Qi'ra update and photoshoot sneak peek

I upgraded my pedants and harness, but the postal service must have been trying to make the kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, so they were a bit worse for wear when they arrived. https://www.etsy.com/shop/3DFilaMint is AWESOME and is working on replacements for me. I made them work for the photo shoot I had scheduled, so here are some early pictures by https://threecirclesstudio.com/

I also did some more work on the fit. I wasn't happy with how the back wasn't laying very smooth, or how the shoulders kept sliding off. The alterations I finished made it much more wear-able!

Painting Poe's Props

I use black vinyl dye https://amzn.to/2LdFI2k  as a base for all my nerf guns and plastic prop weapons. I've found it works really well on the 3D printed parts I've ordered.  It bonds to the plastic, so it won't chip off or melt off in a sweaty hand on a hot day. I did a rush job on painting Poe's blaster, so I'm not going to share pictures here. But here's what I used!


 


On top of that, for Poe's blaster, I used:


https://amzn.to/2LgNLM8








https://amzn.to/2N9wncw






And one like this for the shiny bits - https://amzn.to/2zznpmY







And a clear coat on top: https://amzn.to/2NNEvAP

Qi'ra's Jewelry

Just like I had my eye on Holdo's dress leading up to The Last Jedi, I had my eye on Qi'ra's "High Roller" dress leading up to Solo: A Star Wars Story. And just like with Holdo, I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the character before actually getting started. And just like with Holdo, there are a number of jewelry pieces to match!

While I enjoy all the beautiful jewelry in the new Star Wars films, sourcing screen accurate pieces on a budget is very challenging! There are jewelers all over the world who make custom jewelry on a daily basis, and I'm sure they could easily replicate these pieces if someone had deep enough pockets. However, the hunt for jewelry on a budget is part of the fun!

Thank you Emilia Clarke for posing for a picture that displays Qi'ra's rings so well!

Here's my version, where I'm wearing this wig: https://amzn.to/2NEXRqU . Photo by https://threecirclesstudio.com/

Photo by https://threecirclesstudio.com/ 

This one is helpful as well.

After TONS of searching I FINALLY found a square cut yellow center stone in silver with a halo for a reasonable price - https://www.opensky.com/yeidid-international/product/princes-cut-simulated-diamond-halo-ring-in-18kt-white-gold?osky_campaign=account-purchases&osky_content=1
Opensky.com gets VERY mixed reviews, but I was willing to take the gamble for $17 (the price went up a bit since I ordered). And it paid off!

For the bands around the yellow stone ring, I used:  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/EMMAYA-Silver-Color-Unique-Design-CZ-Ring-Paved-Austrian-Zircon-Fashion-Women-Ring-Jewelry/32849870609.html



For the ring of three gold bands, I used two of these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shipping-4mm-thick-gold-silver-smooth-plate-316L-Stainless-Steel-finger-rings-for-men-women/32626465642.html . To make them matte, I used a gold paint marker https://amzn.to/2KNte4z , and then dabbed at the wet paint with a scrap of fabric.

You would think the black pearl ring wouldn't have been that difficult to locate! I ended up using the ring and prongs of this ring as my base: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/18K-Gold-Plated-Square-Shape-Ring-Sets-Princess-Cut-Stamp-for-Women-Pave-AAA-Zircon-Stone/32711150407.html

I gently bent two of the prongs to get the stone out.

I had two bags of fake pearl beads, and I tested which size fit better.

Then, I stuck the pearl bead on a sewing pin and painted it with the nail polish I used for my nails, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Black Tie https://amzn.to/2m2zcjX . An appropriate shade name for this Qi'ra ensemble!






I neglected to take pictures of the painting process, but you can see the finished look at the top. After it dried, I wedged the bead into the prongs and was pleased that I could fit two of the prongs into the stringing hole, effectively hiding them!


We don't yet have really good images of Qi'ra's cufflinks, so I'm sure I'll redo these when Solo is released for digital download. I drilled out the center part of two wooden buttons.

One of the buttons split in half when I drilled it, which was perfect!

I used some of the needle files https://amzn.to/2m0w5cE I got for my Stormtrooper build to file down edges and the center. 

 I sawed the other button in half.

 I spray painted them with gold rustoleum. https://amzn.to/2KVumjF 

 I used a Gorilla superglue variety that has a brush to glue tiny half circles of velcro to the backs. https://amzn.to/2MSuXTK

Then, I hand sewed the opposite velcro pieces to the inner sleeves.

And there it is!

I talked about how I constructed the back belt closure in this post: http://www.jeneyre.com/2018/07/qira-crimson-dawn-belt.html

My current pendants are from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Star-Wars-Qi-ra-Rear-Belt-Necklace-the-Half-Circle-Choker-Leather-Rope-Necklace-Han-Solo/32881415300.html I ordered extra, and am happy to sell them at cost plus shipping. Send me a message if you want to see if I have any left! If you're in the US, they'll arrive much faster than the ones from Ali Express.

