Rebel Pilot - Introducing Womp Rat 5!

Yes, Grampy-Wan is now a Rebel Pilot! And he looks damn good, too.



I started with an orange jumpsuit, and scraps from another. I added thigh pockets, arm pockets, and changed the collar and wrist cuffs.

The collar needs to be a stand up version, closed with velcro. The cuffs on the wrists also close with velcro.

The vest was a NIGHTMARE! I think I ripped out as many stitches as I put in! The first time he wore it I spent all day pushing the tubing back into the channels, so I stitched across the ends.

The arm tools came from Kenny the Elvis Trooper, and they look fantastic.



Also fantastic is the chest box, from Mr. Bojangles of the RL.

The helmet was Grampy-Wan's own personal nightmare, as the spray paint bubbled up and the whole thing had to be sanded. But eventually it smoothed out, and we decorated it by printing logos out on clear stickers and trimming them to fit.

Grampy made his own leg flares by sanding the edges of 4" pieces of dowling and I spray painted them... always wear gloves when spray painting things that roll, because the force of the spray will send them skittering...

The leg flare holder was simple. I used green canvas-like material, one piece 7 inches wide and one piece 4 inches wide. After turning the edges under 1/2" on each side, they were 6" and 3". I the sewed the narrow piece onto the wide piece, fitting the flares in as I went along.



On the backside, I glued popsicle sticks which extend beyond the edge to tuck into the boots to keep the whole thing from sliding. I also secured the dowels with thumbtacks.



The chest box hose is attached to the side of the jumpsuit by magnets. The elbow, (a 'street elbow' in hardware store language) has a washer epoxied into it, and inside the jumpsuit is another washer with three neomydium magnets epoxied to it. Fits tight,but will slide if bumped instead of tearing the fabric!



Most of my thanks go to Alpha Base of the Rebel Legion for their great tutorials!

More pictures to follow!

And stay tuned for "The Luminara Chronicals"!!!

NOMI SUNRIDER COSTUME REFERENCES

NOT YET APPROVED!


REFERENCES:

Nomi appears in this costume on a couple of covers of Dark Horse Comics' "Tales of the Jedi" series. Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

"The Sith War #4 of 6"


Dark Lords of the Sith #5 of 6



This image is also from the comics series, and shows Nomi with her sleeves rolled up and without the leather wrist gauntlets.




Nomi is also wearing this same outfit in the Star Wars Epic Duels Boardgame.




She appears again in the Star Wars Miniatures game "Legacy of the Force"



Nomi's lightsaber is a simple tube, with the only control being an activation switch. It has a simple ridged, round pommel, and a similar shaped emitter. In some pictures the emitter appears to have three pointed prongs extending from the emitter, but in other pictures it does not show.

In this picture, Nomi is wearing a large, silver oval shaped medallion or brooch. It is not clear if this attached to her tunic or is worn hanging around the neck. The latter seems more likely.






Instead of the medallion, in this picture she is wearing a clear crystal on a leather strip around her neck.



One or the other is worn, but not both.

MARA JADE'S LONG GREEN DRESS

For Mara Jade's long green dress, I started with McCall's pattern M9456.

using the version shown in dark blue. I made the sleeves larger and puffier by adding about 3" extra into the center of the sleeve.




While sewing the sleeve into the dress, I gathered the extra material in between the notches, so it is still smooth under the arms.

I cut off the hem allowance of the sleeve, and instead made a cuff to fit my wrist, with enough to overlap for a button or a snap. I turned under the edges of the sleeve seam allowance to make the cuff opening, and gathered the bottom of the sleeve into the cuff to fit around my wrist, so that the edges come together smoothly.



The only problem with this pattern, is the neckline is too low. The shoulder armor is OK on the right shoulder, but on the left it doesn't fit correctly. If the shoulders were wider, so that the silver part and the green part met at the neck, I think it would look better, not to mention be more comfortable!



I did start the overskirt with a pattern, but it was not of much use. Basically, the skirt is made of three rectangles.




The back rectangle should measure about 1.25 to 1.5 times the width of your back at the waist, depending on how much gathering you want.

The top of right front piece should be as wide as half the distance from the side seam to your belly-button. The bottom width should be the distance from the side seam to the center front. The bottom should be curved so that it is shorter at the center front.



The center front is then angled from the top corner to the bottom corner.

The left front side should be a rectangle as wide as the right side is at the top. This part is gathered or pleated as much as possible from the side seam towards the center.



