. I then marked a 1/2 panel width starting at the neck, then the 3 panels and finally the 1/2 panel at the shoulder tip. (Make sure you do not include the seam allowances at the neckline and shoulder tip.) I reference the quilt lines starting at the armhole and moving to the center line as “A”, “B”, etc.

My next assumption was the depth of the Yoke in the front. Since the only garment specific “dimension” I had to work with was my calculated panel width (P), based on images I chose the center of the Yoke would be 1 1/2 P down from the neckline. The ends of the Yoke at the armholes appears to be at the same height. The center bottom Yoke-Chest seam is circular with a gradual curve up and out, then back down and out to the armhole. To me the entire Yoke seam evokes a rising and falling green Caladan ocean wave.

The next feature of the garment front is a set of zigzag vertical lines. Each offset takes a 45 degree turn. First as it leaves the Yoke and then as it joins or leaves the verticals. The location and spacing of the verticals was my next assumption. Once again I decided to use the panels as my visual guide. However this time I am using the point where the quilt line meets the Chest to draft a set of verticals down from “B”, and “C”. This gave me half of my front layout grid. This seemed reasonable since the intersection at “A” defined the first point. The quilt lines attract the eye so this seems to give a sense of visual continuity. Make note of the distance between the vertical “B” and the side at the bottom hem. I will call this the Side Width. We will need this measurement when we draft the back.

From the Yoke-”A” intersection draft a short 45 degree line down and toward the center until it intersects the “B” drop down vertical.

I now need to add the grid horizontals which was a two-part process of working Front and Sleeve together. Starting with the conceptual art the front is divided (almost) into thirds. The Chest height is about 1/3 the measure from the neckline to the bottom hem. The Abdomen is about 2/3s of this measure and the top the Abdomen before it flares out is about half of that or also 1/3. For any adjustment, the bottom half of the abdomen appears to be slightly larger than the other two portions. Visually this gives a strong “foundation” for the narrower top of the Abdomen. To select more “accurate” horizontals I will switch over the the sleeve draft.

Much like the quilted Yoke, the pleated Elbow Pad draws the eye when looking at the sleeve. Having the pad on the side instead of the back must have been a visual as opposed to a utilitarian choice by the Dune costume department. However it is still centered on the wearer's elbow.

The Elbow Pad is contained in an octagonal frame with 12 equal width pleats. The dimensions of these sleeve elements are the most difficult to determine and has my least confidence. It “seems” the pad covers half the circumference of the sleeve, which at the elbow would be 7 1/2 inches in my case. Using a pleat width of 1/2 inch with the added pleat header and footer inside the frame, also makes the calculated height 7 1/2 inches. At first this seems incorrect as the pad “appears” to be longer than it is wide. However when I consider the width is wrapped around a cylindrical arm which has a small diameter I believe it only appears narrower. The top and bottom 45 degree corners of the frame are drafted out from the endpoint of the “second” pleat – from top and bottom. The Sleeve Bottom also has a seam running from the middle of the frame bottom down to the Cuff.

The top edge of the Elbow Pad octagon is the bottom edge of the Bicep. The lower Bicep piece is a box which flares out at 45 degree angles to the side of the pattern piece. This flare meets the Front Side slightly below the Yoke and I use this fact to draft backwards to determine the height of the “box”. The top of the Bicep is the sleeve cap of the original Upper Sleeve piece (number 7). The Atreides Hawk lies in the Bicep.

Using the sleeve draft I found design landmarks which fell close to the initial (1/3s) horizontals. On Front vertical “B” mark a point at the height of the bottom on the Elbow Pad. Draft a line down B” to the Hem for the lower side of the Abdomen. From this point also draft a 45 degree line up and out to “C”.

Also on Front vertical “B” mark a point at the height of the Bicep where the “box” flares out to the sleeve edges. Draft a line up to meet the top 45 degree segment. From the same point draft a 45 degree line down and out to “C”. From this new point on “C” draft a horizontal line to the center front. This is the dividing line between the Chest and Abdomen. Connect the line segment between the two lower 45 degree segments on “C” to complete the Abdomen.

The back is drafted next starting with the rest of the Yoke. The Yoke back is a curve which extends from armhole to armhole, high in the middle and low at the ends. I am drafting the highpoint to be 1 and 1/2 P down from the neckline on the back center line. A smooth curve from there then passes through the point of the original pattern's dart and continues to the armhole. This will make the low points of the Yoke at the armholes almost at the same height as at the Front. (An easy way to construct this type of long curve is the use a long flexible cardboard or plastic batten strip which is pinned at the critical points and bent to shape and traced.)

With this seam in place and the quilt lines drafted to align with the Front, we locate the seam between the Back and Side Back. This seam starts as a vertical line drafted up from the hem at a distance from the side equal to the Side Width we found on the front. At the top the seam starts where the Back “A” quilt line intersects the Back. From here it is a curve which mimics and (somewhat) parallels the outside leg of the original dart. The draft of the seam smooths the downward curve into the upward vertical.

The last part of this torso draft is the Neck Ring. This piece is circular on the front and boxy on the back. The Neck Ring is an applique which overlays the center of the Yoke. One practical purpose is it covers and hides the seam along the center back which allow the two piece Yoke to maintain the same grainline as the front. The ring front seam matches the Yoke-Chest curve. The ring continues a circular curve out almost to quilt line “C” and continues to circle up and over the shoulder – moving back toward the center to cross the shoulder ridge at a point halfway between “C” and “D”. At this point it becomes a straight line which passes through the intersect point of “D” (on the back of the Yoke) and the Back. This line extends downward to cover part of the Back. To complete the “box” it is intersected by a line perpendicular to the center back drawn 3 P below the back neckline. The bottom back corners of the Neck Ring are deeply rounded - with approximately a 1 inch radius.

The Collar and Cuff drafts are simple rectangles of the appropriate size. The Placket which I originally planned to use, will be eliminated.

I now look forward to any and all comments and improvements.
 

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The one thing I would comment on is that every garment jacket I have ever taken apart or made, especially military ones the collar has never been a simple rectangle. They always curve, otherwise they do not sit correctly round the neck. I've made historical jackets and coats, reproductions of victorian era military uniforms etc as well as other costumes like imperial officer jackets and they all do it.
 
The one thing I would comment on is that every garment jacket I have ever taken apart or made, especially military ones the collar has never been a simple rectangle. They always curve, otherwise they do not sit correctly round the neck. I've made historical jackets and coats, reproductions of victorian era military uniforms etc as well as other costumes like imperial officer jackets and they all do it.
Exactly the kind of feedback and insight I need. Since I did not add the collar in my first muslin I will give that new attention. Thank you.
 

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