KodiakAK

I second the "cowboy" boot analogy.  I also wear them and years ago when I first started, I thought they were small.  It's just how they fit.
I bought Hessen boots but found the calf size was too small.  The foot area was spot on.
So yeah, lots of info to take in, but take it in and take your time.
From renn faire experience, nothing ruins your day like ill fitting boots.

In my experience with Hessen riding boots, they run foot wise they are true to size. Calves seemed 1/4"-1/2" smaller.

But let me caveat my comment. I own a pair of pointy toed cowboy boots that are a close equivalent to what these boots feel like in the foot. They are designed for someone controlling a horse with their feet, they are not supposed to have sliding room for your foot to move about. Because the toe is pointed and not rounded like a jack boot, your toes are going to be pushed together and many people think this means they are too small. That is incorrect, it's the style, just like what women deal with many styles of high heels. Same concept.

Hessen boots are Italian leather. So leather stretches and shrinks. The more you wear it they stretch naturally in their own, and conversely if you don't often they will contract. It is recommended to have a boot stretcher to keep the leather used to your shape or close to it. I've seen people use the real tool, newspaper, rolled up magazines, the air bubble packs (found in amazon orders), etc. personally I don't use anything like that. I heat up my boots that I have not worn for a while when I go to polish them. You can use a hair dryer but a paint peeler does wonders quickly. Notice I said while polishing them! Doing this without additional polish such as kiwi will lead to the leather drying out which leads to cracking. But after I polish them I put them on and squat in them and wear them around for up to an hour. At that point they loosen back up to me comfortably.

Some last thoughts on these boots. If you have wide feet or narrow feet you need to take this into account. These boots do not. They were made for a standard (regular) sized foot. If you have wides go up a size, narrow same size or down a size. I also could not wear insoles in my boots, not that much room for the aforementioned reasons. But a good set of calf length wool cushion socks will keep your feet feeling fantastic. A cobbler can do wonders with the leather, but you have to be patient and understand the leather can only be stretched so far, before it will fail.

Worst case, go to a store that has pointy toed cowboy boots and try on a few styles. See what size works best for your foot. Then use that knowledge when ordering from Hessen Antiques. Just keep an eye on those calf sizes. At most a Cobbler can increase a calf 1" in the mid to upper shaft area.

Bottom line I LOVE my Hessen boots and would not get rid of them ever!


Thanks!
KodiakAK (Brian "Kodiak" Peterson)

"If once you start down the droid path, forever it will dominate your destiny, consume you it will..."

Here are the requirements and instructions for posting an Executor request thread:
 
http://www.imperialofficer.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2348-request-executor-l2-recognition/

Hey guys. I know Im late to the discussion, but I think I identified where the ID designation comes from (or at least one possible origin for it). I was doing some research into another costume, going through some old RPG books, and I came across a supplementary book for Star Wars: Galaxy at War (Saga Edition). On page 97, there is a chart. Here is a scan of the chart:
 

 
Now, why those authors decided ID is unknown, but I thought Id post this for your guys' info.

I would say if it looks appropriate on you, check with your GML.  On my chest 1/4" looks fine.  I have no idea how big or small you are (I'm 6'6" and 205 lbs, for reference, and wear a 42 or a 44 size coat).

Your GML is going to be the best answer - they're the ones who say what is approvable and what isn't.  The CRL is their guidelines, but it is a guideline, as I was reminded - so ask for their opinion based on you.  Do a mock up on paper like the guy above did.

Agreed, 1/8" looks better to me, too.  For this particular rank bar, at least.

Maybe the gap could be even a little shorter, the rank bar starts about an inch off the centre and just overlaps the panel seem. You also have to take into account your chest size may differ to the actors - so even if you do get the measurements spot on - it may not look right.
 
Good luck though, despite me sounding a 'little' harsh (I am grumpy) I like the fact you're questioning things. Keep at it

I'm working on a full diagram on the cape front, back, top - but it is going to take some time and I think I need to drape my pattern of the cape to get a better idea of the part proportions/sizes. In the meantime - I'll post my research as I figure things out.
 
