The making of Cause.

[cause the rat]

Going to my very first con in a few weeks. Not a furcon but still my first. Don't want to go without some part of Cause so I'm putting together a coat as fast as I can.



I have the coat, 15 yards of the gold trim and the brass studs. Going today to find a light brown fur and some gold material to use for the shoulder things. Don't know what they're called.  I've got more of that gold trim coming, gold piping (rope on a flat piece of material used to sew into things) and a few yards of 12 inch and 4 inch gold fringe on the way. They should all be here by late next week. Dropped the paisley material idea. Save that for another coat.

Once home I'll start as much as I can on the suit coat. Reshape the base of the coat and cut the center seams of arms apart. Get as much of the fur trim in place and hopefully start on the gold gimp trim on the front of the jacket.

Pics to come!

[Wrangell]

I love those kinds of coats!

[cause the rat]

Thanks Wrangell! I've seen Hedrix style coats for sale on line. They use the cheapest stuff they can find and still want a fortune for it.



The first modification of the coat will be to cut one inch off of both front panels so the coat will no longer overlap or close. I'm doing this by first sewing a line up the one inch mark. Then I'll cut off the excess. This way the liner and all will stay in place. Doing this will also remove most of the curve off of each panel. I'll use the fur to fill in the rest of the 90 angle. Going to try to get the collar to stand upright and  iron out the folds for the lapels. I'll fur the outside of the collar to hide the underside. Different color fabric.

Not sure what to call them so I'll call them stripes. The gold gimp cording sewn to the front of the coat. I know my sewing skills aren't up to par. Not sure if I can make the loops at the end of each stripe. Or make them even. Pictured is what I may end up doing. I may try glueing the gimp in the shape with the loop at the end. If that doesn't work what i have pictured will do.

The piping ( gold rope ) shown is only there for the picture.

The flat trim will be used on the shoulder ridge. Going to be doubled so it'll be thicker. There will be a tassel like thing at the arm end. 

I'll get as much as I can done. Wont be able to finnish this until all the rest of the stuff comes in. Target finish date is the 29th.

[Wrangell]

will this coat have epaulets? 

[cause the rat]

Wrangell, I had to look up epaulets....

Yes. Thats what the wide flat trim will be a part of. It will be attached to the shoulder ridge with the fringe tassel like pad ( epaulet ) on the shoulder.

And speaking of the epaulets (thanks for the new word Wrangell    ) just got an email from the ebay seller I'm getting the fringe from to make these things. Seems they're out of the 4 inch fringe. Sending 6 inch instead. That ROCKS!  Longer fringe is like longer hair. The hairier the better! It's the 60's baby!

Going to try gluing the end loops in place on a scrap piece of material. If this works I'll make a templet. Use this to help make all the loops the same. I'll glue the gimp trim down first. Sew it in place.

Second modification. I'm going to cut the original liner out before I attach the stripes to the front of the coat.  I'll add a tab along a seam on the inside so I can hand stitch the liner back into place. This way the coat will still have usable pockets on the inside. Be able to add more pockets if needed.

[cause the rat]

Looks like the loops are in! These are laying flat. Will be glued to hold shape. Then sewn in place. I know the original Hendrix coat has the loops going up into the fur as well. Don't think they'll be missed. Going to have to be careful with the glue. Any overage will show up on the dark blue wool. Just wanted to add that what's shown is not glued into place.

When cutting the lining out of both front panels I made a discovery. The outside pockets were pockets that had been sewn shut. Kinda weird.  I'll add a bit of material to the unseen side of each of the liner pieces so they'll fit when sewn back into place. Going to add an extra pocket in each one and make the bottom pockets deeper. Got the hem lines down both front panels and cut away the inch off both.

back to work!

[Wrangell]

Glad it's coming along well! I have enjoyed your updates on it.

[cause the rat]

Thanks Wrangell! I'm trying to hurry but not rush this. If that makes any sense.

Got one side of the stripes tacked into place. Hopefully get the other side tacked tonight. The material for the studded coat came in! Got it in the washer now. I'll get it to Chris either tomorrow or Wed. Depending on what times good for her. The cosplay wig came in today as well. WAY better than I though it would be. Very thick and a bit heavy. Gets all tangly and cool looking when I bang my head.  The only thing I'll change is the center part. Got to get a second wig to make the facial hair. I'll take part of it and sew it in place to cover up the center part.

Stupid people tricks... Kinda got carried away on ordering the gold gimp trim. I thought I had 15 yards of it. Turns out I have 25. Knowing the 15 yards that I thought I had wouldn't be enough I ordered 20 more yards. The thought was to go ahead and get more than I need incase I mess this coat up. Or want to make another. So now I'll have 45 yards of this stuff.  The front of the coat will take 13 yards 2 feet and one inch. Not sure what I'll do with the back or arms yet. I think I'll have a few yards left over.. bout a half a miles worth. 

[Wrangell]

Sounds like a great plan! I can't wait to see pictures!

[cause the rat]

Wasn't able to get much done. But I will have the coat done by the opening day of Archcon.

[Wrangell]

It's looking great!

