papersflower
New Member
Fathead photos. Might base my dying on these.
ROGUE ONE Jyn Erso - open build thread!
- Thread starter clembot
- Start date
smithjohnj
Sr Member
Does anyone have a clear photo of the hose connector which hangs from the left side of Jyn's vest? The Fathead photo papersflower provided is the best I have seen so far.
Last edited by a moderator:
smithjohnj
Sr Member
How much effort is it worth? Now that the amount of new information will be limited prior to the release of Rogue One I have fewer excuses to stop procrastinating on completing my projects. As the first step in actual construction I started producing the “decorated” fabric for the vest. For those who are interested, the rest of this post details the “what” and “how” of this step in my project. My approach is to topstitch the contrasting lines on the vest base. I am happy with my results but it took a lot of time and effort.
Here are some of the lessons learned from my tests which others can use reduce the time or the effort but the results will vary. The differences between sewing machines and individual preference may lead to other choices.
The fabric is Sanded/Brushed Twill, 100% Cotton, the color is Nutmeg and it is from fabric.com. This is a reddish hue of brown. For the topstitching I am using Gutermann Polyester Topstitch thread with regular Gutermann Sew-all Polyester thread of the same color in the bobbin. The Thread color is #503, Flax. I also did some test pieces with color #520 Wheat. #520 is a little darker and decided I preferred the lighter color, since the vertical quilt stitching will be White based on observations by @spectreseven and this provides three distinct levels of contrast. Topstitching stitch length was set to 10 stitches to the inch or 2.5 mm.
With regular weight Sew-all as the needle thread, sewing across the grain of the fabric, and then ironing the piece causes the stitching to sink into the fabric. This provides the color contrast but does not provide any extra texture or “highlighting” effects from reflected light.
Texturing and highlighting can be increased by going with a heavier weight thread such as Topstitch, increasing the stitch length or sewing rows of stitches lightly off grain. Increasing the stitch length, sewing off grain, or both causes the thread to lie more on top of the base fabric and does not sink into the base even when ironed. Longer stitches did not appear to be screen accurate and my choice was to use heavier thread. This limited my choice of color slightly as Topstitch comes in fewer colors.
I have a Pfaff embroidery machine which I also tested to see if it could be used to create the fabric. It could but I was disappointed with the results of that test and decided to produce the fabric manually. However the amount of effort required for the two approaches is significant. I am slow and deliberate so for those who like to estimate or plan their projects it took me approximately 2 hours to topstitch one front. The second side was a little faster. I would expect most non-beginners to accomplish this task faster than I.
The following is my approach and justifications;
Printed out the three sheets of my full-size Right Front pattern, taped them together matching all lines.
Cut an over-size piece of fashion fabric. Since “decorating” this fabric will require more handling prior to assembly, this will allow the piece to be top-stitched and not have to worry about fraying before cutting to size.
Mark outline in chalk and also provide a painter tape “frame” to allow an even more precise top-stitch alignment guide. I laid out both vest front pieces on the same piece of fabric. This allowed me to ensure the grain would be the same and also save time in the layout. If I were to start again I would also include the two front facings for the vest in the layout.
The painter tape provided me a “new” reference guide for every eighth row of topstitching. This allowed me to first sew five rows between each pair of tape strips and then removed the tape for the remaining three rows. For the rows which did not abut the edge of the tape I used my presser foot as the guide. Again for my machine I have a Maxi foot which measures exactly 1 cm from the center stitch position to both the left and right edge of the foot. Other options could be to use a quilting guide to sew parallel rows or reposition the needle to the left or right (if your machine has this capability) so that a regular presser foot provides the correct spacing. I also have a “Seam Guide” presser foot which has a scale which extends off the right side of the foot. For long straight lines of this type, I found the scale to be too small and narrow to provide accurate results. For my eyes it was just too small a target to follow. Also it only provides a guide against a target on the right-hand side of the needle.
