Felgacarb
Sr Member
Here's my latest sewing adventure- an attempt to replicate the jacket DeForrest Kelly wore for most of Star Trek III and Star Trek IV. I particulary like this jacket because while it fits well with many of the other starfleet costumes used in these movies, it is also 'normal' enough that you could wear in pubic without most people realizing it isn't just some slightly odd contemporary garment.
First off, I had to find some good reference photos to work from. I started by making screen caps myself, but soon remembered trekcore.com, which is fantastic for this sort of thing.
Then, I created a pattern. I started by modifying an existing jacket pattern I had, and worked on altering it to match the details of the McCoy jacket.
Next came deciding on the materials to use. I did this in a very non-scientific way. The main outer material has a very suede like appearance, but doesn't move like suede (In contrast to the bomber jacket Scotty wore.) So I chose a micro-suede instead. (WIth interfacing to make it a bit heavier.) For the lining and details, I chose a cotton twill. The colors- well, that's often an entire project in itself, convincing yourself you've got the right colors. I ended up with 'tobacco' for the micro-suede and 'dark khaki' for the twill. I do not have any great evidence to say these are the 'right' colors, but they look pretty good to me.
Then came the quality time with the sewing machine. I love my old (old old- 1970's) Pfaff, but it seems about every 1000 yard of stitching it experiences a jam that requires dis-assembly of the bobbin housing... re-assembly requires re-synchronization of the bobbin to the needle... (My old Singer never jammed, ever. But it was from the 1920's, and only did one stitch, an only went forward, etc.)
I really like the inset details, but I started to feel like I was making car upholstery at one point...
Finding the right hardware for the closures was not hard, as they appear to be the exact same turnlock clasp as used on the shoulder strap of the 'monster maroon' uniforms. Both Roddenbury.com and xscapesprops.com carry them. Of course, buying the six this jacket requires doubles the price of the project!
Overall, I was very happy with the finished item, with two exceptions.
First, in my alterations of the pattern, I managed to make it a bit too small for me! (I may have to make a Mk II... This may actually add to the accuracy, as Deforrest was 5'10" and I'm 6'0"...)
Second, further study of the trekcore HD screen caps showed me I got two details wrong- bonus points if you can spot them! (I'll post the two I found here a bit later- It's possible someone will spot others I've missed, and that could help me if I do a Mk II.)
Thanks for looking!
First off, I had to find some good reference photos to work from. I started by making screen caps myself, but soon remembered trekcore.com, which is fantastic for this sort of thing.
Then, I created a pattern. I started by modifying an existing jacket pattern I had, and worked on altering it to match the details of the McCoy jacket.
Next came deciding on the materials to use. I did this in a very non-scientific way. The main outer material has a very suede like appearance, but doesn't move like suede (In contrast to the bomber jacket Scotty wore.) So I chose a micro-suede instead. (WIth interfacing to make it a bit heavier.) For the lining and details, I chose a cotton twill. The colors- well, that's often an entire project in itself, convincing yourself you've got the right colors. I ended up with 'tobacco' for the micro-suede and 'dark khaki' for the twill. I do not have any great evidence to say these are the 'right' colors, but they look pretty good to me.
Then came the quality time with the sewing machine. I love my old (old old- 1970's) Pfaff, but it seems about every 1000 yard of stitching it experiences a jam that requires dis-assembly of the bobbin housing... re-assembly requires re-synchronization of the bobbin to the needle... (My old Singer never jammed, ever. But it was from the 1920's, and only did one stitch, an only went forward, etc.)
I really like the inset details, but I started to feel like I was making car upholstery at one point...
Finding the right hardware for the closures was not hard, as they appear to be the exact same turnlock clasp as used on the shoulder strap of the 'monster maroon' uniforms. Both Roddenbury.com and xscapesprops.com carry them. Of course, buying the six this jacket requires doubles the price of the project!
Overall, I was very happy with the finished item, with two exceptions.
First, in my alterations of the pattern, I managed to make it a bit too small for me! (I may have to make a Mk II... This may actually add to the accuracy, as Deforrest was 5'10" and I'm 6'0"...)
Second, further study of the trekcore HD screen caps showed me I got two details wrong- bonus points if you can spot them! (I'll post the two I found here a bit later- It's possible someone will spot others I've missed, and that could help me if I do a Mk II.)
Thanks for looking!