The line on the back side of the yoke - it is a single line of topstitching (not a seam) that goes from the collar straight to the stitching on the side panel's back seam - it probably even is a continuous line of stitching from yoke onto the cape seam.
 

OK last one for tonight - I'll tackle diagramming all the other seams later, but here's how the Arm Slit openings are made. If you know how to make a bound buttonhole, it is very similar. And of course there's a layer of fabric underneath everything to fill in/close up the opening so you can't really put your arm through it (probably so it didn't gap open all the time). It's way, way past my bedtime - more later!
 

Hello! My name is Katie D Keith. I've been invited by Mark to work with Meg to figure out how to correct and improve the CRL for the Krennic Cape. I have not been active on the forum but I've been making 501st costumes for the last few years - Mark was my first costumer. I have a Associated Degree in Costume Construction from Indiana University (IU) and a MA in Apparel Design from Cornell. I taught Fashion Design Illustration at IU for 3.5 years before I had my son, who's is turning 3 this weekend. I actually found out I was pregnant the day after I met Mark for his first fitting. My son kept me quite busy for awhile, but now I'm finally getting a chance to spend more time working on costume commissions, and I'm known for making the First Order hats. So basically my background is strong in clothing construction knowledge, thorough research skills, and teaching through effective communication, both verbal and visual. I learned when teaching how important it was to clearly communicate my instructions to best achieve consistent understanding by my many students. I also have a very keen eye for details from my Master's research and all the grading I did as a professor. And what I'm also offering you is a fresh eye and perspective to this wonderful lot of photos that provide so much info about this costume as well as the images from the Rogue One Visual Guide. (I am also working on a Krennic costume for Mark so I've been researching it for awhile myself - and the cape is my next part)
 
Now onto my findings... first up, Cape Yoke & Collar
 
#1 Cape Yoke Length: I agree that we don't need specific measurements for the cape yoke on the CRL when landmarks or providing a range of measurements will do (I've had issues with specific measurements that were too big for the size I was making). But I did figure out why those yoke measurements were shorter than expected. It is because the Cape collar sits down away from the jacket collar, say about .5"-1", and the yoke side ends somewhere past the jacket princess seams but before the end of the jacket/sleeve seam, about 1" or more depending on how the cape is laying. You can see the how the cape portion goes out level with the yoke and then drops down over the edge of the jacket along the sleeve. But as pictured, this yoke is not meant to extend the full length from jacket collar to jacket sleeve seam. The front edge of the yoke starts about a 1" or less from the jacket collar and ends about 1" or more away from the jacket's edge, some where between the jacket princess seam and the sleeve seam.
 
#2: Cape & Jacket Collars: I like to use items in the photo that have known size and relate it to other parts of the costume - though i know it isn't perfect, it at least gives me a rough idea of proportions. Based on this, I think that both collars are roughly the same height - a bit longer than the height of the rank bar, so maybe ~2.8"-3", as I think the jacket collar does extend a bit more below the front jacket. The reason that the cape collar is lower than the jacket is because it is attached down away from the jacket collar, as explained in #1. The stitching lines on the cape collar are also a good indicator of overall height - I'd agree there about .25" apart so the collar again should be at least 2.75" - maybe almost 3".
 
Yay! Higher resolution version:
 

Congratulations!! It is going to be a good year

I'll try to be more fulsome in my reply.
I hope you all now have a greater appreciation of how hard it can be to get CRLs completed now that you can see it from the inside.  It is always worth remembering that the Legion is composed of thousands of people around the world, some who troop a bit and are casual members who just want to troop/socialize, and some who are hyper sensitive and will spend any amount of time and money to make the “perfect” costume.  To some anything more than L1 is a waste of time, and to others anything less than L3 is selling ourselves short.
 
Remember that L1 is supposed to be items that are easy to acquire and relatively modest in cost.   As you are finding out, what is “easy” and “cheap” to some is “hard” and “expensive” to others. 
 
