X-Wing Pilot Motorcycle Jacket

Having just come home from the Ring of Fire con in Hampton, VA with the Rebel Legion, this is a project I was immediately drawn to.

CharlieMcN33l has ridden a Harley for years but has been a Star Wars fan for even longer. He even customizes helmets for himself to wear. When he started using his X-Wing pilot helmet, he wanted a flight jacket to go with it. Charlie is an Industrial Designer/DIYer/amateur tailor, so he decided to make a motorcycle jacket for himself.

Usually, Charlie wears a “Carhartt Duck Detroit” jacket or a MA-1 Bomber jacket when he rides. To break it down, his new jacket is 60% X-Wing flight jacket, 30% Carhartt jacket, 10% MA-1 Bomber jacket. He laid out the pattern for the grey vest based off the measurements of his size 40 Carhartt jacket, based off of scene shots of the Empire Strikes Back X-wing pilot jacket Luke wore. Once he sewed together the grey vest with the padded ribbing, he added reflective ribbons to be easily spotted at night. He also chose to attach the grey vest to the orange jacket all in one piece. Next, the grey arm pleats went with the rest of the orange arm pieces.

It’s hard to see in this picture, but Charlie also added a wind breaker and a very soft polyester lining (the same soft polyester that is used on blankets), making it soft and warm.

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March 14

Make Your Own Harry Potter Kindle Cover

Thanks to the crazy Black Friday sales this past November, I got an uber cheap Kindle Fire for the holidays. So, I’ve been on the hunt for some kind of cover or sleeve to make for my new toy, and I found this great tutorial. It’s a DIY Harry Potter Kindle Covers tutorial by Jess at Practically Functional. The tutorial has lots of great pictures and takes you step-by-step through the entire process of making these cute Kindle Covers. You’ll need to come up with your own pattern pieces, but everything’s made from felt which is a pretty easy medium to work with. Plus, you can size this DIY to fit whatever e-reader (or tablet, or phone, etc . . . ) you want. What’s more, if you’re feeling adventurous, you could adapt the pattern for a character from another House too.

A Droid in a Droid

This paper mache BB-8 was actually made to function as an almost life size gift box, by karmaforme, who recently posted it to Imgur, to showcase the wrapping job he did for his brother-in-law. He took a regular square U-Haul box, added side pieces to make it round, filled in the spaces with wadded up newspaper and tape, and covered it in paper mache. BB8’s head was a separate piece, complete with chop stick antennae. He left the bottom of the box with its original flat side, so his friend could access the gift inside: a smaller BB-8.

His brother-in-law teaches robotics, so his students will no doubt enjoy this as a decoration in his classroom.

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October 3

Minion Halloween Costume

It’s almost Halloween! Have you been working on your costume? Spartygw over at Imgur has been, and this year, for Halloween (and for DragonCon 15), he’s going to be a minion!

If you’re thinking about making a Minion costume for yourself, Spartygw’s Imgur post reads like a nice tutorial to walk you through the process.

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September 5

Homemade Batman Bedframe

DroppedDaSoap posted a series of photos over at Imgur of the bedframe his stepdad just made.

His stepdad is a handyman, and he designs props and costumes. DroppedDaSoap posted those photos because not only do they show a small amount of his total skill and work, but in the hopes people might be interested as he does take orders and can deliver or ship. If you’re an Imgur user, you can PM DroppedDaSoap there.

Category: Craft, Gadgets, Geek | 1 Comment

August 29

Sweetums from “The Muppets” as a Messenger Bag

NH822, a poster from Michigan, posted this messenger bag she made of Sweetums from “The Muppets,” in a Jim Henson-themed swap in 2012.

The eyes are Teesha Moore style patches and the strap is a result of weaving some fuzzy yarn. The eyebrow was crocheted and then sewn on, the teeth are felt cones and the nose and lip are stuffed fleece.

Sweetums is a very large, imposing and hairy Muppet ogre about nine feet tall. Despite appearing menacing, he is often depicted as friendly and harmless.