[cause the rat]

This has gotten slow going working 12 hour shifts. Now I'm on the books for Sat as well. This Hedrix inspired coat WILL be done by next Friday!!! The rest of the supplies needed came in today! In the picture there's the 6 inch and 12 inch fringe and the gold rope piping. The last of the needed things to finish this coat. The white material will be a pattern for the new liner and pockets for the inside of the coat. The stripes on both sides of the front are done. Still need to be sewn in place. Going to finalize the cuff and sleeves as well as the epaulets tonight. I'll be cutting a seam away on the sleeve to add the 12 inch fringe. Once the sleeves are cut open I'll be able to sew on the gold gimp design and fur. 



Back to work!

[Wrangell]

It's looking fantastic! You have a great taste in style!

[cause the rat]

Ran out of tan thread. Was in the middle of sewing one of the front stripes on and no more thread. Never ran out of thread before . Taking a break on line before heading back into town for thread and a larger memory card for the camera. Right now i'm working on the inside panels. There will be 3 large usable pockets on each side. I have 7 suit jackets. No idea what they were thinking when designing the inside pockets. Half of them I can't even get my hands in. So the new pockets will have five to six inch openings and be eight to nine inches deep. There will also be smaller pockets for things like camera batteries, memory cards, cellphone and the like. Another feature the pockets will have is no annoying square corners.

Already know i wont have time to finish the back of the coat. Got to be done for Archcon next weekend.  I can always finish the back later.

Kinda boring but here's a shot of the new liner in progress. The pattern shows the deep pockets. The smaller ones will be sewn onto the front of the liner. They will be narrow for smaller things.



added this

The left, bottom and right side will be machine sewn. The top will have to be hand stitched to the original liner.

[cause the rat]

AUGH! This is a learning experience.  I really don't know how to sew. Making it up as I go. I have pockets A and C in place. Going to do pocket B and call it quits on the deep under the liner pockets. It is an improvement over what the coat originally had. I could only use two of the pockets. The other panel will have the small easy to sew contact pockets for small things. The black thread I've been using keeps breaking on me. Thread's probably 30 years old. Guess it's time to buy new. Going to be a late night. Then all day tomorrow. So much for watching football.

I'd like to be able to use this coat with Cause. Be his classic rock coat. I can always cut away the pocketless inner panel and make one with pockets. I'll have to hand sew it in place. But it would be worth it. Because you can never have to many pockets.

The two missing stripes became badly frayed before I could sew them in place. I'll retack new ones and sew them into place. I'm using a wide but tight  zig zag stitch. Holds these stripes into place really well.

[cause the rat]

The front of the coat is all done except the fur. Both new front inner linings are done. I went ahead and put pockets in both sides. Would not have been happy otherwise. Got both epaulets made. One sleeve cuff is furred. I'm either going to have to take a day off this week or ask to go home in 8 hours one day. This WILL be done and worn to Archcon this Friday! If I knew how to sew this would go a lot faster. I've learned a few tricks I'll be able to apply when making Cause's head.






Next week both the studded coat AND my first fursuit head will be started! Still have to buy shoes to make the feet.

[cause the rat]

Voice is FINISHED!!!











Just in case you wanted to know what a 50 year old hippy looks like 

This coat is hot. I had to take the liners out of the arms so I'm sweating right next to wool. Don't think it'll bother me to much this week end. I will need to get long sleeved body armer to wear with this. And speaking of wearing. I'm wearing this to work tomorrow. Then to Wal Marts! And if I decide to go east and get body armer? Yep. All the way baby! Time for this hippy to spread some love man. 

[cause the rat]

Got a LOT of great comments on that coat at Archon today! Worth every minute I spent sewing that thing together.

Talked to Chris at Archcon. The leather is in. She'll be able to start on Cause's flight jacket ( the studded long coat ) next week. I'll be starting Cause's head next week as well. Still looking for a way to make the bottom jaw strong enough to hold a full beard. May look around at the Halloween stuff to see if I can find a lighter weigh hair for the mustache and beard. That cosplay wig is awesome. But really heavy. If I got one to cut up it would add a lot of weight to the nose and jaw.

I'll be a fursuiter soon!

[Wrangell]

I can tell that your a big hippie! X) I hang with a lot of old hippies with my mom in the local beer brewers club, I love them. great craftsmanship on the jacket by the way!

[EmmaCornell]

Ah! The jacket looks so awesome!

[cause the rat]

The flight coat keeps getting delayed. Really hoping it's finished by next week. Still will be a rush to get all the stud work done by Dec. I did get to see the leather the fringe, cuffs and collar will be made out of.

Started work on the head! Couldn't find wicking material so I bought a t-shirt. I'll be cutting that up to make the base for the head. The baseball cap idea works! Looking to have the least amount of foam on my head as possible. It wont be toony or large like most other fursuiter's heads. Hopefully wont be as hot either.

[cause the rat]

Making my own head form. I bought one of those cheep styrofoam wig head things a wile back. I'm making it bigger by covering it with Crayola air dry clay. Going to do it in stages because I want a good fit between it and my head. Once done and dry I'll cut up that moisture wicking t-shirt to make the base for the head. Along with the base ball cap. Be cutting up the cap so nothing but the supportive ribs and velcro sizer are left. I'll also sew the velcro sizer in place so it wont come apart.