Obviously different widths of tape or different spacing will allow for more or fewer guidelines. Using the guidelines prevents slight errors in one row being propagated across the entire piece. Plus it gives a good opportunity to take some breaks along the way. Since the tape was not a whole number of rows, I marked which side of the tape was my reference line and which direction I was sewing the rows. Here I am probably more “obsessive” than necessary, but instead of having the rows of stitching be left-to-right or right-to-left on all rows and all pieces of the fabric I wanted it to be outside-to-inside on both pieces. There is nothing screen accurate about this approach, probably just the opposite, but it just adds a touch which in uniquely mine. Sewing both fronts in the same direction, together in the contiguous line as I laid them out would save time. If you were to sew left-to-right on one row and then back right-to-left in the next row you would probably save even more time. I tested both of these approaches as well before making my decision. The back and forth approach is what I used in the embroidery test, as well as a manual test. If I were doing this commercially, I would use the embroidery approach it is much faster, also frees up time as it is automated and is more consistent. The appearance of the various approaches, and thus my selected method, is noticeable to me but perhaps not to anyone else.
EDIT: With all the handling it is also important to press and reblock the unit back into alignment after all the stitching.
Before cutting the individual pieces to size I ran a set of stay-stitching just outside the seam line, all the way around the garment piece, to help anchor the topstitching.
Here are some of the lessons learned from my tests which others can use reduce the time or the effort but the results will vary. The differences between sewing machines and individual preference may lead to other choices.
The fabric is Sanded/Brushed Twill, 100% Cotton, the color is Nutmeg and it is from fabric.com. This is a reddish hue of brown. For the topstitching I am using Gutermann Polyester Topstitch thread with regular Gutermann Sew-all Polyester thread of the same color in the bobbin. The Thread color is #503, Flax. I also did some test pieces with color #520 Wheat. #520 is a little darker and decided I preferred the lighter color, since the vertical quilt stitching will be White based on observations by @spectreseven and this provides three distinct levels of contrast. Topstitching stitch length was set to 10 stitches to the inch or 2.5 mm.
With regular weight Sew-all as the needle thread, sewing across the grain of the fabric, and then ironing the piece causes the stitching to sink into the fabric. This provides the color contrast but does not provide any extra texture or “highlighting” effects from reflected light.
Texturing and highlighting can be increased by going with a heavier weight thread such as Topstitch, increasing the stitch length or sewing rows of stitches lightly off grain. Increasing the stitch length, sewing off grain, or both causes the thread to lie more on top of the base fabric and does not sink into the base even when ironed. Longer stitches did not appear to be screen accurate and my choice was to use heavier thread. This limited my choice of color slightly as Topstitch comes in fewer colors.
I have a Pfaff embroidery machine which I also tested to see if it could be used to create the fabric. It could but I was disappointed with the results of that test and decided to produce the fabric manually. However the amount of effort required for the two approaches is significant. I am slow and deliberate so for those who like to estimate or plan their projects it took me approximately 2 hours to topstitch one front. The second side was a little faster. I would expect most non-beginners to accomplish this task faster than I.
The following is my approach and justifications;
Printed out the three sheets of my full-size Right Front pattern, taped them together matching all lines.
Cut an over-size piece of fashion fabric. Since “decorating” this fabric will require more handling prior to assembly, this will allow the piece to be top-stitched and not have to worry about fraying before cutting to size.
Mark outline in chalk and also provide a painter tape “frame” to allow an even more precise top-stitch alignment guide. I laid out both vest front pieces on the same piece of fabric. This allowed me to ensure the grain would be the same and also save time in the layout. If I were to start again I would also include the two front facings for the vest in the layout.
