WTB Zam Neoprene Undersuit

runJEDIrun

Active Hunter
Hi, I'm looking to get one of these suits for my girlfriend who is starting to put together a Zam costume so she can troop with my jango once it is finished.I was wondering how much and where people were getting these from. Also, if anyone has had any success sewing one of these i'd love to hear/see it. We were thinking about sewing it on our own, but i can imagine working with that material is a pain in the butt. :zam
 
Nobody makes the undersuit for others. They've all been made by members for themselves or been taken to a tailor. ZamIAm was kind enough to organize a run for the specially made fabric some time ago so I doubt there will be another for a long while. However, I believe that someone found a source for something similar that they had success with.

It is very tricky to sew with and you'd definitely want to make a mock up out of a similar weight and stretch fabric to make sure it fits right before you attempt it with the laminated neoprene. I believe the suggestion is to use a stretch denim for the mock up. You also have to be mindful that because it is laminated, there is a glue involved so your needle can get gummed up every so often so you'll need to keep an eye on that.
 
Welcome to the Zam forum! But alas... Fangs has it right. There is no source for the bodysuit.

JDFett found a source for some neoprene that is pretty darn close to the correct stuff. He has it listed on his progress thread I think... ??? IMHO it's the right color, but doesn't have the sheen that the real thing has. ZIA made two separate runs of the neoprene but it was all custom made from the lycra dye to the gluing to the neoprene itself. She's said she's not doing another run - and with all the work and grief she went through... I don't blame her.

Working with the material can be tricky... practice with stretchy fabric and stretch denim first and make several mock-ups before you tackle the finished suit (or pay a seamstress). Buy lots of needles and change them out often!!!

Read through the forum here for tips on sewing with neoprene and for sources on the suit material ... the search tool is your best friend for that!
 
thanks a lot for the info guys, i will talk to ZamIam in further detail. thanks!
ZamIAm has been busy lately. The last neoprene run she did, I believe was her last. It was a huge undertaking and took many months to get it all together.

Your best bet is to look around the threads and see what others are doing.
 
my wife and i are very happy with the material we used...it is very close to the color wanted and actually photographs much better without the sheen of the actual material...take a look at her pictures in the thread to see...it was pretty cheap as well and actually sews like a dream on a regular sewing machine...nothing special needed...I made a pair of pants for my wife in 1/2 hour!
 
You might be able to find some of the leftover ZamIAm neoprene like I did. Some people give up on Zam and sell their neoprene. Some people make efficient use of the neoprene and have enough left over for a whole other suit. If you can get your hands on it, I recommend it. If you can't, well JDFett's stuff seems to be a decent alternative.
 
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my wife and i are very happy with the material we used...it is very close to the color wanted and actually photographs much better without the sheen of the actual material...take a look at her pictures in the thread to see...it was pretty cheap as well and actually sews like a dream on a regular sewing machine...nothing special needed...I made a pair of pants for my wife in 1/2 hour!


JD, your suit looked amazing. In fact, i just read through that thread and i would love to know more about it. Can you pm me a link to where you bought the material and what you did?
 
The best way to get a seamstress is to talk to someone in a leather shop near you, or someone experienced enough and has an industrial machine, and will do a fitting. Seamstress by mail is not a great alternative with neoprene and because of fabric problems and fittings. Many tailors and seamstresses only have a home machine and work with cotton or material way less thick (don't have enough motor sewing power) and don't have the experience to pull off sewing neoprene to most costumer's specifications. (That's if you get some of the fabric from one of the runs that I did.)

Good Luck!

Zam I Am
 
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Nope, there aren't any templates or patterns either. There is a thread on patterns people have tried to use for the undersuit. The top is a modified t-shirt. The bottoms are more problematic - modified jodphurs or leggings or jogging pants? Basically, get a copy of the Reference CD from IceHeart and/or a copy of the Designing for a Galaxy by Trisha Biggar and study the pictures. You'll have to make/modify your own patterns (make plenty of muslin test runs!) or hire a seamstress.

This costume ain't for sissies! :lol:
 
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