Well--it's that time of year again: Time for the Halloween costume post. I really enjoy Halloween. It is the holiday most conducive to letting the "craft monkey" out of its cage. I love to craft, but I don't like "crafty" things. And my appreciation of fine craftsmanship does not allow me to appreciate and display the items I make. But Halloween is different. My crafting skills are the equal of this holiday and I appreciate the challenges presented by each new costume. This year, Zachary wanted to be a Jawa. When he told me this he said, "Mom--I'm giving you a really easy costume this year. You'd better do a really, really good job on it." He was ready to micro-manage every costume element, but he was especially concerned about having an accurate Blaster weapon.
Here's how I built a Jawa for Halloween 2015:
Elements of the costume were: Robe and Hood, Mask, Bandolier, Blaster-Holster, Shoes, Gloves (a ready-made item), and Blaster weapon. Although I'd planned to complete the costume elements in order of their discipline (fabric/sewing, leatherwork, hot-glue/plastic/fabrication, etc. ) I was eager to see how I'd do with the bandolier, so I started out with the that piece even though I knew I'd have to come back to leathercraft when I tackled the holster at the end of the process.
A deep dive during the research phase of the project acquainted me with the arbiters of all things
Bandoliers--for 501st approval:
I based the bandolier on the British P-1903 bandolier which was used in WWI and WWII. I made a few changes though, so I'm not sure that the 501st would agree to certify the final product. Also, I used our old and worn out cowhide rug as a leather source and the hair-on component isn't historically accurate although I'm sure real Jawas would not have cared.
I weathered the leather by sanding it and by staining/coloring it with repeated coats of liquid shoe polish, acrylic paint, more shoe polish, india ink...you name it--if it adhered and created a good effect, I used it. I enjoyed experimenting with the different effects that could be achieved by varying the order of application of the same materials. I sprayed the finished items with a light coat of sandstone/fleck stone paint and smooshed that into the crevices and dusted it on the top surfaces where I thought real dust might have accumulated. This step really enhanced the stitched areas.
The mask began as an inexpensive hockey mask. I used epoxy to mount the eyes (made from those little coin-op candy containers) to the cheeks. Then, because the eyes looked as if they were on stalks protruding from the cheeks, I built up a layer of spray-on insulating foam and carved it to shape on the lower face. This step also allowed me to minimize the shape/prominence of the nose, which wasn't a feature of the Jawa's face. I painted the whole thing black, covered the eyes and ventilation holes with black scrim, and covered the rest of the mask with cloth grip tape. I finished-up by drilling holes into the backs of the eyes and mounting yellow LED lights so the eyes will really glow. To intensify this effect, I sanded the insides of the candy cups to diffuse the light and I painted the insides of the lids with chrome paint to reflect as much light as possible. Finally, I glued the candy cups to their lids and trimmed the edges with scraps of frayed fabric. I didn't invent the basic concept--a tutorial can be found here.
The hood and robe were easily sewn. The hood was lined in black flannel and I reinforced the front edge with sewn-in boning and a small triangle of stiff interfacing that I affixed with fabric glue between the lining and the hood fabric. I probably could have omitted the interfacing--enough stiffness would have been provided by the boning alone and I think the drape of the hood might have been improved without the added stiffener in the "brim-area". For the robe, I'd taken general construction notes from the internet but I still had to make sizing guesstimates and create the pattern myself. Cutting into the fabric was a leap of faith. Luckily it worked out. The fabric was brown monk's cloth that I purchased online. I washed/preshrunk it several times before laying out the pattern and cutting it. After sewing, I distressed the fabric by fraying the edges and by applying swipes and spatters of various acrylic paints in shades of terra cotta and tan.
Then I moved on to making the Blaster weapon. For guidance, I must have looked at a hundreds of Googled images and dredged through tens of forum threads. There are serious Star Wars nerds out there who are obsessed with tracking down every exact, authentic component that went into making the original movie props. I wanted accuracy but, reluctantly, I decided that I'd have to be satisfied with achieving the general effect. Achieving authentic, movie-prop accuracy appeared to be a daunting (and expensive) task.
I made the majority of the Blaster with PVC plumbing parts, craft foam "foamies", a plastic drinking glass, miscellaneous hardware, and a bit of plastic needlepoint mesh. One of the best parts was a piece of plastic that I cut from an air-freshener canister.