They're a bit small, but they'll work until the ones I ordered from 3DFilaMint on Etsy arrive.   https://www.etsy.com/listing/606806217/qira-gold-necklace-rear-belt-pendant?ref=user_profile

For the harness, I bought some screen spline.

 I originally tried using E6000, but that didn't quite hold well enough.

 I ended up using a few tiny, nearly invisible stitches to hold them together. I used hooks and eyes on the ends of the harness and inside my gown.

Qi'ra Crimson Dawn Belt

As for the belt, I think this https://amzn.to/2xD17jf would work as the base layer. HOWEVER, I found a 1 1/2" patent leather looking belt at a thrift store, so I used that!



I used this Gold mylar tape https://amzn.to/2xKu7p8   over a really skinny belt (also found at a thrift store),

Can't beat $1.99 for a costume part!

but one of these should work https://amzn.to/2IXYTLL )  as the gold layer.



I'm still working on the Stormtrooper I started last summer, so I have plenty of E6000 on hand. https://amzn.to/2MSkU0Y  . After I carefully covered the top of the skinny belt with the mylar tape (the size was almost perfect - it covered the sides and overlapped a bit on the bottom) I spread e6000 on the bottom of the gold belt. I did this little by little, using a q-tip to apply a bit to the black belt and letting both sides get tacky before clamping them together. ***Make sure to check the CRL (which is in draft at the time of this writing) for placement!***    The mini spring clamps (similar to these https://amzn.to/2MQnB2V ) I like to use for smaller E6000 projects were being used on the necklace/harness,  so I used clamps similar to these https://amzn.to/2zb5eE8 (I think these are a bit smaller than mine, which would have worked as well.) Make sure you use protective gear in a well-ventilated area when working with E6000! You'll need to be patient and wait at least 24 hours for it to cure.

Starting to clamp the gold belt layer!

I used a variety of clamps I had on hand (again, thanks to my Stormtrooper build!) as you can see. I ran out of clamps, so I also used some of the rare earth magnets https://amzn.to/2ucDdq2  I use for my Stormtrooper. I was worried about the c-clamps denting the leather/pleather/gold, but they didn't! I did throw some foam in there, as you can see.

On to the buckle!!!
Here is where I felt truly inspired as a Star Wars prop maker. I looked around my basement and wondered how I could create the triangular prism of Qi'ra's belt closure....

Math review time - this is a triangular prism!

...and I found an old plastic thing designed to slide on the bottom of your door to keep out drafts (link here: https://amzn.to/2MSslF8 ). The space under the door was too tight for it to work, but I'd kept it for the past four years just knowing I would need it at some point....

Mine was brown, but you'll be covering it up so it doesn't matter!

I trimmed off maybe 5 or 6 mm to make it a shallow triangular prism. 

 As you can see above and below, I pulled off the insulating foam and rubber ribs on the bottom.

 I had to dremel down the ribs on the bottom so the snaps would lay flat.

 Above and below, you can see that this fit PERFECTLY on my mini-anvil.

I put in four rows of snaps. This will give a little bit of adjust-ability with my final belt. These weren't applied exactly, so one configuration is a little tight. However, I did space out the left and right sides differently deliberately, so the belt would't be upside down accidentally.

The next few pictures were from my first version of the back pendant. This triangular prism wasn't as shallow as my final one. I saw Solo again on Sunday, and tried to absorb EVERY DETAIL of this gown. There aren't many good reference images of the back belt closure, so I paid extra attention to that. I was struck by how shallow the triangular prism was!  

I used black gorilla tape https://amzn.to/2zeHUFs strips to pull the top edges together to form the triangular prism. In version 1.0, shown in the next two pictures, I overlapped the part covering the ends. In my final version, I cut the ends into triangles that lined up exactly. That enabled the tops to be smoother.

Whether you overlap the triangles or just apply perfect triangles to the edges, be mindful of where you put the tape edges. I ended up using an exacto knife on a cutting mat to trim the pieces so that the edges of the tape ended up on the edges of the prism. I used black sharpie on any white tape glue parts that showed.

*NOTE**I attached the pendant in my final version before adding the ends as you can see below.

Now, back to pictures of version 2.0!

The pendant I used for this version came attached to a leather necklace. Its a bit small, but I drilled tiny holes in the bottom corners of the belt base and stitched through the leather necklace (I trimmed off all but a little bit as you can see in the picture) 

There seemed to be a rectangular frame on the top in the picture, which I made by cutting a rectangular frame out of craft foam. I then covered the craft foam in the mylar tape. Then, I used a Gorilla superglue variety that had a brush to glue on the gold frame. https://amzn.to/2MSuXTK

And here it is!

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