This is the main piece that really makes the costume. It was the most difficult because of sizing, and screwing up all the time.



Measure twice (or thrice, or more...)



The main measurements you need to take is your chest, stomach, side length, and chest length. I'm 6' tall, 170lbs, 34" waist, 40" chest. You can take your sizings from mine if you're similar.



My suit used 3" tall lames (scales). With a 1 inch overlap for lacing on each side, it was 17" tall total. For your measurements, you want the top to go up to the bottom of your collarbone, and the bottom to sit right about where your belt usually is. Be sure to include the curvature of your girth in your calculations. You equations for number of lames is Lames = (measurement - 1)/2, therefore 8 lames = 17".



The belly portion of the armor should be slightly wider than your girth to account for clothes and comfort. Too much though and it'll shift around a lot while wearing it. My belly is 34", so I made the lames 18". This gave me a 38" circumference (including 2" in lacing on the side). It was perfectly comfortable.



Holes...



I used 6 sets across the bottom, 4 across the top, each equidistant from the other. They were 1/2" from the edge, and 1/2" square for top holes.This gave a 1" overlap. I used these measurements on all the pieces of armor.



At first I was using a screwdriver to make the holes, but then I started using a drill. Use a drill! It was way easier. I used a 1/4" bit.



Lacing...



I used 6 laces across in a pattern I made up after studying many others' lacings. Traditional armor like the one I made uses a hanging pattern, but cardboard isn't sturdy so I made sure that everything was laced tight everywhere. Less movement = less chance for breaking. For distance, I found that triple the distance needed to be laced is a good measurement.



You can use the pattern in the picture if you like. When lacing, start from the bottom and work your way up. After attaching each new lame tie all laces on the backside. This will tighten it. Make sure your laces are even on both sides of each run. When you've laced it all, start from the bottom again and tighten everything real quick. Your knots will tend to move towards the middle of the back side of each lame. That's good. Then just tie a bow-tie at the top of each run.



Front...



For the front I added a little curve by cutting a rounded top to the top 1/2" of each of the lower 4 lames. This gave it a little more rounded shape. If you're bigger, you may want to round both top and bottom. Remember to cut only the top two holes in each column for the bottom most lame.



Back...



The back bottom lames were the same size as the front, but I did not add the curve. The back was an extra 2" wide though since mobility in that direction is not as big a deal. That's a fairly traditional thing to do.



Top...



The top lame for front and back can be made in several ways. The more traditional way is to have it be kind of curvy. I used the semi-circle-drawn-with-a-cup method. It worked. Punch two holes at the top for the top assembly, and you're done.



Sides...



I just drilled one hole in each of the four bottom lames for the left side of the armor, and then permanently laced it up. See how much spacing you need first, and then tie it.



For the right side I used frog connectors made of yarn and cardboard. Just tie loops to the front side on each lame, and then tie in 1" strings with little cardboard frogs on them. Put 4 frogs through, and it's on!



Shoulder straps (Katchu)...



In retrospect, I think I should've gone with a permanently attached on the back side shoulder strap. I took this pattern and cut the back off. You can see it in my picture below. Lace the backside up equidistant and uniform, and then lace the front. Put it on, and then tighten the front. If you feel like you want a little more or less spacing the front, then readjust the backs, and then tighten the front. The two holes on the side are for the Sode. I'll talk about them later.











