Alright, so I found myself needing to whip up a shoulder harness for a costume recently. The thing I was building had these fairly bulky shoulder pieces, you know? And without something solid underneath, they were just gonna flop about or, worse, slide off entirely. Can’t have that. It’s always the little bits, the infrastructure, that trips you up if you don’t think about it.
So, first things first, I went digging through my box of bits and bobs. I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to craft supplies. You never know when an old belt or a spare buckle will come in handy. Found some sturdy nylon webbing, the kind you get on old backpacks. That seemed like a good starting point. Also grabbed a few plastic buckles – the quick-release kind – and my trusty roll of heavy-duty thread. I figured sewing would be better than just relying on glue for something that needs to take a bit of strain.
Getting Started with the Straps
I started by measuring. Draped the webbing over my shoulders, across my back, trying to figure out the most comfortable and effective layout. I wasn’t going for screen accuracy down to the millimeter here, just something functional that would be hidden anyway. My main goal was to create a sort of ‘X’ or ‘H’ pattern on my back to distribute the weight of the shoulder pieces evenly.
Then came the cutting. Always measure twice, cut once, right? Well, sometimes I still mess that up. This time, I was careful. Cut the main straps for over the shoulders and the ones that would go around my torso. I left them a bit long – easier to trim later than to add more on. I’ve made that mistake before, ending up with something that’s way too tight. Not fun for a long day at a con.
The sewing part was next. My machine grumbled a bit with the thick webbing, but it got the job done. I reinforced all the connection points, stitching back and forth a few times.
- Attached the shoulder straps to a wider back piece.
- Fixed the buckles onto the ends of the straps that would close around my chest and waist.
- Made sure to double-check that the buckles were facing the right way. Done that wrong too. It’s amazing the silly mistakes you can make when you’re in the zone.
I decided to add some D-rings at strategic points on the shoulder straps. This was so I could later attach the actual costume shoulder pieces to the harness. Velcro is okay for some things, but for heavier bits, I like something a bit more secure. Snaps or even small clips hooked onto D-rings work well.
Refinements and Testing
Once the basic harness was stitched together, I tried it on. It felt pretty solid, but the webbing, even though it’s smooth, can chafe after a while. So, I dug out some thin craft foam. Cut out some padding pieces for the parts that would sit directly on my shoulders and under my arms. Glued those on. Not the prettiest solution, but comfort is key, especially if you’re wearing this thing for hours.
The next step was adjusting everything. This took a bit of fiddling. Tighten this strap, loosen that one. I wanted it snug enough to not shift, but not so tight it would cut off circulation or feel like a medieval torture device. I jumped around a bit, waved my arms – the usual stress test. It seemed to hold up.
One thing I almost forgot was to seal the cut ends of the nylon webbing. If you don’t, they fray like crazy. A quick pass with a lighter (carefully, mind you!) melts the ends just enough to stop them unraveling. That’s a pro tip I picked up ages ago, probably after ruining a perfectly good strap by having it fall apart.
And that was pretty much it. It’s not a complicated piece of kit, but getting it right makes a huge difference to how a costume wears and feels. It’s funny, I remember years back, my first big build. Didn’t use any kind of proper harness for the shoulder armor, just some dodgy Velcro. Spent the whole day paranoid it was going to fall off. It eventually did, right when someone was taking a picture. Mortifying. So yeah, lesson learned. A good foundation, even if it’s hidden, is essential.
This particular harness worked out great. Held the costume pieces exactly where I wanted them, all day long. Didn’t even notice I was wearing it after a while, which is the best compliment you can give to something like this, I reckon.
