Desert Scavenger Bracer (AKA Rey's Bracer / Arm Guard From Star Wars: the Force Awakens)

This is adapted from a McCall's pattern I saw in the store. As in, I looked at the back of the package and then realized how easy this bracer was to make! Another great thing is that it holds itself on just with friction. You don't need any fancy buckles or velcro to make this work.

You will not need a lot of material, just enough for about 6 inches in width and about 24 inches in length, give or take your wrist size. This instructable was made for wrist size about 5 and a half inches around.

Materials needed:

• Leather or faux leather, about 24 by 6 piece plus about 10 percent for mistakes.
• Newspaper (Optional for the BRAVE!)
• Chalk pencil (or something to mark your pattern onto your final material)
• Scissors

Step 1: Make Your Pattern

You'll want to make a pattern first so that you can test fit before cutting your final material. I used newspaper to make my pattern.

The pattern can be skipped if you're brave. Honestly, this is not a complicated pattern, so if you're pressed for time before a party and you already have the material, just go for it.

The pattern is a very stretched pennant/funnel/triangle shape. I notched a couple of the corners off to make the final product look nicer. 2 things to pay attention to:

• The width of the bracer
• The width of your arm

The widest part of the bracer (how much it will cover from your wrist to your elbow) is the widest part of the triangle. If you want a six inch wide bracer, then measure that out. That is the largest side of your triangle.

The length of your triangle determines how many times it will wrap around your arm. My wrist is about 5 and a half inches. I cut my triangle to a length of about 24 and a half inches. It wraps around my arm rather loosely, but overall it's fine, especially if I have a fitbit/watch underneath taking up room.

Once you have your triangle cut, you will want to cut 4 slits as seen with the white marks on the leather piece in the picture. 3 slits will sit next to each other in the widest part of the triangle. 1 will sit closer to the narrow end, all lonesome, at about the midpoint of the entire triangle.

Next, test fit!

Step 2:

These pictures don't show the newspaper, but they better illustrate what you're trying to test fit for.

Pull the narrow end through the slits. If there's any "catching" in the slits, you snip a bit to widen the slits. When you can pull the entire thing to wrap around as seen in the picture, your pattern is done!

Trace your pattern onto your final leather material. Open the cuts in the slits and carefully work a chalk pencil in between, marking the cuts, so you'll know where to cut the leather.

You're done! Go pull some parts from old ships, defend helpless droids, and befriend stormtroopers who have had a change of heart!