Pokemon trainer Brock is another really simple costume to put together. Really all you need to make is the vest; an orange tshirt and some jeans complete the look. And after that Ash costume, you're a pro at making vests, right?
Supplies:
-orange tshirt
-jeans
-green fabric
Before I launch into the instructions, I want to say a word or two about the fabric choice here. I wanted to attempt to recreate the exaggerated, bulky look of the anime. In the show, the vest is probably supposed to be a sort of puffer vest, but I wasn't confident enough to create that from scratch. The vest definitely has some bulk and holds its shape- it doesn't really move much when Brock walks. To achieve this sort of feeling, I went to the outdoor fabric section and chose a medium weight canvas material, something you might use to make cushions for outdoor furniture. This material achieves the look of standing on its own, but boy was it heavy to work with on my sewing machine. Also, it has NO STRETCH WHATSOEVER, so when I drafted the pattern for this vest, I had to add in panels on the sides so that Mr. Geek could actually put the thing on. Finally, although the structure made it easy to hem a straight line across the bottom, folding curves was much more difficult- handling this material reminded me of folding origami more than creating with fabric. If you'd like to save yourself some of this headache, feel free to use a lighter weight canvas (like something you would use to make a tote bag), or even just a regular quilting weight cotton (but then I would line it with a second layer).
1. You're going to use your t-shirt as a guide to cut your pattern pieces. Turn it inside out, tuck in the sleeves, and trace one piece for the back. Then fold it in half to trace your two pieces for the front. Finally, to account for the lack of stretch, you want two additional rectangular panels to go in the sides. For an adult, I made them 6" wide and the height of the vest from the bottom hem to the bottom of the arm hole. Add in a 1/4" seam allowance all the way around your pattern pieces, then cut them out in your green fabric. Finally, the finished vest has 4 curved pockets, each with a curved flap covering the top. I just freehand drew a pocket and a flap, added 1/4" seam allowance, and cut 4 of each piece. The finished pockets are pretty wonky looking, but at least they're
identically wonky.
2. Before assembling the vest, attach the pockets and flaps to the right sides of the front pieces. The top two should be about level with the arm holes, and the bottom two just a few inches below them. Place them however you like, just make sure that the pockets on the right exactly mirror the pockets on the left in terms of spacing. Start with the pocket pieces. Fold under the seam allowance on the top (the straight side) and stitch in place using a straight stitch. Then, fold under the seam allowance on the curve (which is tricky!) and top stitch to attach it to the front piece of the vest. For the flap pieces, it's the reverse- first you hem the curve, and then you fold under the seam allowance on the straight side at the top and top stitch to attach that piece to the vest. (If you try to attach the flap pieces before the pocket pieces, you'll have to move them out of the way to attach the pockets.)
3. Just like
with the Ash costume, our next step is to attach the front pieces to the back piece at the shoulder. Lay one of the front pieces on top of the back piece, right sides together, making sure to line up the arm hole curve. Sew a zig-zag stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance. Then repeat with the other front piece.
4. Next, hem the neckline.
5. Now we're going to start to add in the panels. Take one panel and place it on top of one of the front pieces of the vest, right sides together, lined up on the outer edge (where the arms go). Sew a zig-zag stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance straight down that side. Then repeat with the other panel on the other front piece. Next, hem the arm holes, including the tops of the panels you just attached.
6. Next, finish assembling the vest by attaching the sides of the back piece to the sides of the panels, again with a zig-zag stitch and 1/4" seam allowance.
7. Finally, hem the bottom of the vest, all the way around, 1/4" with a zig-zag stitch (and then again with a top stitch, if you want to make sure it sits nice and flat and doesn't roll). Also hem the inner edges of the front, where a closure would normally go, using the same method.
And that's it! Brock should wear jeans, an orange t-shirt, and the green vest on top. A Pokeball is always a good idea for a trainer to carry. Of course, he's always around to help his friend Ash!
See, easy-peasy. Only one more of these costumes involves any sewing- the other is just finding some basic clothing pieces and doing a particular hair style. Come back to see!
Much love,
The Geeks
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