The painter tape provided me a “new” reference guide for every eighth row of topstitching. This allowed me to first sew five rows between each pair of tape strips and then removed the tape for the remaining three rows. For the rows which did not abut the edge of the tape I used my presser foot as the guide. Again for my machine I have a Maxi foot which measures exactly 1 cm from the center stitch position to both the left and right edge of the foot. Other options could be to use a quilting guide to sew parallel rows or reposition the needle to the left or right (if your machine has this capability) so that a regular presser foot provides the correct spacing. I also have a “Seam Guide” presser foot which has a scale which extends off the right side of the foot. For long straight lines of this type, I found the scale to be too small and narrow to provide accurate results. For my eyes it was just too small a target to follow. Also it only provides a guide against a target on the right-hand side of the needle.
Obviously different widths of tape or different spacing will allow for more or fewer guidelines. Using the guidelines prevents slight errors in one row being propagated across the entire piece. Plus it gives a good opportunity to take some breaks along the way. Since the tape was not a whole number of rows, I marked which side of the tape was my reference line and which direction I was sewing the rows. Here I am probably more “obsessive” than necessary, but instead of having the rows of stitching be left-to-right or right-to-left on all rows and all pieces of the fabric I wanted it to be outside-to-inside on both pieces. There is nothing screen accurate about this approach, probably just the opposite, but it just adds a touch which in uniquely mine. Sewing both fronts in the same direction, together in the contiguous line as I laid them out would save time. If you were to sew left-to-right on one row and then back right-to-left in the next row you would probably save even more time. I tested both of these approaches as well before making my decision. The back and forth approach is what I used in the embroidery test, as well as a manual test. If I were doing this commercially, I would use the embroidery approach it is much faster, also frees up time as it is automated and is more consistent. The appearance of the various approaches, and thus my selected method, is noticeable to me but perhaps not to anyone else.
EDIT: With all the handling it is also important to press and reblock the unit back into alignment after all the stitching.
Before cutting the individual pieces to size I ran a set of stay-stitching just outside the seam line, all the way around the garment piece, to help anchor the topstitching.
Last edited:
Dimahleesi
New Member
This is the one of the only other photos I can think of that shows some detail of that connector.
From this album: http://s220.photobucket.com/user/TR-7518/library/SW - R1?sort=3&page=1
papersflower
New Member
smithjohnj
Sr Member
Thank you for the help @papersflower and @Dimahleesi
verdaera
Active Member
Finished my "fitting draft" of my pants. It takes awhile to find pants that fit me because I'm a weird shape. I think I need to add a little bit of volume to the leg, and hopefully that'll help be able to space out my pintucks more (I'm really tiny so I don't have much room to work)
smithjohnj
Sr Member
I was taking another look at the Imperial Binders. I believe the chain element is actually made up of individual "repair" chain links. These are used when the link in a regualr chain breaks and you want to connect the two parts back together without access to something like a welder. There are a couple of different styles but the "locking" or "threaded" repair links are what I believe we are looking for.
Each link as a threaded connector on one side and I believe the prop department added a slightly long tube element on the other side.
Since so much of this film was done in the UK, I first Iook for sources there and then see what I can find locally. Here is one possible UK source. They come is several sizes and I have not yet taken the time to analyze the images for diameter or length.
http://www.gsproducts.co.uk/stainless-steel-quick-repair-chain-links/
Then here are some domestic examples.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/National...gclid=CNbI777-4M8CFQgfhgodcbAFiQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.grainger.com/category/c...-accessories/material-handling/ecatalog/N-mtk
I am interested in what others think.
Each link as a threaded connector on one side and I believe the prop department added a slightly long tube element on the other side.
