Making your own Bloodstripes

[SoloYT1300 (Robert Kohn)]

Making your own Bloodstripes

I know allot of people have made comments about the difficulty in bloodstripes, or the fact that the bloodstripes sold on Ebay do not match the fabric of the pants that you want to attach them to. I would like to show you, how easy it is to do your own bloodstripes. I am not a great costumer when it comes to sewing….. my skills are in props and solving problems. I figure if I can sew my own bloodstripes anyone can!
I really think people in general want things fast….. fast food, instant movies on demand… you name we want it… and fast. I feel somethings are worth taking your time and doing it right… nice and slow! Bloodstripes are one of those things IMO…. Take your time and make them yourself. Bellow is a step by step on how to make your own bloodstripes!
I hope you guys find use of this tutorial.



First thing you will want to do is make your own pants….people who have modified the mass produced ones will tell you… better off in the long run to just make them from scratch.
With the same fabric your pants are made from, you will need to cut a piece of fabric a bit longer than your pants, and a few inches wider than your bloodstripes. This extra distance will allow you 2 things. 1. This will allow you the ability to emroider your bloodstripes easier using a hoop with the extra fabric… you can always trim down after your bloodstripes are done. 2. you will need seam allowance anyways when attaching them to the pants.

Take this length of fabric and draw out your bloodstripes using a fabric pencil ( these markings will wear over time, and or can be washed away). The dementions for the bloodstripes are in the standards as 1 inch wide by 1/4 inch high, with only 1/8 of an inch of space between each bloodstripe. Being that I am a big boy… I tend to make my bloodstripes a bit longer, but the rest of the measurements I keep the same. Mine are 1 ¼ long for the record.
Take the length of drawn out fabric and place in an embroidery hoop securely.


The floss I use is made by DMC http://yarntree.com/075dmcolors.jpg I use 321, but I think there are a few that work well… depending on the pants color you use. My flash on these pictures distorts the actual a little bit. I would suggest heading down to the fabric stores for the color match. Most carry this floss.
The Floss itself is a 6 stranded floss.


What I do is cut a section arms length and then break the 6 stranded floss one at a time... down to 3 x 2 stranded sections. This will be used for 3 bloodstripes.



Once I have broken them down, I gather up 2 sections of floss, and line then up.



I then create a loop, bring 4 ends together…


Once the 4 ends are together I trim them to length…



I then insert the 4 trimmed ends thru a needle ( you can use a threading tool if needed for this)



Now you should have 4 strands of floss thru the needle, with a loop on one end like this..



From underneath the hoop you will want to start your stitch. This stitch is called a satin stitch, and is one of the easiest stitches there is in embroidery… just takes a little time to practice… again if I can do it, anyone can!.



Continue to the other side of the edge of the bloodstripe inserting the needle once again to the back.



Flip the hoop over and you will see the needle and the loop of thread. Pass the needle thru the loop of thread. This will create a stopping point… or a “Knot” if you will to prevent any stitches coming undone!



Gently tighten the loop… now the fun begins!



Pass the needle thru just above the original area you started with.



Pass the needle back to the front… rinse and repeat!




and repeat…..lol



Getting to the end…



Pass the neddle and the floss to the back, and pass underneath the bloodstripe to hold your work down to prevent unraveling.



Pass thru…



and trim…



Rinse and repeat!!!




There is nothing fancy about making bloodstripes… and can be done anywhere… even while watching TV!


If I can do them… anyone can…. And the nice thing is this. You made them! You don’t have to worry about fabrics not matching!, Oh… and they will look great!

Once you get going on these, you will be able to do them rather fast. I can do about 6 bloodstripes an hour. So one hour a day should get you your own bloodstripes in less that 1 week! Thats right.... 1 week!

I hope this helps a few of you out there!

Good luck!

Bob Kohn
Milwookiee
SoloYT1300

[Sand Dancer (Brenda Cranson)]

Thank you for posting this. Blood stripes have always freaked me out, but apparently, I was trying to make it too complicated. You found a very simple solution. Thanks!
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"Pretty. What do we blow up first?" -Myn Donos

"You smell like dead bunnies." -Ralph Wiggum

[Schph Gochi (Phyllis Schulte)]

Definitely do-able on the stripes...
getting matching fabric for already made pants...
as noted..
not so easy..


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http://livefromthegalaxyfarfaraway.blogspot.com/

[Majumamass ()]

Thank you very much for posting this guide and taking the time to help everyone out :-)

I have a question about the dimensions you specify, the images look alot bigger, and when I use your dimensions on actual fabric my stripes look tiny.

Thanks for any help