War Doctor: Such a waistcoat

The only picture I could find without the leather jacket and showing a full view of the waistcoat.

I've decided to make the Doctor's waistcoat, partly because I couldn't find one to buy that I liked and wasn't expensive, and partly because I could use the sewing practice. I believe the fabric is velvet or velour, and appears to be reddish or bronze. There is a manufacturer (Magnoli Clothiers) that has a replica of the waistcoat, and it's made with bronze velvet.

Marking the shape of the waistcoat on muslin that's draped and pinned over the body forrm

Cutting out the marked muslin pieces and trimming the back piece to be symetrical

Making the paper pattern from the muslin pieces

The final pattern

First up is making the pattern. Taking advantage of my body double form, I draped and pinned cheap muslin to the form. I could cut and shape the muslin to the body double, pinning pieces together at seam lines until the form looks right. A sharpie lets me mark up the muslin until I've got the shapes and seams properly laid out. Next, I cut out the muslin pieces, and then pin them down to a work board where I can make the pieces symmetrical and make sure they join up properly. Finally, I pin the pieces to construction paper where I can lay out the pattern with seam allowances.

The final pattern consists of 4 pieces: the back pattern which is placed along a fold in order to cut a symmetrical piece, the front pattern which is used to cut one piece directly and then another piece with the pattern flipped (so there is one piece of fabric for each side),  the back collar which is also cut along a fold similarly to the back piece, and the front collar from which two mirror image pieces are cut similar to the front body pieces. Now I'm ready for the fabric.

Red velvet, a little TOO red

Hmm, the fabric arrived, and I think it's way too bright a red. So it's time to hit the dyes. That will be the next post.

 

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Written by Alan Irwin On In Tagged

War Doctor: Gaiter aid

Cropped images of the half-gaiters from three different publicity shots of the War Doctor

My next project for this cosplay was to put together my pattern for the half-gaiters. I'd found the above image, which is a collection of clips from publicity stills of John Hurt in costume. I was prepared to take measurements and calculate ratios from the photos, and I went on-line to check for photos of other gaiters. But instead I found this amazing post by Sidney Eileen titled How to Draft a Pattern for Fitted Gaiters. I'd looked at other gaiter patterns, but they were always another style, where the part that fits over the front of the shoe is a separate piece sewn onto the leg. In the War Doctor pictures, however, the bill is part of the legging, just flared out over the boot. Luckily, Sidney's pattern is an exact match for the Doctor's gaiter. That made the whole thing much easier!

Measurements and calculations drawn out on construction paper, then cut out and transferred to muslin for a prototype build.

Muslin prototype made from the first pattern

I laid the pattern out on construction paper following her procedure and based on measurements from my own leg. I have a big roll of construction paper (cheap!) which I use when I'm experimenting with patterns. She has some standard allowances based on fitting the gaiter onto a bare leg and a shoe, but I'll be wearing mine over a pants leg and a boot. So I made a muslin prototype from the test pattern to see how it all fits.

The beast, my 1955 Necchi sewing machine 

Obligatory shot of me sewing a seam, proving that I do, in fact, sew.

Since I haven't shown my sewing station before, here's the sewing machine I use. It's a Necchi Automatic Supernova Ultra from 1955, and so it's a year older than I am. It was used by Harriet's mom and is a bit of a beast. It's not the most efficient thing and requires constant fiddling, but it's free and available and so far has done everything I've asked. It still has its manual, so I've been able to figure out all of the settings. I used it to sew the revolutionary war coat for the Headless Horseman, and there were times I was sewing through four layers of wool and two layers of muslin lining for that thing. It's also sewn vinyl to canvas, as well as spandex, so I can't really complain.

The Magnum Classics arrived, just in time for test fitting the gaiters.

New pattern made from adjustments to the old pattern

Test fitting the gaiters over my pants leg and the boot, indicating adjustments that needed to be made

Cutting out the suede pieces from the new pattern

When I received the boots for the costume (Magnum Classics that I found on sale), I used the muslin prototype to check the fit of the pattern. There were several dimensions that I wanted to change, so I made a new set of patterns, and then brought out the suede.

