Viverra
New Member
Hi all! I recently made a Fallout 4 Sole Survivor cosplay which was posted to my Facebook page, Viverra Cosplay, and I have had a looot of questions on the build. I didn't take too many photos because I was running out of time so I will post what I have. This build took hundreds of hours... I lost count. It was my first leatherworking project, too. To sum it up, this is not a beginner's project. I have been sewing for 11 years and have a Bachelors degree in fashion design so I would not recommend a beginner attempt this. I also used a lot of algebra (think, find X) to get my scale right.
**This was a massive amount of work. If you use this guide for your own build, I would really appreciate a link back to my Facebook page!**
Here's the reference image to start off with. I took screenshots of my character to use as references. (xboxdvr.com is amazing btw!)
BODYSUIT
I had difficulty finding the right fabric to use. It needed to stretch and be the correct shade of blue, which I couldn't find. I ended up having to accept a more saturated, royal blue, because I was running out of time. I went with Royal Blue Milliskin Matte and Gold Stretch Vinyl from SpandexWorld.com. I also bought 2 yards of White Milliskin Matte for a draft. It's possible to use a cheaper fabric of similar stretch for a draft, but I wanted to be absolutely sure the draft would fit the same as the final to avoid the hassle.
I started by making a plain bodysuit in white using the below pattern, Kwik Sew 3052, View A. I used a wide basting zigzag stitch to put everything together, but where it would be easy to take apart. DON'T FORGET to use a ballpoint needle when sewing knits! It was slightly big in a few areas, so to fix it, I would put it on inside out, pinned what needed to be brought in, and sewed over where I pinned it to bring it in. Once I was happy with the fit, I used a sharpie to draw allllll the seams and details onto the bodysuit. *Be aware this can get on skin & whatever you are wearing underneath, so be careful!*
I ended up liking the top on one side and the bottom of the other, so I had to Frankenstein them together. Here's what the new pieces looked like after I was done.
I then cut out every piece, transferred it to a roll of craft paper and added seam allowances. I used 1/4" seam allowances for everything except the center front (where the zipper goes). I adjusted the back to be cut on fold instead of having a seam. It had a build it curve so I had to fidget around with it to move the curve to the adjacent seam and fix the angle of the bottom (which was a v shape at first).
I then cut out all my pieces in my fabric!
There are several places there are detailing on the bodysuit. On the sleeves, front upper, front lower, and side of the legs. I experimented with different techniques to figure out how I wanted to go about doing these details.
I ended up using the back side of a pintuck on the sleeves and a double needle topstitch on the fronts and side. I did the pintucks/topstitching on the bulk of the remaining fabric and cut out the pieces afterword so I didn't have to guess the amount needed. **Note, I did not have time to order the proper needle. Use a stretch twin needle to avoid skipped stitches like I had!**
I also had to modify the collar to get that extra piece that hangs over. I also made the collar 2 pieces so that I could have gold piping along the top. I made piping with the gold vinyl and cording. I HIGHLY recommend using a zipper foot and wax paper to sew the vinyl. I also used heavy interfacing on both sides of the collar because stretch fabric is flimsy and I wanted it to stand up. I had to rip the interfacing in some places to sew it, but it worked overall.
I mocked up some 1's by looking at the artwork and pinned them to my dress form for spacing/size.
I sewed the 1's on the back before sewing the bodysuit together, first using a long zigzag stitch to baste it into place and then going back over it with a small zigzag stitch to give it an embroidered look. (I didn't take a picture of just the piece, so here it is on the completed bodysuit)
So once I had all my pieces cut out and ready to do, I sewed it all together! I used a long straight stitch (and stretched slightly as I sewed) to baste the pieces into place; I wanted to make sure the pieces lined up properly first since there are so many complicated seams. I don't have any pictures of the process, however. After I basted them together, I would take it to my serger and use an overlock stitch. This would allow the seam to stretch and finish the edges at the same time. I did this piece at a time. I also had extra pieces of the side and knee that I folded under and pinned like crazy, sprayed with Dritz Spray Adhesive - amazing stuff, and topstitched onto the bodysuit. **I did this before the legs were sewn all the way around. Again, I don't have a photo of this process, so this is what it looked like when the bodysuit was done.
Sewing corners is the WORST so I hand stitched most of them in place before sewing with the machine. Some of the seams I couldn't use the overlock machine on, such as the front corners. It's a little rough. I was running out of time to go back and fix it. I figured the belt covers it anyway.
The leg and sleeve openings I simply used an overlock on the edge to finish it and prevent fraying and to reduce bulk (vs if I had done a rolled over topstitch). I knew the edges wouldn't be visible anyway.
To distress everything, I used 80 grit sandpaper in some areas and Ben Nye's Plains Dust which is a theatrical (and clean) dirt! I mixed a small amount in a spray bottle with some water to make mud. I sprayed this on the suit a little and used a paintbrush to get the dirt into the seams and rubbed it all over! It doesn't show up well in photos so I plan to go back and make it even dirtier.
Completed!