The top band is just a long strip of fabric sewn to the skirt and then folded over. It will be hidden under the leather belt, but it should lie as flat as possible. Then the ends of the strip over lap in the front and can be pinned or snapped closed. The entire edge of the overskirt has to be hemmed.

UNOFFICIAL REBEL LEGION COSTUME BINDER

MARA JADE SKYWALKER COSTUME REFERENCES

This is Mara Jade Skywalker as a Jedi Master. This costume consists of a long, emerald green dress with a pocketed overskirt.

Mara wears boots wrapped with fabric (or possible leather) strips, and shoulder armor. In some pictures this armor looks metallic, such as the cover to "Heir to the Empire"



But in others it appears that it could possibly be covered with leather. She carries a shoulder bag of light brown or tan, a silver brooch at the center front of her dress, and carries Luke's first lightsaber on her belt.

Her long red hair is worn in a single, centered braid, although some pictures show her with a second, thin and short braid worn on the left side of the head behind the ear.

Mara appears in this costume in Steven Sansweets original "Star Wars Encyclopedia: on page 147.


"The Essential Guide to Characters" by Andy Mangels, page 82


In 1996, Mara was immortalized by Topps, in their "Star Wars Finest" card set, card # 46


Mara also appears as a mini-figure in the Micro-Machines Epic Collection Figures "Heir to the Empire"

HOW TO MAKE A JEDI UNDERTUNIC

When I first made my Jedi costume, I tried a couple of patterns to make a lightweight under tunic that didn't involve making a whole other tunic. I didn't want that many layers of extra padding around my waist and hips! (I'm padded enough). Neither pattern I tried had a neckline high enough to show outside my outer tunic.

I gave up temporarily, and made the dickey that came with the pattern and wore it to C-IV. It looked good, but I wanted long, scrunched sleeves, too. So I came up with this idea, using a lightweight fabric and t-shirt. It keeps the layers of fabric to a minimum and doesn't add much weight to the overall costume, which is a concern when one lives in a hot climate!

It also makes it easy to have more than one under tunic for a minimal cost... it's nice to have a clean undershirt at a con when you're wearing your costume more than one say... or you could make one in a different color..... I always a picture a Jedi going to her closet each morning and deciding what combo of tans and browns to wear that day... LOL

This is much easier, faster and less expensive than making a whole separate under tunic, and in my opinion, a lot more comfortable to wear.




Materials:
1 plain cotton, V-Necked undershirt (Wal-Mart, 2-pack for $3.97)
A Dickey or Collar pattern. (simplicity 4450, 5840, 4080, for example)
A stretchy cotton fabric, such as gauze or a lightweight crinkle cotton. The amount depends on the amount needed to make the collar, and how big your sleeves are. You will have to lay out the pattern pieces and measure.
I used 1.5 yards of 44" wide crinkle gauze @ $5.99 yard.
Thread (of course) $1.79
Minimum sewing skills needed.
Time needed: About an hour, depending on how complicated your dickey/collar pattern is.

Make the Dickey or Collar as directed.

Pre-wash and dry the T-Shirt if it is new. Remove the sleeve hems and press the edges out smooth.




Measure around the sleeve. This is MEASURE A.

Put the shirt on and measure from the edge of the sleeve to your wrist.



This is MEASURE B

Measure your hand around the knuckles with your tumb tucked underneath. This should be the tightest space you can put your hand through while putting on the shirt.



This is MEASURE C

Make a paper pattern for the sleeve tube. The top edge should be MEASURE A plus one inch. The bottom edge should be MEASURE C plus one inch.
The length down the center should be MEASURE C plus 7 or 8 inches. The sides are angled straight in.



If you cut this out crosswise, you may be able to use the selvage edge for the bottom edge and not have to hem it. If you do need to hem it, just turn it over 1.4" and stitch. Cut two.

***

Take one piece, and stitch up the long angled side, right sides together to create the sleeve tube, using a half-inch seam allowance. You will end up with this.



Turn it right side out, and turn the T-Shirt inside out.

With right sides together, sew the sleeve tube into the T-shirt sleeve, using a half-inch or so seam allowance.


Repeat from *** for other sleeve.

Turn the shirt right side out and put it on!





Pull on the sleeve until the excess fabric is bunched around your wrist.


Put on your collar and pin it to the T-Shirt if desired. Velcro, snaps, or other forms of attachment will work, but attachment IS recommended.



Put on your Over Tunic and you look great!