Uniform Design

Tunic, Riding Pants and Cap
The tunic itself is loosely based on the tunics worn by officers during the United States Civil War. To give the effect of an uniform, instead of some cheap Hallowe'en costume, the lining of the uniform must use the same material that was used for the outer layer. The front closure folds over to the right shoulder where Velcro holds it in place. At the waist the tunic is held in place with the belt. The tunic itself will extend down to a mid thigh level. For the collar, a plastic strip (like the ones used in dress shirts) should be installed to keep the collar stiff and upright. To close the collar two methods can be used. One is to simply attach both ends together using Velcro. The other method, which is more true to the actual onscreen uniform (refer to SarnUniform.gif) is the use of a tab attached to the left wing of the collar to be inserted or go underneath the right wing of the collar. The Rank Code Cylinder pockets are difficult to create as they cut across the front, from under the front closure to the seam of the sleeve/shoulder; this means that they cannot simply be sewn to the surface of the jacket piece, as would be a normal pocket. Instead, the Rank Code Cylinder pockets were created by sewing the front panels of the jacket from two separate pieces. The top edges of the lower pieces were hemmed and became the lip of the Rank Code Cylinder pockets. For the Officer's Cap the front and back panels are inside-seamed panels. The bill is a fabric pouch sewn down to several layers of fabric interfacing as a stiffener. The riding pants will only have a single layer to them. To hold the pants up install a draw string (like what you would see in jogging pants) at the waist of your riding pants. At the bottom of the pant legs attach elastic bands which will catch the bottom of your feet; so you can pull the pants down into the riding boots while you put on the boots. And a little suggestion would be to equip your riding pants with deep pockets so you can carry any small objects or your wallet with you. The material that you choose for the tunic should have a cotton/polyester mix, so that your uniform can be worn year round. The cotton allows for air to pass through, while the polyester keeps the uniform more wrinkle resistant.

Other
The Officer's Disk is simply hot glued to the Officer's Cap. To paint the rectangles on the Rank Plaques, I would suggest that you use Liquitex Concentrated acrylic paint for the best results. However, you must be warned that the paint itself can be scratched off easily if you are not careful. Before applying the paint, lightly sand the rectangles with ordinary fine grade sand paper. The reason is to give the paint some surface to stick to. For best results heavily layer the paint on. From there you can sew the plaques right onto the uniform. If you are using the "Fake" Belt Buckle, have a black vinyl sleeve made to cover up the real belt buckle. It may look a bit odd and ugly, but its far better than having "two" belt buckles. Another method you could do is hide the real buckle under a sidearm holster. NOTE: A future project of mine will be to create a custom made belt buckle (with belt). Once I get it done, I shall share my secrets with you.

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