Jerkin detail
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Legolas Jerkin Detail

V4.0 Nov, 2003

Front and side of Legolas's jerkin Back, very center decoration is extrapolated.  Top leaf sleeve is not attached to plain undersleeve.

Note: there is no lacing in center back, at least on the ones on exhibit. Artwork needs to be updated.

Use these sketches for the shape of the Jerkin, we have new designs for the etching pattern <here>
  This is the design on the back of the TTT 6" Legolas doll.  It is asymmetric... but we're guessing that's just something on the doll though the shapes in the center are probably close.
The dip in the jerkin is correct and confirmed in the film.

Jerkin general description

The jerkin is two tones of suede.  In the movie, the top is a darker olive.  The lower is a lighter olive/spring green.  At exhibits, the top half is brownish over olive (but we've never seen it in perfect light yet.) The upper part of the jerkin is heavily decorated with swirled elven patterns burned into the suede.  This design is painted in silver.  Suede has been confirmed to be thin.  (See our article on leather etching.)

The jerkin opens down the front.  It is closed using fine hook and eye tape that  you can barley see it.  The seam is closed tightly, it's hard to tell it is not a zipper, but it is hooks.  The front edge is top stitched down as well the whole collar area.  (We do not know if the jerkin is lined/faced with thin leather or a silky woven fabric).

From the book store standee, we picked up some new detail.  Where we are seeing some form of top sticking before, now we have detail.  See the picture on the left.  It is a very fine stitch on the edge of the suede.  In one stop you can see another layer of suede has been but directly up against it.  The suede is not folded under, just over cast.  About 8 stitches per inch. (This can be done with a serger, 2 thread.)  This blanket stitch goes all around the top suede piece... around the collar and down the front until the suede changes color.  Same on the sleeves, only the darker fabric has this stitching.  Thread is either black or very dark green.

Since he is wearing his pauldron armor, it is hard to see exactly where this detailing is, but if we extrapolate, assuming it is everywhere we are seeing top stitching... that puts it around the neck, down the front until the end of the dark green.  It will also be on the dark green over sleeve.  

   
look closely at the finishing and the button hole stitch used to join the two layers of leather together. Join line of the lower and upper leather.  It has either been butted together and hand stitched, or this stitching was added afterwards
   
 
bottom edge of jerkin.  Note, even elves have weather tunics.  (Ignore the lone line on the center right.  It's a standee cardboard shot, not a tear.)  
   

Great speculation here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LOTR_Costume/message/3882

Side and back lace from mid-chest to waist.  Lacing is in a cross stitch pattern. The bottom is open.  There is thin fold over suede strips reinforcing the cut where the lacing is threaded.  There are no grommets. The strips are machine stitched into place, just like Aragorn's jerkin and duster. (Confirmed at ROM exhibit.)

There are small round holes that the lacing goes though.  The lacing makes a  tight criss-cross pattern, and is tied with a visible knot outside the tunic with the ends hanging down 2-3 inches.  Each hole is about 1- 1 1/4 inches apart.

Jerkin has been seen both with "X" and with "V" lacing.  Best example is here: http://www.warofthering.net/photos/fotrlegolas/imagepages/image21.shtml

Detailed photo from the poster.

The jerkin edge is longer in front and back than the sides.  It comes to a point.

The brown belt is worn a bit loose, dropping a bit in front much like the elven women's  belts.  It is intricately tooled in elven design, but we haven not seen is close enough to tell the exact pattern.  It looks a bit like leaves, something like Gandalf's feather stitched embroidery.  The same pattern on the waist belt is repeated on his other strapping.

 

 


The leather etching pattern on Legolas's tunic

Pattern from the side of the tunic. Ver 4, as of Nov 2003

(Thanks to Sophie)

Check out our tips on how to etch leather
 

Toy has an asymmetrical version.  We don't really have a perfect version of the back Back of the tunic, the section in the circle has been extrapolated since we have never seen the back up close without the quiver.
   
   
Here are the scanned designs from the 6" toy.  Note that while the big part of the design is exact, it is missing some of the more delicate curly q's we're seen. Front of sleeve Side sleeve pattern
 

Focus on the Sleeves

The sleeves are complex, so here's some extra help.  Top dark green petal is lined and the lining is top stitched down. 

 

 

The sleeves are made of two slightly overlapping pieces shaped like leaves. The leaf wrap in the lighter color wraps around the inside arm, and overlaps on top.  (See imaged layers further down.)

Over that is a darker leaf that laid on top and set in at the same time.  IT is not tacked to the undersleeve and floats above because of it is lined. The darker leaf has swirled designs etched into the suede. Best place to see these patterns is in the Toybiz action figure doll.

The dark leaf's back tail tucks in to the seam under the arm.  Check out the chalk board for we're still fiddling with this a bit.

 
Standard set in sleeve, lacing does not go all the way up the arm, so it is a closed hole The light colored undersleeve actually wraps over at the top. Edges are curved and not tacked down. Dark leaf shaped suede sleeve is lined, assume something slick, and finely top stitched all the way around the edge Back part of sleeve is longer and a bit more square.  When arm is down it is hard to see that is does not wrap around.  It is not tacked to the under sleeve and floats free above.

 


Find out how to estimate how many hides you need to make the jerkin.

 


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This page was last updated 04/22/08