ARM GUARDS
I used leftover stretch pleather I had from a project several years ago to make the armguards. I patterned them up using craft paper and sewed it together. I used a teflon sewing foot. They were distressed using 80 grit sandpaper. It's barely stretchy enough that I can slip it on and off my wrist without the use of a zipper.
**This was a massive amount of work. If you use this guide for your own build, I would really appreciate a link back to my Facebook page!**
Here's the reference image to start off with. I took screenshots of my character to use as references. (xboxdvr.com is amazing btw!)
BODYSUIT
I had difficulty finding the right fabric to use. It needed to stretch and be the correct shade of blue, which I couldn't find. I ended up having to accept a more saturated, royal blue, because I was running out of time. I went with Royal Blue Milliskin Matte and Gold Stretch Vinyl from SpandexWorld.com. I also bought 2 yards of White Milliskin Matte for a draft. It's possible to use a cheaper fabric of similar stretch for a draft, but I wanted to be absolutely sure the draft would fit the same as the final to avoid the hassle.
I started by making a plain bodysuit in white using the below pattern, Kwik Sew 3052, View A. I used a wide basting zigzag stitch to put everything together, but where it would be easy to take apart. DON'T FORGET to use a ballpoint needle when sewing knits! It was slightly big in a few areas, so to fix it, I would put it on inside out, pinned what needed to be brought in, and sewed over where I pinned it to bring it in. Once I was happy with the fit, I used a sharpie to draw allllll the seams and details onto the bodysuit. *Be aware this can get on skin & whatever you are wearing underneath, so be careful!*
I ended up liking the top on one side and the bottom of the other, so I had to Frankenstein them together. Here's what the new pieces looked like after I was done.
I then cut out every piece, transferred it to a roll of craft paper and added seam allowances. I used 1/4" seam allowances for everything except the center front (where the zipper goes). I adjusted the back to be cut on fold instead of having a seam. It had a build it curve so I had to fidget around with it to move the curve to the adjacent seam and fix the angle of the bottom (which was a v shape at first).
I then cut out all my pieces in my fabric!
There are several places there are detailing on the bodysuit. On the sleeves, front upper, front lower, and side of the legs. I experimented with different techniques to figure out how I wanted to go about doing these details.
I ended up using the back side of a pintuck on the sleeves and a double needle topstitch on the fronts and side. I did the pintucks/topstitching on the bulk of the remaining fabric and cut out the pieces afterword so I didn't have to guess the amount needed. **Note, I did not have time to order the proper needle. Use a stretch twin needle to avoid skipped stitches like I had!**
I also had to modify the collar to get that extra piece that hangs over. I also made the collar 2 pieces so that I could have gold piping along the top. I made piping with the gold vinyl and cording. I HIGHLY recommend using a zipper foot and wax paper to sew the vinyl. I also used heavy interfacing on both sides of the collar because stretch fabric is flimsy and I wanted it to stand up. I had to rip the interfacing in some places to sew it, but it worked overall.
I mocked up some 1's by looking at the artwork and pinned them to my dress form for spacing/size.
I sewed the 1's on the back before sewing the bodysuit together, first using a long zigzag stitch to baste it into place and then going back over it with a small zigzag stitch to give it an embroidered look. (I didn't take a picture of just the piece, so here it is on the completed bodysuit)
So once I had all my pieces cut out and ready to do, I sewed it all together! I used a long straight stitch (and stretched slightly as I sewed) to baste the pieces into place; I wanted to make sure the pieces lined up properly first since there are so many complicated seams. I don't have any pictures of the process, however. After I basted them together, I would take it to my serger and use an overlock stitch. This would allow the seam to stretch and finish the edges at the same time. I did this piece at a time. I also had extra pieces of the side and knee that I folded under and pinned like crazy, sprayed with Dritz Spray Adhesive - amazing stuff, and topstitched onto the bodysuit. **I did this before the legs were sewn all the way around. Again, I don't have a photo of this process, so this is what it looked like when the bodysuit was done.
Sewing corners is the WORST so I hand stitched most of them in place before sewing with the machine. Some of the seams I couldn't use the overlock machine on, such as the front corners. It's a little rough. I was running out of time to go back and fix it. I figured the belt covers it anyway.
The leg and sleeve openings I simply used an overlock on the edge to finish it and prevent fraying and to reduce bulk (vs if I had done a rolled over topstitch). I knew the edges wouldn't be visible anyway.
To distress everything, I used 80 grit sandpaper in some areas and Ben Nye's Plains Dust which is a theatrical (and clean) dirt! I mixed a small amount in a spray bottle with some water to make mud. I sprayed this on the suit a little and used a paintbrush to get the dirt into the seams and rubbed it all over! It doesn't show up well in photos so I plan to go back and make it even dirtier.
Completed!
ARM GUARDS
I used leftover stretch pleather I had from a project several years ago to make the armguards. I patterned them up using craft paper and sewed it together. I used a teflon sewing foot. They were distressed using 80 grit sandpaper. It's barely stretchy enough that I can slip it on and off my wrist without the use of a zipper.
Last edited:
) - Attached to vault suit with 
