I have the top part of my Hide Armor for my Skyrim cosplay finished. It is made from a brown soft kind of leathery/velvety material.

The shirt is double layered, lined with the same material that I used for the outside. I MacGyvered the pattern by taping together several sheets of paper and tracing a tanktop, then simply altering the outline to match the outfit worn by my Skyrim character. I put a zipper on the side to make it easier to get on and off.

After I finished sewing together the top, I sewed little x’s around all of the edges to give it more . That took a lot longer that I thought it would, but I think it makes it look better than if I had just left the edges unfinished.

I then used leather lacing for the lacing on the front. The top of the lacing is sewn on, but the rest is just going through loops I made with thread to allow the lacing to be tightened as needed.

The pauldron or whatever it’s called (I like to call them “shoulder armor thingies”) is made from rubber foam with the same fabric I used for the top covering it. It is held on with a plus-sized belt I found at Goodwill.

I have the skirt about halfway done. I’m hoping to finish it tomorrow. My Iron Helmet and sword are both also about halfway finished. I haven’t even started on my Hide Bracers or Tavern Clothes yet, but I think I can get everything finished in time for the con (which is in 1 week!). If I still have any time left over, I may also make a Hide Helmet so I can take advantage of the Custom Fit and Matching Set perks! Eventually I may make a matching Hide Shield, for future cons, though I never use a shield in the game and don’t really feel like carrying one around in real life.