In all honesty the head is going to be a simple shape. Other than the one eye and both brows there wont be much in detail. Kind of like the simple conical shape of a rat's head. Figured out how the ears will come together to give me the detail they will need. Not going to go with the buck teeth of a mouse or rat. Cause is an alien hybrid. Hoping to achieve the science fiction character he's always been. Toony =0  Heavy Metal scifi =100%

Wile I'm still waiting for the flight coat to be sewn together and the head form to dry I'll be starting another coat for Cause. Be more of a long sleeve shirt turned into a lab coat. Be adding material to the shirt. Along with other things to make it different. Got plenty of scrap material around here to play with before I commit to buying more. At the rate things are moving i may be done with this before I get started on the flight coat.

Sorry there hasn't been much to show. Working mandatory 12s and getting frustrated with all the delays in the main character coat doesn't help.

[cause the rat]

I knew the head form would crack apart. The air dry clay shrinks. But it's not the looks of the thing I'm going for. I numbered all the pieces and will glue them back onto the duck tape I wrapped the styrofoam head thing in. I tried making my first balaclava and baseball cap combo thing. The material was two tight. Easy enough to make a second one. Going to use this as the base of the head. I'll make a few more balaclavas for me to wear wile suiting. Also bought a few more things to make the rest of the suit with. Got a few yards of heavy canvas that'll be dyed the same time as the white gloves and cotton material for the ears. Got a yard of buckram. I know, overkill. But who knows. Might need more buckram in the future. Took a black magic marker to a piece of it. Had no idea that stuff would be this hard to see threw. I'm going form a scifi rock and roll rodent to one of the three blind mice.  

Now for some news that's got me PO'd. I've contacted Chris again about the coat. Now it seems I might get it by mid Dec. ?? The con I planned on wearing it to is the second week of Dec. I'm a fast learner. I could have learned to sew by now. Not happy. This jacket is not only part of Cause but it's the center of my cosplay. Story line and all. it's the body of my fursona. I've already bought the leather. And I really don't want to leave the fringe off the coat. But at this point I need to cut back on something to try to get this thing quicker. I'm going to email her back and dump the 18 inch fringe and leather trimming. I'll still own the leather. All $280 worth. Save it for another project. I need to do something. Need this coat by mid next month so I know it'll be finished in time. Not only will the studs have to be done but the inside liners will have to be hand sewn in.  

So I don't leave this post on a sower note. I've found a faster way to do stud work. And this will help keep the coat together. I've found that I can dip the prongs of each stud into a strong adhesive. The adhesive wont stick to styrofoam so I can leave everything in place till it's set. This holds a multitude of studs in place.  Way better than one or two at a time. Also using a magnetic pen I can pick up a stud by it's top side. Then use the pen to push the stud into place. No more trying to hold them by hand!

UPDATE. added to post.

After a few emails it looks like I should have the jacket by the end of November. Going to leave the leather trim and fringe off of this one. The flight jacket doesn't need it. In reality I was hoping to combine two coat ideas into one. This way I can have a more traditional heavy metal look. With gears added of corse. 

Now that this is all settled I can plan on when to take at least one week of vacation. It's time to get busy with the rest of the body!

[cause the rat]

Bought different fringe for the coat. It's a black 18 inch version of the stuff i used on the suit jacket. I wanted fringe and wont do without. The leather fringe would have been better. This will do for now. Went for the first fitting tonight. She's taking the time to make sure everything hangs right on this old twisted body of mine. She's also revamped the arms so there will only be one seam. It's been decided that the entire coat will have a heavy inner facing. Arms and all. Because of the total weight of the studs. I volunteered to pick up the needed webbing after work tomorrow. All 11 yards of inner facing for this thing. All this extra material should keep the studs from pulling the coat out of shape. Chris kinda cringed when i stated that I may end up studding threw some of the seams. Didn't say anything then but i may end up trying to find glue on studs just for the seams. I don't like them. But it is a better option than cutting threw the stitching.

Also started working on the head. Still trying to get the angles right for the cone shape. Also trying to find a way to keep this wig on wile headbanging. I don't want to turn my fursuit head into a missal.  I don't know if this will be a good thing or bad. Because of  the placement and size of the eyes it may be possible to see light threw the head. From one side to the other. I may also need to make a roof for the mouth. If I angle my head up and open the jaw it may be possible to see all the way to my forehead. Was thinking of buckram painted so I can still see threw it. Open the mouth to see the floor.

[cause the rat]

Got news on the coat. Should have it by the end of this week. Wont have the leather fringe or trim. Will have 18 inch chainette fringe. A black and longer version of the fringe on the first coat. I have the last week of this month and the fist week of Dec. off. I'll be spending some time getting that coat studded up.

Started the head! Got the balaclava stitched up and working on the foam. Going to treat the wig like a strap on helmet. The wide strap will go under my chin. This will have to go under all the elastic for the moving jaw. And the jaw itself. Cause will be a talker. I don't think I'd be able to mime as a character. Still practicing body movements to help portray emotion as he speaks.