Sith Obi-Wan Concept (was Kylo Ren) WIP (Pic Heavy)

SMP Designs

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Hello all - I'm back with something not Captain America related (Whaaaaat???)

This time it's all about Kylo Ren. This project will consist of 6 major components: neck seal, under tunic, mid coat, top coat, cowl and belt. I'll address the pants, gloves and boots (and the helmet) as well.

I decided to begin with the neck seal. To create the pattern, I turned to my trusty Ed Head from Monster Makers. I began by creating a tape form of Ed's neck, shoulders and chin by first wrapping him in plastic wrap and then using white duct tape to create a mold.

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I then drew on the lines for the pattern pieces, cut the tape form apart and transferred the base patterns to paper.

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After testing the pattern in muslin, I made a base for the piece in ribbed black cotton. This will serve as the base for the segments and will make a soft and comfortable lining that will go against the wearer's skin.

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Next came the most intricate part of this piece - the segments.

I wanted them to be sturdy and hold their shape. I also wanted them to move well and allow the wearer a decent range of motion. I decided to make the segments out of an upholstery vinyl and attach them to the base at the bottom of each segment. This allows them to move somewhat freely and 'float' on top of one another while the base keeps them in relative place.

I mapped the segments out by using a muslin mock up and sketching out the lines for each segment. I then cut that apart and transferred each piece to paper adding 1/2" to the bottom of each one for overlap.

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To create the pieces, I selected upholstery vinyl because I liked the fact that it has a leathery texture but still looks somewhat rubbery and 'manufactured' - which I thought was appropriate for this component of the costume.

I worked from top to bottom to assemble the segments. I first cut the top section, stitched it to the base and then bound it off with a thin faux leather to finish the edge.

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After that, it was a matter of cutting each segment, binding it on the top edge and sewing it along the bottom to the base. When each segment is sewn down, it covers the bottom edge and stitching of the one above it.

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Once I reached the bottom, I bound the lower edge off with bias tape, trimmed and bound the back edges and added the velcro closure to the back.

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Next, I'll begin the patterns for the tunic and coats. Cheers!
 
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Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

Awesome! That looks seriously cool. Looking forward to seeing more.

That looks really great!!

Really looking forward to this after checking out your site.

Thanks guys! For a costume that's essentially a solid black monk, this one has some really cool components and textures. I think that's what I like the most about it - it's really conceptually basic but, when you look at it, there's a lot going on there.

Plus, you know, black is really slimming. ;)

- - - Updated - - -

As always, you've totally knocked it out of the park SMP! I cannot wait till this bad boy is on my neck. :)

Haha! And to think, if I were going to wrap anything around your neck... :lol
 
Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

Update time! I got to work on the tunics...

The next step was to begin drafting the basic pattern for the various tunics. I began, as I typically do, with a block (or sloper) to get the basic shape and fit. I traced the block out on muslin and made a test copy.

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After trying it with the neck seal and fitting the pattern, I decided to start with the under tunic and work my out.

The foundation for the tunic is a basic cotton twill. I cut the upper body pieces out of that and finished the front dart and side back seams. This left me with the 4 base upper body pieces. Next, I cut strips of the outer fabric that will be pleated - a medium weight linen - and pressed the pleats into it.

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The next step was to lay the base piece over the pleated fabric, pin it down and secure the pleats. This was done by - working top to bottom - lifting the pleats up and stitching them down to the base layer on the underside crease. Each pleat on each piece was secured in this manner.

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Also, since the front has a dart and the back has shaped side-back seams, the pleated linen must be eased along these curves. This is part of the reason I selected linen - aside from it's obvious texture, it's easy to ease and is a loose enough weave that it will correct itself along simple curves with steam.

I blew out the three images of the pleats and stitching so that the details can be seen. All of the fabric is, in fact, black. Here is one side of the under tunic after the pleats were eased and pressed.

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I did both fronts and then the two back pieces.

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Note that the armholes are finished already - here's why: In reading the guide from the 501st about the costume, I liked the reference to the sleeves being 'recessed' from the shoulders on the under tunic section. I decided to create the upper part of this piece in two main layers: the pleated outer layer and an inner layer that will be made of the black cotton and will hold the sleeves.

So, when finished, the tunic will be all one piece but the sleeves will 'float' underneath the body and move somewhat independently of the outer shell. I'll be working on that section next.

Cheers!
 
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Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

UGH!!! So damn beautiful. Sean you truly are a master artisan! I cannot wait till I get to slide into my finished costume from you. :)
 
Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

Any updates? I'm working on my undercoat too, trying to make a pattern. I chose linen also, mainly because it had the closest weave of all the fabric I looked through.

Are you going to place the waist seam underneath the belt? It seems like it should be higher than a natural waist.

Also, how much slant did you give the "skirt" piece: (1 compared to 2) On mine, #1 is 10in, and I'm thinking of adding 3 or 4 inches of width to the bottom.

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FYI, there's piping (twill fabric?) on the undercoat arm holes:

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Sorry for the hijack.
 
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Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

Any updates? I'm working on my undercoat too, trying to make a pattern. I chose linen also, mainly because it had the closest weave of all the fabric I looked through.

Are you going to place the waist seam underneath the belt? It seems like it should be higher than a natural waist.

Also, how much slant did you give the "skirt" piece: (1 compared to 2) On mine, #1 is 10in, and I'm thinking of adding 3 or 4 inches of width to the bottom.

FYI, there's piping (twill fabric?) on the undercoat arm holes

Hi there!

I should be making an update on sleeves and the lower section tonight. In the meantime, to answer your questions:

The seam on the undertunic will fall at the bottom of the belt. I intentionally left the pleating off the lower part of the upper body to reduce the bulk under the belt.

My skirt pieces measure 11" at the top and 18" at the hem.

Yes, my armholes are bound as well and the sleeves are being attached to an separate layer. I covered part of that in my last update and will have more details to share in the next update.

Cheers!
 
Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

Update time!

Picking up right where I left off, this update covers the sleeves. The sleeves, due to their length, have to be made in sections. The base sleeve was cut out of the same black cotton as the base of the rest of the tunic. I then began the pleating at the cuff and worked my up. First, I finished the edge at the cuff and pressed the linen to the right side. Then the sleeve was pleated to about halfway up the forearm.

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I then cut another piece of linen and spliced it onto the lower pleating to complete the sleeve.

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Once both sleeves were fully covered in pleated linen, I bound the edges and set in the zippers that run from the underarm to the cuff.

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The sleeves were sewn to an inner layer of the bod of the tunic. This layer is exactly the same cut as the shell, just without the pleats. This inner layer was stitched to the inside of the shell. This creates a perfectly synced layer for the sleeves that can move independently from the shell and give the added layered effect to the piece.

The neck edge was finished off and the whole piece was tested with the neck seal.

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The next pieces to create for this piece are the skirt sections. The two front sections have been cut and covered with pleated linen.

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Here's the entire piece so far.

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The next step is to add the back of the skirt, finish the edges and set the front zipper.
 
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Re: Kylo Ren WIP (Pic Heavy)

This just keeps getting better! :)

Rob

Thanks man!

Once the back of the skirt is set in, these two components will go out to the client for a test fitting before the tunic is finished and the rest of the pieces are cut and assembled.
 
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