Since so much of this film was done in the UK, I first Iook for sources there and then see what I can find locally. Here is one possible UK source. They come is several sizes and I have not yet taken the time to analyze the images for diameter or length.
http://www.gsproducts.co.uk/stainless-steel-quick-repair-chain-links/
Then here are some domestic examples.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/National...gclid=CNbI777-4M8CFQgfhgodcbAFiQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.grainger.com/category/c...-accessories/material-handling/ecatalog/N-mtk
I am interested in what others think.
the whiphand
Member
Hey guys, any chance anyone has any extra Lange Z straps/buckle things to sell? It seems the person I was going to get them has been away for a bit.
marishkabibble
New Member
Those look incredible! Seriously, nice work. May I ask what fabric your using for them?
verdaera
Active Member
Thank you! Actually, just a black stretch denim from Joanns. I am making my first pair from this same fabric until I can find a fabric with a more accurate color, then I'll remake them.
the whiphand
Member
Honestly, I'm kind of wondering if it's actually just a super faded black. I have yet to see any grey that's dark enough, and the color always reminds me of old black jeans after they've been washed a bazillion times. Yours are definitely pretty fantastic looking. We're you working from a pattern base or scratch?
Restill
Member
I'm also convinced the fabric is faded black. I'll probably just end up dyeing the charcoal fabric I bought with dark gray or black. It seems to me we've got to get these patterns made and start wearing them around to wear them in! They look pretty comfortable, to be honest...
verdaera
Active Member
I think so, too. All the black swatches I've ordered don't look right, I'm going to try other keywords. These are a denim though, so there's some white flecks in there I don't like, I kind of want to try a bottom weight stretch twill. I also think this denim is a little heavy. But maybe throwing them in the wash with every load of clothes would help fade them, too.
I drafted them myself, using some jeans that fit well as a base for the annoying crotch seam curves.
-edit- hmm, I wonder how they 'stonewash' denim and if it's as straight forward as it sounds...
smithjohnj
Sr Member
If you are looking to tone down black cloth you might look into using Fuller's Earth. It is used in some industries as a decolorizer but I am not sure how effective it is on dyed cloth. However it is non-toxic way to add a whitish or ashy "dirt" to cloth or theatrical props. However because it is a powder you may need some type of fixative agent.
Just a caution when I was doing some earlier research about changing the color of cloth, I saw a number of articles about using salt water to "fade" denim. Salt is actually used to fix color into cotton fabric (look at your RIT dye instructions). So using a salt bath will tend to fix the dye not fade it. All of those articles then talked about using abrasives on the fabric. The salt bath was actually being used to "soften" the fabric fibers. This helps dye penetrate in one case and also exposes the fibers to the abrasives in the other. If you want to use abrasives, plain water can help soften without having a salt fixative. Also do not add soap to the water. Soap will make the fibers link together. You use soapy water for example to get wool to "felt" by making the kinky fibers in wool link together and compress.
Just a caution when I was doing some earlier research about changing the color of cloth, I saw a number of articles about using salt water to "fade" denim. Salt is actually used to fix color into cotton fabric (look at your RIT dye instructions). So using a salt bath will tend to fix the dye not fade it. All of those articles then talked about using abrasives on the fabric. The salt bath was actually being used to "soften" the fabric fibers. This helps dye penetrate in one case and also exposes the fibers to the abrasives in the other. If you want to use abrasives, plain water can help soften without having a salt fixative. Also do not add soap to the water. Soap will make the fibers link together. You use soapy water for example to get wool to "felt" by making the kinky fibers in wool link together and compress.
the whiphand
Member
I'm wondering if black twill in a short bath in RIT's color remover might do the trick? I might test that out this weekend and report back...
Dimahleesi
New Member
I played with this in photoshop and there is definitely a back yoke on the shirt.
As far as pants; I'm also using denim, a black denim from joann's which doesn't have any white threads. I decided on denim because they didn't have a variant of stretch cotton with a texture and weight I liked and I think denim will probably create a more flattering fit for me. I don't see it fading very much if at all so my plan is to make them very dusty looking with fuller's earth as if I've been running through a lot of sand. I may take a knee in some more reddish powder like plains dust or a nearby baseball field for a temporary addition.
Restill
Member
Do you think this this something that can be used to create the two rectangular patches of lighter color we see on the pants here?
Similar threads
