Told myself I didn't need a pattern for my first armor build. That was a mistake.

I was making a cardboard Mandalorian chest piece a few months back. I thought I could just eyeball it from some reference pictures and save the $12 on a pattern download. Ended up wasting 3 whole evenings and a bunch of hot glue because the proportions were all off. My buddy Dave from the kitchen saw it and said "you know that's why they sell patterns right?" I was stubborn but after the third redo I caved and bought a $6 EVA foam pattern from some guy on Etsy. Fit perfect on the first try. Wish I hadn't wasted those 3 nights. Has anyone else here tried freehanding armor and just ended up frustrated?

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1 Comment

rodriguez.cora2h ago

Oh man, that hits way too close to home... I read this article from some cosplay blog a while back that said something like "patterns are roadmaps, not cheat codes" and I keep thinking about that when I mess up. I tried freehanding a Stormtrooper shoulder piece from cardboard and it ended up looking like a wadded-up soda can with straps. My neck was sore for days from all the cutting and recutting. The guy on the forum who wrote that blog post was right, you gotta have some kind of guide for the first few builds. Now I just buy the patterns and trace them out, saves so much tape and tears.