Minifigure Customization 101, Issue 8

Custom Cloth Accessories
Article by Jared K. Burks and Mark Parker

Ever thought to yourself your minifig needed a pink fur vest?  How does one make a pink fur vest using paint or decals?  I couldn’t think of a way, so I turned to cloth.  Honestly, I never thought I would need a pink fur vest, but alas, I would have been wrong.  Cloth accessories can be anything from the simple LEGO style cape to cheerleading skirts and everything in between.  It can take that customized minifig to the next level.

Figure 1:  A.  Amazia sports the one accessory I never thought I would make: a pink fur vest. 
B.  Texas’ Spirit Cheerleader is sporting a custom skirt designed by Mark Parker, photo and minifig
by Matthew Rhody, used with permission. 

I am a relative newbie when it comes to making my own cloth accessories so I have pulled in the resident expert, Mark Parker (MMCB, http://www.mmcbcapes.servaus.net).  Whenever I need cloth, I turn to Mark.  Before we begin discussing the different types of materials, designs, and tools we need, let us look at some of the cloth LEGO offers us.  LEGO offers the cape, short cape, and the pauldron.  Maybe your needs are simple and you would like it in a new color, or with slight modifications.  Here are three templates made from the LEGO cloth.  This gives us something to work with in the article.

Now that we have a few templates, we need to discuss materials.  What can we make a cloth accessory out of and get good results?  We can use a piece of LEGO cloth (Cape or Sail, don’t throw things it is merely a suggestion), paper, fabric (printable or regular), or even leather.  All of these are good options and fairly easy to work with if you are patient.  Let’s say you are using a LEGO cape, it can be easily modified into a short cape or pauldron using a pair of scissors.  This is likely the easiest custom cloth piece to make as LEGO has already treated the material so it won’t fray.  Fraying is the unraveling of the material at the edges; even LEGO cloth will fray if played with enough.

Want to go beyond the basics?  Well as Fryslayer (MCN and Classic Castle; http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=Fryslayer ) pointed out originally, we believe, you can even use paper and your printer.  Print any design on paper in the shape of a cape (for this example).  Make sure you print both sides and then trim out your accessory.  Then cover both sides in clear packing tape or spray both sides with a couple of coats of clear spray paint.  This will give your paper a bit more rigidity and a bit of a shine.  Now you have a new accessory with items already lying around your house.  Also try using matte photo paper with semi-gloss spray paint; you can give your paper accessory a completely different look with a matte finish.  Want to see this idea ramped up; check out Armothe’s (MCN & Brickforge) work (http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=armothe), where he uses paper to wrap the figure much like a doll to customize the figure.

Figure 4:  Armothe (http://www.brickforge.com/ ) makes complete custom figures with nothing more than paper, by wrapping the figure in a design.  Notice the flat design, with neck and armholes on the left and the figure wearing it on the right.  Photo and figure by Armothe, used with permission.

Printable cloth is another option, which is readily available at hobby and fabric stores.  This works much the same way as paper, only you do not need the tape.  The advantage of printable cloth is you get to print the designs and the background color, so you can make your cloth part any color you want.  Printable cloth is typically treated with an anti-fraying solution, but read the instructions that come with your package to make sure.  If you need to add an anti-fray agent, stay tuned and we will go into the details shortly.  Customizers in the know favor the Jacquard’s printable cloth brand, but most any brand will work.  If you cannot find printable fabric locally, check online.  Some brands of printable fabric only allow you to print on one side, so if you are wanting the cloth to be the same color on both sides you might have to pull out your hobby acrylic paints, which work well on most cloths, including LEGO cloth.  If you want to make it all you can even make your own printable cloth, according to the HP website (Instructions: http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/313-0-0-39-121.html - Special thanks to Ethan Hunt (Pharazon at MCN) for pointing these out).

Figure 5:  Printable cloth (A) compared to an official LEGO cape (B). 

The last two options are leather and broad cloth, the later is similar to LEGO cloth.  Leather is simple, merely cut out your shape in thin leather and you are done.  Leather can add a texture to your figure as one side of the material can be polished and the other suede. 