To create the Blaster's stock, I laminated together two thin sheets of styrofoam and carved the shape. After I got the shape right, I coated it with 5-minute epoxy to harden the surface and impart strength.
I worried about how I would attach the heavy-ish barrel assembly to the lightweight styrofoam stock. In the end, I opted to pull out some of the styrofoam from inside the stock and fill the shell with additional 5-minute epoxy. Then I drilled holes from top to bottom through the epoxy-reinforced area and used threaded rod to attach the two elements. I decorated the threaded rod (and provided the gap that was called for in the design) by threading various washers and knurled nuts and other things onto the rod. It held up on Halloween and is still in one piece--success!
I painted the Blaster with multiple coats of flat-black paint, silver metallic, dustings of terra-cotta and beige pastel dust that I sealed with flat polyurethane, and sandstone/fleck stone paint. Painting is the fun part--paint magically transforms everything.
Last of all (once I had a completed Blaster weapon to measure) I made the holster.
I really liked the faux stone paint which was labeled "Krylon-Stone-Fine Texture-limestone". It was different than I'd thought it would be. I was expecting a "Hammerite" type of finish but the paint (it was aerosol) came out more like granular stone dust in a clear binder. When I applied a light coat to the fabrics, it looked just like a thin layer of dust. And when I applied it to the hard surfaces, I was able to smoosh it around and wipe it into the crevices. I was a bit surprised at first, but I ended up really liking this product. That's the fun of crafting--hypothesizing about what might work, trying new things, and learning about new techniques and products.
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| Jawa costume 2015. Including Jawa boots that I did not write about--they were simply an old pair of sneakers that I covered in strips of frayed robe fabric and heavily weathered and distressed. |
Elements of the costume were: Robe and Hood, Mask, Bandolier, Blaster-Holster, Shoes, Gloves (a ready-made item), and Blaster weapon. Although I'd planned to complete the costume elements in order of their discipline (fabric/sewing, leatherwork, hot-glue/plastic/fabrication, etc. ) I was eager to see how I'd do with the bandolier, so I started out with the that piece even though I knew I'd have to come back to leathercraft when I tackled the holster at the end of the process.
A deep dive during the research phase of the project acquainted me with the arbiters of all things
Jawa--the 501st Legion: Vader's Fist. They publish a costume reference guide and maintain a procedure for certifying your accurately constructed costume. I quote from their website:
Bandoliers--for 501st approval:
- At least one bandolier is worn.
- Acceptable versions of the bandolier consist of Swedish, British, NZ, Australian, Canadian, and German.
- The bandoliers may be purchased originals or accurately fabricated reproductions.
- Bandoliers are of brown/black leather or similar looking material.
- The bandolier(s) are aged and weathered.
- All metal pieces are dull, worn and scuffed.
- The metal pieces do not appear new or shiny or have a shine to them.
- More than one bandolier may be worn at he same time.
- Acceptable configurations include:
- One bandolier across the shoulder to the waist.
- Two crossed over the chest to the waist.
- One across the chest and one around the waist.
- Two crossed over the chest and one around the waist.
I based the bandolier on the British P-1903 bandolier which was used in WWI and WWII. I made a few changes though, so I'm not sure that the 501st would agree to certify the final product. Also, I used our old and worn out cowhide rug as a leather source and the hair-on component isn't historically accurate although I'm sure real Jawas would not have cared.
 |
| Making the template for the bandolier. |
 |
| I used leather from our worn-out cowhide rug to make all the leather parts for the costume. |
I weathered the leather by sanding it and by staining/coloring it with repeated coats of liquid shoe polish, acrylic paint, more shoe polish, india ink...you name it--if it adhered and created a good effect, I used it. I enjoyed experimenting with the different effects that could be achieved by varying the order of application of the same materials. I sprayed the finished items with a light coat of sandstone/fleck stone paint and smooshed that into the crevices and dusted it on the top surfaces where I thought real dust might have accumulated. This step really enhanced the stitched areas.
 |
| Jawa mask and nearly-completed bandolier. I continued to add more weathering to the leather parts. |
The mask began as an inexpensive hockey mask. I used epoxy to mount the eyes (made from those little coin-op candy containers) to the cheeks. Then, because the eyes looked as if they were on stalks protruding from the cheeks, I built up a layer of spray-on insulating foam and carved it to shape on the lower face. This step also allowed me to minimize the shape/prominence of the nose, which wasn't a feature of the Jawa's face. I painted the whole thing black, covered the eyes and ventilation holes with black scrim, and covered the rest of the mask with cloth grip tape. I finished-up by drilling holes into the backs of the eyes and mounting yellow LED lights so the eyes will really glow. To intensify this effect, I sanded the insides of the candy cups to diffuse the light and I painted the insides of the lids with chrome paint to reflect as much light as possible. Finally, I glued the candy cups to their lids and trimmed the edges with scraps of frayed fabric. I didn't invent the basic concept--a tutorial can be found here.