So when I revise CRLs I always keep the above thoughts in mind.  For the CRL at hand, a few years ago asking people to get replica code cylinders was clearly L3, as they were uncommon, maybe one person made them, and expensive.  So they go to L3.  As demand for these items increases, more and more people make them so they become cheaper/easier.  L3 becomes L2, and eventually L1.
 
I will fully agree that good replica code cylinders are so available and cost effective that asking for replica ones can move from L2/L3 to L1.
 
It’s kinda like latex hand guards on TKs.  They used to be very hard, hard to get, and so started as L3.  Now they are L2.  Some day people will stop selling plastic hand guards and they will be L1.  Not today, but I can see it in a few years.
 
For rank badges, personally I’m OK with moving to the more accurate type for L1, however I do know a lot of people who make them on their own, or who have started putting officers together to whom moving to the correct ones is a burden.  And this is just in my garrison.  For that reason I can see having the good ones at L2 just a little while longer, maybe a year or so until people get used to it.
 
I’m not sure the CRLs will ever stop evolving in my trooping career.  I think over time the gap between L1-L3 will continue to decrease to where there’s not much difference.  I can see that on numerous costumes.  As you mentioned, what was once state of the art is now L1, but then back in 2005 no one could even conceive of what we have as L3 now.  It would be like having unobtainium.
 
Does that help?  Also, I don’t see us arguing at all, but discussing. 
 
I also hope you understand why these days we don’t really have a public discussion or vote on CRLs like we used to, we’d never get anything done.
 
Do you know why the big re-write that BJ & I did went so fast?  Because the only people working on them were him and I.  It’s much easier to move fast when there are only 2 people involved. J   Contrast that with say the Krennic CRL where it just is getting bogged down in everyone having an opinion.
 
Don’t get me wrong – I love full detachment discussions, but at some point you need to circle the drain with a few folks and make the hard calls.  Rest assured, no matter what you do, someone will be unhappy.
 
Lastly, I will 100% agree that whomever updated the dosimeter CRL entry since last I touched it really did a botched job. It's not clear at all now.

You have the color of the helmet, hat, and armor down as grey. If these items are going to be the same as an AT-ST Driver / AT-AT Commander, they should be olive in color. There will come a time when you shouldn't even be able to get a grey hat considering we now know the uniforms are olive.

We will keep all open CRL discussions in this forum.   Please keep it civil and to the posted topic.
 
Let me know if we miss an ongoing CRL thread.

That's what I do.  Happy to be of service.  

Yeah.  I can see both sides of the debate on that one, frankly, but I'm fine with how things played out, too.
 
I know the 501st made up the designations, it just seems like some pretty odd choices were made, for a few of them.
 
Overall, though, they're pretty meaningless.
 
I do find it ironic that we still refer to someone's Legion number as their "TKID" even for people who don't have a TK designation.  I started off as a TK so it made perfect sense, but as I add other detachment costumes, it starts to seem a little funny.

Wow, that bad huh? Glad I missed that one. Oh, and TK-421 still is not at his post!

Dont cross the genres 

Oh I don't mean to suggest anything change.  As I say, it was a random thought.  It just popped in there.  Like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

However all my Clothing and other personalised merch has ID some im in no rush to change anything 

The CRL just came out , like most CRLs it will be subject to changes in the following months , and probably a couple other changes when Rogue One is released in BluRay and we have access to high-res screenshots of new scenes and all .

Every tailor / seamstress works differently and will probably have his / her own thoughts on the amount of snaps needed to close the tunic and hold the cape , so i don't think that we should impose on everyone the choice of the model's tailor . Depending on the weight and the kind of material one uses , he or she may require more or less snaps , buttons , ...

I don't think that the Staff Officers and Line Officers require a given amount of snaps , as long as the tunic closes properly , so by that logic , Krennic's tunic shouldn't either .

I've been in touch with the LMO, he expects revisions to me made to this CRL.  Keep up the discussions and we can get it updated.
 

Thanks to all that made the effort to vote and Thanks for the support!!
 

Congratulations Mark im so pleased for you, now lets go to work

I second that.