Imperial Guard Cloaks

If you need an Imperial Guard Cloak with the correct drape, made from quality velvet, then send me an email at lab88@hotmail.com. I finally found some more of the right velvet. Just the red, though, so I'll only be able to help with the outer cloak, no liner. I think I will have some maroon liner velvet within the next month or so if you really want a liner, but it does get quite expensive to buy so many yards of velvet. You can see pictures of my cloaks on our website, www.azeem2000.com.

 

I would get Velvet if I could afford it. I guess I'll just stick with what I have now. My RG picture is on my profile if you need to take a look at what I have now.

-UD

 

I wish I could just give them away, but I already practically do. I'd go broke if I financed everyone's costumes on top of my own.

 

Lol! I think it's one of the disadvantages of being a College Student you get what you can afford.

I have two helmets. One which does match the cloak but I don't know how to put in that hard lens that came with it. If I knew how to do that, and could get some help doing it, I'd be able to wear that one instead of the other one.

Maybe one day I'll have enough saved up to buy a velvet one. For now, I think I'll just work on getting that second helmet to match that cloak.

-UD

 

You just cut the visor out with an X-acto or dremel, then hot glue the visor inside. It's pretty easy. You only need to put the hot glue on the top, and leave the bottom open a little so you'll get more air.

 

I found mine (red velvet, that is)on clearance at Joann Fabrics $2 yd.
Got the remainder of the bolt, 10 yds,I think. The way I used it I had more than enough to do 2 cloaks 1 OT and 1 PT.

 

I need 8 yards to get the right fullness in my pattern. There's no way I could do it in 5 and get the drape and flow. 7, maybe, if the person was small, but no less.

A little about velvet. Now, I'm not picking on anyone's velvet in particular because obviously I can't see it, and I wouldn't pick on it even if I could see it, but there are many different types and qualities of velvet, and you've sort of got to know what you're doing to get the good stuff.

While you can get good deals on some velvet, not all velvet is the same. I have seen and worked with $30-$40/yard velvet, and it is beauuuutiful. I will probably never have a costume made of the stuff, because even with the best discounts I've ever seen, a guard costume would still cost me ~$400 in just materials. The way it catches the light really makes a huge difference in the whole costume, but again, it's just really pricey. But it does look and feel fantaaaaaastic.

The stuff I usually work with retails at about $20/yard. I don't use the cheaper types of velvet (cotton, silk, panne, stretch, or crushed velvet) and I really wouldn't recommend those for a guard costume unless that's really all you can find or all you can afford. There are many different variations of the synthetic fibers velvet, and they have different price ranges. I can find it much cheaper in the garment district than fabric stores, but the good stuff just is not available for that cheap, and I have been looking for many years. Even on the best day ever, in the off-season on velvet, in the garment district, it's $4/yard, and then they never have very much left of the exact right color of red, so if you're lucky you can get 8 yards. The best deals I have found online have worked out to about $6 a yard, but you almost always have to buy at least a third of a bolt, and most people do not need anywhere near that much fabric. And, again, you have to take the risk of it not being quite the right shade they said it would be, and it not being made of the same fibers that they said it would be. Once you order it, you are pretty much stuck with it, or at the very best, if they will take it back, you are still out $50 in shipping.

Really, JoAnn's has those coupons where it's 50% off one cut of fabric. If I was desperate, I would use one of those coupons on the more expensive velvet, rather than buying the cheapest stuff.

There are different levels of costumes, as we are all well aware, and some people are happy with or just make do with a felt cloak or another cheaper material. That's fine, and there's nothing wrong with it. I am happy with substituting a cheaper variation where I feel I can get away with it. I am always looking for a bargain and something cheap. However, after I have worked with the different velvets, I just could not go back to the other stuff. It was hard enough going back down from the $30/yard stuff.

 

I am about to order some velvet I found online for about $5 per yard. I have to buy an entire bolt (30 yards) to get this deal, but I can make 3 SW costumes from it. I already got a swatch and this guy has a great reputation so I feel comfortable ordering it. The velvet was about the same quality of the Joann's $20 per yard velvet, I took the swatch there to compare. It's a rayon blend. I am making both my inner & outer Royal Guard robes from it.
This guy will also sell 10 yards for alittle more per yard. This might be able to fit some peoples budgets better.

