Smugglers Holster
v 1.0
Measurements & Pouches
Okay.....so I think this should turn out to be a pretty significant post.
...
Over the last few weeks one of the major parts I've been able to finish is, this.
The Greeblie
Since this is the best thing I have for determining the measurements of everything else, I decided to make sure it was done as accurately as possible. Using digital callipers, I measured every surface to ensure that no wrong measurements would throw things off.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
So, how close was I when I put the finalized Greeblie onto my pouch patterns?
Close...so close, but also about as accurate as using a french baguette to make Darth Maul's lightsaber.
The original pouch measurements were way too wide, and deep. This is why my pouches kept bothering me as none of the reference photos show it to be exactly square. Using the Greeblie, and the following images, I was able to rework the pouch size to be more accurate.
(I have like 12 images, but I didn't show them all here).
What I noticed that when looking from multiple angles, the Greeblie sort of sits in the pouch with about 1/8" (3.175 mm) on each side. What is a bit tricky is that the pouch is not as deep as the Greeblie is, and so it kinda bows out a bit. This also is becomes a bit complicated since the thickness of the leather is not all that consistent in thickness.
The exact measurement needs to account for the gap, leather, and the depth. Since the short depth is what forces the front out, it doesn't come off the sides straight, which is why the leather is snug under that little protrusion on the left side.
All n' all it is a bit of a pain.
By a Thread
In an attempt to double check the measurement, I integrated the thread count into the pattern. Now, I don't know exactly how long each stitch is, but I do know that there are 8 on the sides, and 7 on the bottom.
In my original pattern, I didn't have reference shots for the bottom stitching, so I guessed. Now that I have adjusted for the thread count, and cross referenced that with the Greeblie measurements, I was able to rework the pattern to be much closer to the actual holster.
Following The Pattern
"Just print it and make a mockup already!" my girlfriend annoyingly shouted over her Fractal run in Guild Wars 2.
She was right. If I am going to see if this pattern translates to the real world, I was going to have to finally make something 3D and tangible to compare. So, using the technique I will be using for the final holster, I printed the pouches onto sticky paper, attached them to foam, and then punched the holes.
It isn't a difficult way to do a pattern, but I'll go into more detail in the final pattern book.
Using this I was able to correctly bend, and sew the pieces together to get an idea of how it will look. Foam is quite different than leather (obviously) but it does sort of behave similar.
Comparisons
So, was my reworked pattern correct after all this craziness? The answer is of course...I don't think so.
*facepalm*
Take a look.
To my eye, the depth of the pouches is now too shallow, and they may be a tad shy of the right width.
When you look at the original, the curve of the leather seems a little more relaxed than the foam version. When I put the Greeblie in, it is actually fairly tight. The foam is slightly thinner than the leather needed, and so I think it will further add to the problem. It is close, but I think I need to add a bit more to the depth, not a lot, but just enough to let it "breath" a bit.
Secondly, I added 1/8" on each side, but it still feels a bit snug. This may be due to the depth causing the sides to curve in further than they should, but even right where the leather connects to the belt, it seems like I am off by a small bit. This also seems to be confirmed when I look at the empty pouch. When I hold it up to multiple reference photos, it does appear to be a bit shallow.
My girlfriend just stormed out of here mumbling something about millimetres, and who the hell can tell the difference, and something, something....But, I think some small tweaks will bring it to the right place.
I of course leave this in your hands to see what you think.
P.S. I am aware that my spacing is off between the pouches. That is another example of how far I am off on some of the measurements from before.
Next Step
Tomorrow I plan on reprinting, and resewing the pouches to double check that my alternations were correct.
If it all works out, then I will know that my measurement system is now working, and I can work my way out to correct any measurement issues with the pattern.
Unfortunately my reference photos uncovered some new information I wasn't aware of. My hooks for the Episode 5 version are incorrect, the disk that was based off of the one currently being sold is also incorrect based on the new photos, and I have to tweak the corners of the "Y" connectors.
From there, it is the holster.
But...lets move on to the next post....the DISK!