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Feedback on my Nihilus COTF project


Yousband

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Hello there,

Before starting, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm from France, and I'm a member of a little Star Wars Association of cosplayers. At first, I bought some cheap costume to be able to troop with my friends but then, I wanted to do my very first costume. I had many ideas like a Mandalorian, a Darth Nox cosplay from The Old Republic (just the helmet) but then I decided to make a Darth Nihilus costume. I had this crazy idea to do a crossover between Darth Nihilus and a Ringwraith from Lord of the Rings before getting more realistic and make a much more standard version inspired by the COTF version.

So for many months, I search everywhere on the internet (especially here and the Scott's Tutorial), to get as many informations as possible to understand how everything works. But in fact, I have more questions than answers when I try to make everything works together.

To begin the costume, I bought some matted (I think that's the English translation for "natté") cotton for the making of a first attempt to see how make the costume and the length of fabric needed before going for a Black Raw Silk fabric or an other fabric of a better quality. The mask was made by propsmatic of which I removed the mesh fabric on the eyes because I put a Zentai Mask under it (not in the CRL but I find the costume better with it) and I bought the hood from Twikek Pam and add foam and velcro to adjust it to my head and make it works like a comfortable helmet to wear (even if at first I wanted to make it works like the MWA costume but it doesn't appear very comfortable to me) . But I still need to ajust the mask because I have the feeling that it's not straight.

The main issue is with a the Hood/Cape parts. Since I have been following Scott's tutorial, I went to my grandmother for the sewing and she makes me a cape in two pieces of 45cm of width each (stupid error I didn't specify that it was in inches not cm) but the results is not bad at all, in fact  I wonder if for the future I should go to an in between with my 90cm cape and the 90" in the Scott's tutorial, if it's not better with weight of the fabric on the shoulders. But it's the hood that makes me crazy, because I really don't know how you guys make it work. At first I tried with a pattern like this (not entirely accurate because I went for a square shape) and it had not the drape wanted and the fabric ends made the knot looks really bad.

pattern.thumb.jpg.6288eccb585ca05c323bd59f6e044261.jpg50454609_289985048307579_4996484907413798912_n.jpg.0db5ab479a49fe1afd7b3e905d1f4035.jpg512529968_Sanstitre.png.9560fbfbe06b09798a06583ae26b60ac.png

 

So I just put a piece of fabric and wrapped it over my head, and as simply as that it was much better XD

Then, I tried to do the same thing with a 45cm of width of a leftover fabric, but it has too much weight that it pull back the hood. So even if I make the hood/cape in two pieces like Scott did I'm afraid that it makes the same thing and I can't figure how to fixed it.

I tried some other things too : A Kylo Ren Hooded Scarf, a Darth Revan Capelet to see how much fabric can i put in my back without pulling back the hood (a little bit lower than my shoulder blades) but not something that can get approved.

 

And last saturday, I went to a local event with my association and did some photos in costume with some photograph that looks pretty good despite not having all the pieces of the costume ready (no tunics, belt, weathering ...). I also take the opportunity to took some photos and decided to register myself in the forum to ask for help, advices.

https://www.casimages.com/i/190207051920847834.jpg.html

https://www.casimages.com/i/190207051939241537.jpg.html

https://www.casimages.com/i/190207051946414060.jpg.html

I've put the photo in a pictures host because the files are little too big, there is details that I hope you can forgive me for : I didn't realize that the cape was not adjust over the shoulders (the cape is pin on the shoulders but the hood was just the piece of fabric hanging and was not pinned for this "crash test" XD) and the neck cover was not well adjust to. And I'm not pleased with the skirts too, maybe it's the tunic and the tabard (of my other costume) over it but there's something off, the two layers doesn't appear to be distinguishable.

 

That's pretty much it, I hope you understand what I wrote, please forgive my english.

Thanks.

 

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First off welcome to the Flagship!  Speaking as a fellow Darth Nihilus I can understand the troubles getting the hood and cape to look right.  

From the pics you linked front of the hood looks pretty good.  The knot in the front should be a little better defined, with no lose edges.  It shouldn't look tied together.  Also the cape should drape over the shoulders, not in front of them at all.

For the pic you took of the back it looks like you have 2 separate capes, which is not right.  It also looks like there's a seem down the back which shouldn't be there as well.

I used Scott's tutorial as well and it worked great.  I have the majority of my cape around my shoulders connecting with the knot, and the single piece of fabric trailing off my hood that's also connecting with the knot.

Hopefully I have helped you out with your questions.  If not please feel free to post again and I will do my best to help.

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Thanks for the answer, it helps a bit to figure it out. With what you say, I thought about to make it like this and have only one piece of fabric : https://www.casimages.com/i/190209070849344538.jpg.html

Where the ends of the fabrics goes over the shoulders and wrap it together to make the knot (right ?) . Unfortunately I can't test something to see how that could works cause I don't have any spare fabrics ...

But doing it that way, can it resolve the weight issue over the head ?

 

 

 

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Unfortunately I can't get the link you shared to work.  For the knot what I did was sew the ends of the fabric from the cape together.  Then I wrapped another piece of fabric around those ends so you can't tell the are sewed.  It shouldn't look like an actual tied together knot with loose ends.  

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This is the front side of the knot on my costume.

20190210_100845.jpg

and this is the backside.

20190210_101810.jpg

You can see how i sewed the piece of fabric that went around the sewed together ends.  I also used a straight piece of fabric for the cape, no special cut out.

 

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