Turns out I have a lot more than I realized. It's almost a complete hide. For $20 it was a very good garage sale find. Only a portion of it will be used for the gaiters.

All the pieces for one leg

Stitched the first gaiter just enough to check the fit then cut the pieces for the second gaiter

I cut out one set, stitched the basic joins, and then checked the sizing again. It all looks good, so I cut out the second set for the opposite leg.

That's it for now. Next up is to finish the sewing including the hemming, add the buttons and buttonholes, and then ageing and weathering.

 

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Written by Alan Irwin On In Tagged

War Doctor: Wigging out

Another screen shot from The Day of the Doctors showing a closeup of the face and hair.

Today was one of those days where I was able to make progress on a lot of different fronts. In this post I'll focus on my progress with the War Doctor.

The belt arrived but is too short, so I'll add an extension in the back.

Pants from a local thrift store; they'll need some weathering.

A stripped shirt from the thrift store which also needs some weathering, although you only see some of the collar in the final cosplay.

I have a big piece of reddish brown suede I pulled out of my fabric storage that will be used for the gaiters.

First up, some pieces of the costume I was able buy or gather up. A trip to the thrift store provided me with a shirt and pants. These are probably the least noticeable parts of the costume, so dead nuts accuracy isn't critical. They are both pretty close already, and after weathering they'll be a great match.

I bought the belt on-line, but unfortunately it's too small. I'll cut the back and add a canvas or leather panel to size it correctly. That part will be covered up by the jacket or the waistcoat.

I also got the chance to go through my fabric supplies and found a big piece of suede I bought at a garage sale a couple of years ago. I'll use it to make the half-gaiters. The color is a little too red, but I'll spend some time weathering it as well to make it a more neutral grey.

Next up, the wig. I put together the tools and materials I need for cutting and styling the wig and set up my work station. My poor shop. It had gotten used to all the wood and metal work I've done over the years, but lately it's had to suffer through foam, fabric, and plastic fabrication. And now it's become a wig salon.

The wig as it originally appeared

Placing the new haIr part

Holding the hair and wetting it down 

Applying heat until the hair is hot to the touch, but not too hot to handle.

Both new parts in place and the hair flattened a bit into the new directions.

The wig I'd bought was the closest I could find from the cosplay wig manufacturer Epic Cosplay. But it's still too long and not styled the way I need it. So, I started by establishing some new partings. I spent some time researching this and came up with the method pictured above. I combed and held the hair with the part I wanted, wet it with a spray bottle, and then briefly hit it with the heat gun so that the wig would hold the new hair directions. Brief is the key. I'd sweep the heat over the part and then check how hot the hair had gotten with my fingers. The wig material is heat resistant to 410 F, but the low setting on that heat gun can go over 700 F, and I'd rather not melt the wig. Once I could feel that the hair had gotten hot (but not too hot to handle), then I knew it would set. The last picture above shows the hair after this initial styling.

Cutting in towards the head avoids the blunt blocks of tufts left by horizontal cuts.

One side cut, but you can see the blunt ends

The final cut all across the wig

Next, cutting it. I've never cut anyone's hair before, except maybe cutting the knots out of our dog's fur. So, I took to heart every on-line video I'd consumed and just started in. It was strangely addicting. I cut one side down first, and then took a picture to review. The length was pretty good, but it's a little blunt. I don't cut horizontally across the tufts, but in towards the head in order to avoid this (as shown in the picture, above). I think I'm probably cutting too much at once.

i continued in this fashion, cutting the other side and then the back, and finally the top. I stopped several times to put the wig on and make adjustments. The last picture above shows the final cut for length.

I did a little bit of styling with the got2B spiking glue that's recommended by just about every cosplay tutorial out there. I didn't want to do a lot because I still need to color this wig, and I'm not certain how the got2b will interact with the dyes. But I was pleased with the effect, and since the War Doctor's hair looks a bit sweaty and stringy, I think this will get me there. Plus it will hold that weird Mohawk look he's got.

So, here's the final test for the day. Not bad at all. It needs to be colored, and I'll need to color my goatee to match. I'll use the got2b to make it look less dry and blown out. But the length and basic hair directions are good. And that's enough for today.

 

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Written by Alan Irwin On In Tagged