What Fabric is This? (Cosplay Picture Reference)

[Ravens_cry]

One of my dream cosplays is this bad girl, but I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what that fabric on her shoulder (overlapping the leather patches) would be best represented by. I've been poking around the local fabric store, and nothing quite fits. Any thoughts from more experienced cosplayers?

[Adar]

Not a cosplayer, but I’ve spent decades sewing and done my fair share of costumes for my kids. I’m pretty anal retentive when it comes to details, even when it’s wholly impractical.

I read that dark brown as another color of leather. (Or pleather.) Fairly thin and supple. The grade used to make garments like jackets vs. heavy like belts. So in other words, a dark brown smooth leather patch over a lighter tan textured leather. All of this on an army green lightweight canvas or heavyweight broadcloth.

The leather is the sort of thing I’d go yard sailing or thrift-storing for, personally. Some purses would be large enough and supple enough for this. An old bomber jacket would be perfect. If you find one with rips you can get it for cheap and harvest what you want out of it. You do want it thin enough that you won’t make your sewing machine cry while you break your umpteenth leather needle. Hopefully you’ve got a vintage “boat anchor” (all metal and heavy, the way that all machines used to be made) machine that can sew through that with ease. If not, you’ll want.

[Ravens_cry]

Oh no, I get thatis some kind of brown leather, thanks though, I mean the other fabric over it. Looks like either a mesh or some kind of raised dot texture.

[tyckspoon]

Oh no, I get thatis some kind of brown leather, thanks though, I mean the other fabric over it. Looks like either a mesh or some kind of raised dot texture.

Had to think a bit about where I saw that, then I remember when picking up something my cats knocked over.. it looks a lot like the stippled/bumpy texture that's used on the underside of upholstery for things like chair cushions to try and give more grip, or the pebbled surface on things like basketballs and footballs. I don't know where you'd look to get that kind of thing separately, but disassembling such a cushion or ball may give you material to work with.