Fabric for TWOK Uniform

[Royal Fizzbin]

We (myself and my sewing-skilled fiancee) are going to attempt making a TWOK uniform. I need someone with good eyes to tell me if either of these looks like the right fabric:

1. http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=CCC507
2. http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=CCC208
3. http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=BBB031
4. http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=CC433
5. http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=BBB049

I think #5 looks the closest. I've read that the proper color is burgundy, but based on what I see here I think the red looks closer. However, I suppose I can't really tell based on an image on a monitor.

Opinions? Or has anyone here found an exact match for the fabric and color?

 

[Yeoman Randi]

My personal opinion, they are all so close but i kinda think the first one is best. Anyone else? (jealous, btw, that your GF can sew these for you. thats awesome)

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

I think the last one looks best. Do remember that it all depends on the color settings of your monitor; the actual fabric you'll receive can (and probably will) be quite different then that picture on screen.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'm also partial to the first one, but I think the actual tunics without studio lighting are a much brighter red, specifically the ones I've seen from the Christie's auctions.

Also, when I bought my patterns many many years ago for that design (the ones you can find at cons with a STII Admiral Kirk on the front), it calls for a wool gabardine fabric. In doing some research, it's some pretty expensive stuff and it looked a little too thin for what appeared on screen. That's more like a light-weight suit fabric. But, it's your project, and if you have the cash and like the look of gabardine, more power too you, but I recommend using an iron-on fabric stiffening sheet, particularly on the front flap under the lining.

I've made 4 of these tunics of various colors myself and they're not the easiest animals to work with. Also, be careful when attaching the sleeves to the shoulders. Unless they're well measured, you'll wind up with extra fabric on one side or the other and you'll get unintentional pleating when you finish the seams. Also make sure the neck opening is well measured, as they oftentimes finish way too wide and the neck sits way too low and exposes the branch-colored undershirt. Only the quilted collar should be exposed and nothing else, ideally.

The undershirt is easy. Just get a full-height turtleneck shirt of the desired color, get some batting, cut to size of the desired collar/neck height, fold the turtleneck collar down over the batting and quilt in even vertical stitches all the way around. Works great and is an inexpensive alternative to making a custom shirt.

 

[Royal Fizzbin]

I'm also partial to the first one, but I think the actual tunics without studio lighting are a much brighter red, specifically the ones I've seen from the Christie's auctions.

Also, when I bought my patterns many many years ago for that design (the ones you can find at cons with a STII Admiral Kirk on the front), it calls for a wool gabardine fabric. In doing some research, it's some pretty expensive stuff and it looked a little too thin for what appeared on screen. That's more like a light-weight suit fabric. But, it's your project, and if you have the cash and like the look of gabardine, more power too you, but I recommend using an iron-on fabric stiffening sheet, particularly on the front flap under the lining.

What fabric have you used or do you think would be best? I'm a newb at this kind of thing.

I'm definitely worried about the color. I know it will probably look different in real light than it does on a monitor. But I can't track down these nice wool fabrics in town so I don't know if I'll be able to see it in person beforehand.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

^ Whats the minimum you can order? Can you order a yard of each so that you can judge them in person? And then go from there?

 

[Royal Fizzbin]

^ Whats the minimum you can order? Can you order a yard of each so that you can judge them in person? And then go from there?

Looks like I could theoretically order 1/8 yard of each. That wouldn't be too much. Maybe I'll try that. Thanks.

 

[Jptrekker]

#1 looked the best to me. When I had mine made, we actually decided not to go with the wool but instead of a polyester type material in dark red. I'm afraid I don't know the actual material.

We also opted to have the tunic a little longer than in TWOK (more like Generations). You can get the rank insignia and other accessories at Roddenberry.com which is where we also got our pattern.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'm also partial to the first one, but I think the actual tunics without studio lighting are a much brighter red, specifically the ones I've seen from the Christie's auctions.

Also, when I bought my patterns many many years ago for that design (the ones you can find at cons with a STII Admiral Kirk on the front), it calls for a wool gabardine fabric. In doing some research, it's some pretty expensive stuff and it looked a little too thin for what appeared on screen. That's more like a light-weight suit fabric. But, it's your project, and if you have the cash and like the look of gabardine, more power too you, but I recommend using an iron-on fabric stiffening sheet, particularly on the front flap under the lining.

What fabric have you used or do you think would be best? I'm a newb at this kind of thing.

I'm definitely worried about the color. I know it will probably look different in real light than it does on a monitor. But I can't track down these nice wool fabrics in town so I don't know if I'll be able to see it in person beforehand.

Personally, I would go to a shop like G-Street Fabrics or other similar store and walk through the aisles of bolts. Look at the different colors, put them side by side and feel the texture of the fabric. Whatever *looks* and *feels* good to you is what you want. Oftentimes, when we sacrifice aesthetics for accuracy, the end result is not always as fulfilling. If you make something that looks good to your eye, chances are, it will look just as good to others who know what it is you're trying to accomplish.

