Wrath of Khan
According to my sources, two kinds of material were used in making to jacket. The first being ripcord. Ripcord is the same fabric that marching band uniforms are made out of. The second is wool gaberdine. I sugest, if you can afford it, use the wool gaberdine. It seems to lay better. This is not a project for the sewing impaired. It is quite complicated. This jacket is like a military coat. Very uniformed. Once again choose white and dye it burgundy. The color is NOT red or bright red. I purchased my pattern through LINCOLN ENTERPRISES. With this pattern you will need to buy the instruction book written by the designer. Although the pattern comes with instructions, it is not good enough. Read the book in it's entire before beginning. The materials are all laid out in the book, so start laying your pattern to the fabric.
There are two parts to this jacket: The outer shell and the inner shell. The outer shell we are all familiar with. It's the inner shell we are not. The inner shell contains the white, or tan fabric that is exposed when the flaps open. This is a part of the lining. So in a nut shell, you are making two jackets and joining them together.
Some helpful tips: If you follow the instructions,and have a basic knowledge of sewing, you should be OK. The hardest parts to this jacket are the piping, shoulder strap and clasp, and the right arm sleeve. I myself have not totally perfected the arm sleeve,but mine is much more truer than the ones that I see at conventions.
The process to raise the sleeve is called Trapunto. It is a machine that shoots thread through a needle to raise particular area. Beacause trapunto is very expensive, we will have to do ours by quilting. Looks the same.
Next we move to the arm band or dept. band. This consists of three parts. Dept. color ontop of black trimmed in gold lame. Make sure you follow the book's directions, not the pattern's directions. This is the biggest mistake.To be authentic the Dept. color should be 1 1/2" after being sewn. This is sewn ontop of the black that is 2" in width. at the edge is the gold lame.. Most people follow the pattern directions and their sleeve band is too wide.
Next mistake is the front piping. This is simple once you know the trick. Do not sew the outter shell and the inner shell together where the piping is to go. If you have succesfully sewn the two pieces together, you'll see that the jacket looks inside out with the lining on top, and the seams showing. Sew the piping in the unsewn area. Once you turn the coat to the right side, the piping will fall into place. The shoulder strap really isn't that big of a problem,just sew it according to the book. For some reason the pattern is a little too giving.
Just a word of note: My advice is to watch the movies and really examine the jacket. Back and front, side to side. You can substitute different fabrics, but you won't get the same look.
Now we can add the frills, rank pins, and insignias. These are all pretty basic, except the rank insignia. Contrary to all the booths at the conventions, the rank insignia on the arm is the same as the one worn on the shoulder. Somehow, or somewhere, somebody started making rank pins that are just way too large, claiming they are for the shoulder strap. Don't fall into this. The originals are the same size. The best source for all your insignias and rank pins is LINCOLN ENTERPRISES. After all, who better to buy from than the creators wife?
PANTS, PANTS, PANTS
These are very basic to make. Follow the pattern and you will be OK.
One word of note: Sew the pants like they were bell bottoms. once you add the ribbing around the bottom you'll have the same look. These pants actually should be sort of a loose snug down to the knee's, then flaired out. Gives you that sailor look.
TUNIC
Using your pattern, be accurate. This tunic is supposed to hug your body. It is a very basic pattern. Just follow the instructions. It is best to use cotton lycra or spandex. Use fiber fill to create the trapunto look on the collar and cuffs.
One last note to this uniform: When sewing the jacket flap, you will have to alter the pattern a little. The flap is not rounded, it's square.
Also note that you will need to buy black snaps and chains to go along the piping.
INSIGNIAS: Best bought through Lincoln Entreprise. Attatch to the left breast. This insignia is a pin with 2 prongs, so be careful, make sure you have it positioned right. You don't want holes all over your uniform.
RANK PINS: You'll need two of these. One for the sleeve and one for the shoulder. DO NOT buy one pin larger than the other. Both rank pins are the same size. If your wearing captain pins, they should be 2 1/2" long and slightly curved.
PIPS & SQUEEKS: Gold round pin with lines denotes 5 years of service. Gold oblong pin with lines denotes Starfleet commendations. Gold round pin with lines and delta symbol denotes 10 years of service. These can be worn to your preference. They are placed on the divisional arm band.
BELT BUCKLE-FEDERATION SECURITY PIN-TWIST LOCK: The belt buckle is self explanitory. It should be brass in color. Federation security pin. Whats that? It is the pin that attaches to the back of the divisional strap on the shoulder. This is made from a model tank wheel painted silver. I drilled a whole in the center and inserted a tack pin to attach it. Don't worry about being to accurate. No two are alike. Twist locks you can get at any hobbie store and are attached to the shoulder flap and divisional flap.