The hood and robe were easily sewn. The hood was lined in black flannel and I reinforced the front edge with sewn-in boning and a small triangle of stiff interfacing that I affixed with fabric glue between the lining and the hood fabric. I probably could have omitted the interfacing--enough stiffness would have been provided by the boning alone and I think the drape of the hood might have been improved without the added stiffener in the "brim-area". For the robe, I'd taken general construction notes from the internet but I still had to make sizing guesstimates and create the pattern myself. Cutting into the fabric was a leap of faith. Luckily it worked out. The fabric was brown monk's cloth that I purchased online. I washed/preshrunk it several times before laying out the pattern and cutting it. After sewing, I distressed the fabric by fraying the edges and by applying swipes and spatters of various acrylic paints in shades of terra cotta and tan.
 |
| It's hard to see in the photograph, but I cut well into the fabric to make large, irregular frayed areas and I added layers of spattered and smeared acrylic paint in shades of terra cotta and tan to suggest dirt. I added the most "dirt" to the inside edges of the bottom of the robe and the forearms and backs of the sleeves--areas where soil would naturally accumulate the most. |
Then I moved on to making the Blaster weapon. For guidance, I must have looked at a hundreds of Googled images and dredged through tens of forum threads. There are serious Star Wars nerds out there who are obsessed with tracking down every exact, authentic component that went into making the original movie props. I wanted accuracy but, reluctantly, I decided that I'd have to be satisfied with achieving the general effect. Achieving authentic, movie-prop accuracy appeared to be a daunting (and expensive) task.
 |
| Completed Jawa Blaster weapon. |
I made the majority of the Blaster with PVC plumbing parts, craft foam "foamies", a plastic drinking glass, miscellaneous hardware, and a bit of plastic needlepoint mesh. One of the best parts was a piece of plastic that I cut from an air-freshener canister.
 |
| Component parts of the Blaster including PVC plumbing parts and a plastic drinking glass. |
 |
| The air freshener lid mounted inside the Blaster muzzle. |
To create the Blaster's stock, I laminated together two thin sheets of styrofoam and carved the shape. After I got the shape right, I coated it with 5-minute epoxy to harden the surface and impart strength.
 |
| Carving the shape of the stock from a piece of styrofoam. |
 |
| Close-up of the connection between stock and barrel. |
I worried about how I would attach the heavy-ish barrel assembly to the lightweight styrofoam stock. In the end, I opted to pull out some of the styrofoam from inside the stock and fill the shell with additional 5-minute epoxy. Then I drilled holes from top to bottom through the epoxy-reinforced area and used threaded rod to attach the two elements. I decorated the threaded rod (and provided the gap that was called for in the design) by threading various washers and knurled nuts and other things onto the rod. It held up on Halloween and is still in one piece--success!
 |
| Close-up of Blaster weapon--a lot of junky bits and pieces contributed to this build. |
I painted the Blaster with multiple coats of flat-black paint, silver metallic, dustings of terra-cotta and beige pastel dust that I sealed with flat polyurethane, and sandstone/fleck stone paint. Painting is the fun part--paint magically transforms everything.
Last of all (once I had a completed Blaster weapon to measure) I made the holster.
 |
| Close-up of the holster showing the effect imparted by the fleck stone paint. |
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| Jawa Costume--Halloween 2015 |
And that's Halloween 2015--Jawa costume. It was a big hit during Halloween trick-or-treating. Lots of people asked Zachary to pose so they could take selfies with him. One guy gave him the whole candy bowl. That's become the mark of success--someone has to say, "Wow! That's the best costume I'll see all year. Here, you deserve ALL the candy!" And, lucky for me, that happened this year. Glowing with his trick-or-treating success, Zachary was feeling generous and awarded me an A+ on his costume. A few days later, though, and he's already down-graded me to "an A- or even a B". That's how it goes in this family. :-(