The tunics always *looked* like they were made of a thick wool. In some scenes I swear you could see a faint halo of lint on the surface. Gabardine is usually much thinner than that and free of any trace lint (generally speaking). A thicker wool or cotton/poly blend will hold up longer and remain stiff in the front. You want to make sure it's not all 100% poly, or you'll be sweating your ass off with that plus the turtleneck. You definitely want that thing to breathe as best it can. Maybe even cut and secure-sew little air holes under the arms. As far as fabric selection, I've always found natural fabrics to just look better than the synthetics. The latter just looks way too artificial and sometimes shiny >yuck!< You want it to look good - not a disco outfit.

Good luck and post some pics when you get underway. Always had a soft spot in my heart for tunic building. I'd like to see what you come up with. In the meantime, I'll take some snapshots of something I whipped up many years ago. It's in pretty bad shape now after about 13 years of disuse, but it has some pretty cool stuff on it.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

First, there are two different studio colors for the post-TMP outfits.

In TWOK, the color is a dark rust red - in that case, the "Coral Red" sample is closest:

http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=BBB031

Sometime after that - by TVH, certainly - the color was changed to a colder, more burgundy red. In that case, the closest of your samples is the "Burgundy:"

http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=CC433

However, the closest gabardine on that site to the actual intensity and color of the TWOK version is something called "Ruby Red:"

http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=WW970

The outfits really "light up" under stage lighting, and in fact were somewhat darker and less intensely red than they appear in any of the films. The jackets were not made of gabardine but of heavy wool elastique which was custom-dyed. I believe the material is still available from Hamburger Woolens among other places, but IFAIK is not available from stock in the burgundy color. It is heavier than gabardine, about 19 oz.

Good luck with the project!

Edit: the elastique is also available here:

http://www.nyfashioncenterfabrics.com/wool-elastique-blend-fabric-colors.html

If the taupe is like what's available from HWC then it can be overdyed to match at least the TWOK version of the jackets - however, home dyeing of this kind of wool isn't recommended unless one's an expert (also, this is labeled "wool blend" which probably means it has polyester in it. That's a no-go). Having it professionally dyed probably is way more involved than you want to get - gabardine will give you a perfectly good look, and wool gabardine is a nice fabric to work with.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The "undershirts:" most of them were made of swimwear-weight Spandex with the shiny side turned in. This stuff will dye really nicely, if you're interested in a particular division color.

The collars weren't quilted, but something called "trapunto" - basically, you sew the channels into the fabric and then stuff each separately, so you're not sewing through the stuffing. This is what gave the shirts - and a lot of other costuming that Fletcher used in the Trek movies he designed for - the very "round," three-dimensional look that they had rather than a flatter quilted appearence.

He supposedly had a very old machine that did trapunto; the only way I know is to do it by hand. Fiberfill used for stuffing pillows, quilting etc is too stiff for the collars; the closest thing I know to the soft thread that the movie shirts were stuffed with is three-ply baby yarn - but you need to separate the three strands before stuffing the channels.

 

[Royal Fizzbin]

The undershirt I'm not terribly worried about. I'd love to do trapunto but that's not happening in 2009. The machine was rare enough in 1982. I think we'll just quilt some batting for the collar. As long as I get something decent looking for the collar, I don't think most of the rest of it will be seen. It won't bother me if it's slightly flat.

In regards to the material, I thought I'd try the gabardine because elastique is just too expensive and hard to track down. From what I've seen I think the gabardine looks fine but I've yet to actually hold a belt of it in my hand.

I did some more research, and this looks like it might be just what I want, but it's darned expensive.

http://www.bblackandsons.com/burgundy-gabardine-fabric-p-240.html

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Get samples and choose whichever is the heaviest weight.

 

[Royal Fizzbin]

Another question: the pattern we got turned out to have limited instructions. We've figured out most of the placement of everything, but are still confused on the sleeves. For someone else who has done this, are the sleeves really in two pieces? If so, how do they join up? If not, where does the piece labeled "under-sleeve" go?

Thanks for any help anyone has.

 

[137th Gebirg]

They are in two pieces - outer and inner. The outer one should have a rounded top for the top of the shoulder. The inner one will have a rounded cut into the pallern - this is where the arm goes into the sleeve. As for how it attaches, IIRC, once you assemble the sleeves, one of the sleeve seams should match up with the back panel seams where the black trim would go. The other seam will be higher or lower (can't remember which, but most likely lower) and won't match up with the back panel seam of the main tunic body. Give that a shot, but remember what I said in my earlier post - if you don't measure it properly, it can bunch up on you once you've gone all the way around.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

ROYAL FIZZBIN i do hope you'll take some pics and share them with us when you guys are done with the uniforms. I'm looking forward to it.