 

I don't get the rayon blends...I've never seen it in the right colors and the texture is not as good. Rayon blends come on sale at Joann's for $10/yard at the end of the summer/beginning of fall. $5/yard is good if that includes shipping, though, if you can be happy with the color. The inner robe is not supposed to be the same color as the outer robe, so hopefully he will sell you just 10 yards.

 

I'm doing my Royal Guard alittle different anyway, I can't stand marroon as a color so the liner is actually going to be crimson instead. It's based more on a early drawing I found at the offical site. I know it's not cannon but then I'm a girl and female Royal Guards aren't cannon either.

 

Nobody really sees the inside, so if people want to save money I recommend they just skip it. Keeps you cooler.

What is the rayon blended with? If it's mostly acetate with some rayon mixed in, that's good. It is more difficult to work with than mostly acetate with some nylon, but it is shiner and reflects more light. That makes it harder to color-match and tell colors from a photograph, but it is pretty. There is rayon and mostly velvet, and that kind doesn't come in the right red and doesn't reflect as much light, and the texture is different. I know a lot of people just have to go with whatever they can get, though.

 

The stuff I usually work with retails at about $20/yard. I don't use the cheaper types of velvet (cotton, silk, panne, stretch, or crushed velvet) and I really wouldn't recommend those for a guard costume unless that's really all you can find or all you can afford.

I'm curious, what kind of fiber/material is your velvet made out of? I know I've seen all the ones mentioned above, so I'm not sure what's left (but I also don't know my textiles very well).

~H~

 

There's still just plain "velvet", as opposed to crushed, stretch, etc. Other types that we hardly ever encounter have a bunch of weird french or italian names. I don't remember them all, but there are ones like nacre (I think that's where the underside is a different color or something).

Read my posts above for what I said before on the compositions that are better for different applications. They're all good for their own uses, of course. Like, if you were wanting to do some stamping or embossing on the fabric, you'd use rayon or silk velvet. If you want something that will allow the wrinkles to steam out a little easier, then you wouldn't. The acetone/rayon (most acetone) stuff is harder to work with because it shows every little pin mark and wrinkles easily. However, it does lose the wrinkles very nicely in steam. It's got the best colors but it is $$. The acetone/nylon is not quite as touchy as the a/r, and it still de-wrinkles. It's lighter weight, so it's not as hot but it also doesn't feel as "rich". Cotton velvet is usually a much shorter nap and is used more for funiture and curtains. People almost think it is like velveteen sometimes.

You can also get polyester velvet, which is usually crushed, since it's so easy to damage that it ends up that way anyway. The polyester velvet I've seen has all been either stretch or for sheets. You can wash some cotton and polyester velvets, but pretty much only if you want them crushed.

I am no textiles expert either, it's just that I've been examining and working with this stuff for a few years now, and had quite a bit of good info to help get it mostly right. When I buy velvet, I do it by first comparing the selvage patterns. It's easier than fooling with everything else.

 

You can wash some cotton and polyester velvets, but pretty much only if you want them crushed.

Yeah, I found this out the hard way. Luckily it was a throw-together piece out of some scraps from a friend, so no big loss (and actually it is just an under layer, so it's not a big deal).

Thanks so much for the info!

~H~

 

All I can say is my 'end justifyed my means'.And in the end,what I did looks exactly as it should. My Garrison Commander & XO's are pleased with my work.

 

TR2066 - I found your one pic on the Carida website. Do you have a larger pic? I would like to see how it came out.

How is your cloak cut? Outter/Inner layer? 1 or 2 slit?

 

Must appologize Azeem, I've no other pics available. I used something similar to a ladies over cloak (Am.Civil War Era) Pattern that I modifyed myself. It's an RotJ single slit. Made sure to have the correct drape in the front. When I was doing my research to get it put together,I mostly visited your site and The Squall boards to Get my info (BTW, you have a cool site).