Cosplay Warrior Belt

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Sewing machine
• Black thread
• Rotary cutter & board
• Scissors
• X-Acto® Knife, #11 blade
• Pencil
• Template of armor scales printed on cardstock
• Heat gun
• Mod Podge, satin
• Paint, Plaid, FX, Flexible Acrylic Paint, 3oz, Armour Metallic (1), Smooth Satin Black (1)
• Brushes, Foam, 1" (1), Chip, 1" (1), Small flat (1)
• Embroidery Floss, Burgundy (2)
• Embroidery Needle
• EVA Foam Sheet, 24" x 40", 5mm (1 sheet), 2mm (1 sheet)
• Contact Cement Adhesive with brush
• 2/3yd no-fray leather-like fabric, 58"

DIRECTIONS:

1. For Size 10, approximate waist size 28"
2. 2mm foam: 18 @ 3"x 8" (armor scales), 1 @ 1 1/2"x 24" (belt) mark a line 3/4" up lengthwise
3. 5mm foam: 1 @ 3"x 24" (belt) Cut out openings for fabric belt, using an X-Acto knife, and cut top corners at an angle using rotary cutter. Set aside.
4. Transfer patterns of scales to 3"x 8" foam, 10 full pattern, 8 alternate pattern with 1/2 scales on either end. Cut using scissors.
5. Heat all parts, flat surfaces and edges with heat gun. Apply heat in a small circular pattern. Do not overheat. Surface will appear slightly glossy when heated appropriately. Heating will ensure a good surface for the Mod Podge.
6. Lay out all scales and two belt parts on a flat surface RS up. Paint a thin coat of Mod Podge on all parts, fronts and edges, using a foam brush. On the 2mm foam for belt apply Mod Podge to half the height lengthwise, the 3/4" mark (this line may have faded with heating). The other half will be glued to the back of the 5mm belt part later. Allow to dry at least 4 hours.
7. Apply two coats of Armour Metallic paint to all parts using the chip brush with a random pattern. Let dry at least one hour between coats. Apply a dry brush random pattern of Black paint to all the parts. This is to suggest aging of parts. Darken the straight edge of the scales to black leaving the decorative, lower edge primarily silver. Dust over the belt parts with black. Let dry.
8. Push out the dots on the scale templates using a pencil or the sharp end of a compass. Transfer the dots to the scale armor. These indicate the locations for the embroidery thread. Weave embroidery thread through the holes from one end of a scale section to the other. When the thread passes between the sections of scales be sure that it will be hidden from the gap.
9. Fabric Belt: Cut one piece 3 1/2"x 58". Fold in half lengthwise and angle cut the ends. Fold over the ends, fold the long sides 1/2" in and fold the entire length in half. Sew close to edges to create a 1 1/4" wide belt.
10. Skirt fabric: Cut one piece of fabric 17"x full width of fabric, 58". Fold the bottom edge up 1/2" and sew. Fold the short ends over 1/2" then another ½" and sew to encase raw edges. On the top raw edge of fabric mark a line 8" from either finished short end. This will be the location of the edges of the foam armor. The center section of fabric should be pleated to an 8" wide section. Find the center top of the fabric and start 1" 3/4" pleats working toward and finishing at the 8" mark on both sides. Sew the pleats 1/4" and 1/2" from the top edge of the fabric.
11. Mark lines on the front of the skirting fabric for the scales. All lines will be 8" from the short ends of the fabric. Start 1 3/4" up from bottom edge. Mark every 1 3/4" up to the top. Start on the bottom line. Lay the top straight edge of one full set of scales on the line. Sew close to the top straight edge of scales using a medium zig zag stitch to secure scales to the fabric. Alternate the scales as rows are added. Nine rows per side of skirt. Start and stop with a full set.
12. On the back, mark a line 3/4" up from the bottom, painted edge of the 1 1/2" wide 2mm belt foam. Lay the front of the top edge of the skirt on top of the back of the foam. Sew from the back of the fabric through the foam keeping the fabric edge in line with the marked line on the foam. Use a medium zig zag stitch. Double stitch. This should set the top edge of the scales up against the bottom edge of the 2mm foam belt.
13. Flip the skirt RS up. Place a line 3/4" down lengthwise on the 2mm foam strip. On the back of the 5mm foam belt, place a line 3/4" up from the bottom edge lengthwise. These 3/4" spaces are the locations to brush on Contact Cement. Apply glue. Start attaching at one end of belt. Lay 5mm foam on to 2mm foam lining up the bottom edge of the 5mm foam with the line on the front of the 2mm foam. Let dry.
14. Weave the fabric belt through the openings in the 5mm belt. Start at one end weaving the belt into the first hole and back out the second. Continue weaving the fabric back in the third hole and back out the fourth. Center the fabric. Use a square knot on the fabric belt to secure the belt.