Category: Sewing

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The Voyager Project

A few months ago, I made some simple costume versions of the Star Trek: Voyager uniform for Halloween for my oldest daughter and myself.  We also wore them to the Star Wars Fandays convention.  My second oldest wanted a Star Trek uniform as well, but I did not have time to make her one, so she went as a Raven Claw student from Hogwarts.  However, this did give me an idea.  One that would occupy me for many hours over 5 months.  The girls and me in Voyager uniforms for DCC 2013.  If your interested in the details, they can be found at the Starfleet1701st forums.  Suffice it to say, I took great pains to make sure these were a little more than just simple costumes.  I tried to get an accurate fit, shape and color for each.  I even went so far as to hand dye the division colors of the yoke and shoulder caps and have proportionatly sized comm badges made for the girls.

Coloring fabric
All cut and ready to assemble

The project was fun and rewarding, but very challenging.  I had to learn a few new skills and techniques to get the uniforms put together and look right.  I don’t anticipate doing anything quite so grand again.  I want to give special thanks to Andy, Katswell and Sparky from the forum for their help in making this project possible.  Their support made an impossible task possible.

The Girls & Me on the red carpet

The Girls & Me at the USS Joshua Stargate.

Fun with phasers

Who you calling nerd?

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Star Trek: Voyager Uniforms

My current prokect at the moment is creating Voyager uniforms for the girls and I for the upcoming Dallas Comic Con.  The task is proving to be quite a challenge.  Although there are commercial patterns for adult, such as the one at Roddenberry.com or from Joseph Kerezman, no one currently makes one for kids.  After making one for myself and understanding how it all fit together, I decided to use McCall’s M5952 as my base pattern and modify it to work.  The good folks at Starfleet1701st have been an amazing resourse through this project.  I am only finished with the first mockup of the pattern for my oldest, but I am hopeful the others will go quicker once I have the patter down.

Comm badges and rank pips are another item required to make the uniform complete.  They are easy to find for adults, but I wanted some that would be proportional to kids.  I happen to work in a place that has CADD designer so I asked if he could model the badge I had purchased.  He did and scaled it down to both 75% and 50% of the original.  I uploaded the OBJ files to Shapeways.com  and now I am awaiting the 3D printed versions in white plastic.  With any luck, these will have the look I am after.

Update: the badges came in and they are AMAZING!  Exactly what I wanted.  The patterns for two of the jumpers are cut out.  I love it when a plan comes together.