C.  Leather is also useful to make accessories, as seen on this minifig.  Very sharp scissors are needed in trimming out this type of material.  Photo A-B by Chris Campbell, used with permission.   

Broad cloth is a bit more difficult and has been covered in a previous issue of this publication by Norbert Black, check his article for another perspective.  The main issue with cloth is fraying.  You have to stop it without making your cloth so thick that it does not work/bend/fold well.  One of the issues is that if you are making a complex cloth accessory, it can become visibly thick and interfere with the arm or waist studs.  There is no right or wrong way to stop fraying. It can be as simple as running a small bead of glue along the cut edge, or as complex as painting the cloth with acrylic mediums. Try different things and see if they work. No matter what you apply to your cloth, it is going to have an instant stiffening effect.  More on the anti-fraying solutions in a minute just remember the more you apply, the stiffer your final piece will become.

Figure 6:  A.  Notice the areas where the cloth pieces on this figure attach to the figure.  If the anti-fray treatment causes the thickening of the cloth, attachment to the figure can be difficult.  B.  Mark’s templates make sure he gets the high precision required to make these types of accessories.  Photos and minifig by Mark Parker, used with permission 

Now that you have worked with the patterns that LEGO has given us and used the different materials, you are ready to make your own patterns and completely new cloth items.  Try starting with a piece of paper and a ruler.  Draw out the shape you are after and figure out how to connect it to the minifig.  Will you use the neck stud, the armholes, the leg studs, or all three?  These are all options and Mark has figured out most of them, so you might look at his work for inspiration, or merely talk him into making the piece for you.  Whenever I am trying to make something new, instead of cutting up my treated fabric, I draw it out on paper and cut up paper.  I refine the pattern and then transfer it to cloth.  Mark goes a bit more high tech, draws his designs up in CAD (Computer Aided Drawing), and then cuts his patterns out of special materials. The result is the same, however, which is a pattern that you can use repeatedly.

The most important tool for this work is a sharp pair of scissors. If you are a younger reader ask for help from your parents.  We recommend Fiskas’ brand scissors, which are a bit more expensive, but are worth every penny.  If you want to get techie and are planning to make a lot of cloth, get a set of punches to more accurately cut your neck and arm holes in your cloth. 

There are a number of different methods and products you can use to stop your cloth from fraying. These range from diluted White (PVA) Glue to Acrylic Medium or even artists Acrylic Varnish. I find it a lot easier to treat a small swatch of cloth big enough to get a few pieces out of (around 15cm by 25cm). Both the PVA glue and the acrylic medium can go milky on some fabrics, especially dark colored fabric. I use artists Acrylic Varnish for some of my accessories as it is very easily applied with a small hobby roller and doesn’t require any thinning. One major advantage of using the varnish is that you can paint it on any colored fabric and it will dry clear. So if you are able to get cloth that matches the LEGO color you want then you can just treat it with the varnish and cut out your design. Another good thing about the varnish is that you can actually mix it with acrylic paints to both color and stiffen your cloth. Works great for unusual colors! Just make sure you follow the directions on the bottle. I also find it easier to work on a clean, glazed tile. This provides a firm surface to work on, and nothing will stick to it.

As we began this article don’t limit your figures to wearing mere capes and pauldrons, dress up those figures in true Jedi Robes, skirts, and even ponchos. Some things just don’t look right when only done with decals. Give your minifigs that extra dimension of realism.  I know the purists are cringing in the corner at the moment, but LEGO has set the example for all of this customization, just check out the Star Wars Geonosian’s plastic/vinyl wings, Harry Potter Troll’s vest and loin cloth or the Deatheater’s cloak, or if you want to get really extreme check several of the Belville sets.  Don’t think these concepts can translate into a cool figure, just check some of the examples below.  

Figure 7:  Here are some examples of advanced cloth accessories made by A. Mark Parker and
B.  Victor Sobolov (Unknown Artist, http://www.unknown-artist-studio.com/).  Cloth items in photos
are patent pending by the respective individuals, photos and figures by the respective individuals
and both are used with permission. 

Remember that cloth isn’t limited to minifigs, you can make flags, banners, sails, and even animal accessories, using the techniques outlined above.  Just get creative, make new items and really customize your figures to the extent you can! 

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