Starscream Themed Service Dog Vest

(Posted 3/7/23)

YAS! It's finally here! After ordering it like 10 months ago and waiting forever for it to be my turn, I FINALLY have my Starscream themed service dog vest!

Just like with my Decepticon themed service dog vest, I first started to plan it out. I made a sketch, and then started to order the pieces. Unlike the Decepticon vest which was the first one I ever got made, and also covered in patches, this one was going to much much simpler! I wanted to just mostly concentrate on making the words be on the vest with stitching done directly onto the straps, as many other vests have.

But, stitching for patches never makes super fine details, and always gets something wonky. So I was trying to figure out how I could print an image of Starscream. I also wasn't sure which image to even use!

I saw the Starscream cover for the IDW volume, drawn by Sara Pitre-Durocher, and knew I HAD to have that portrait of him! But, the image wasn't mirrored perfectly. One side was very grey while the other cut off. Thankfully, I have a friend who is amazing at photoshop (and also vegan!), and she helped me get the image adjusted!

Once the image was adjusted, I needed to figure out how to print it. I had used Spoonflower before for fabrics, but I needed a very precise size. I found someone who prints really nice images onto thick cotton, and ordered from her. Took me a few tries until I got the patch at the perfect size and for the colors to pop just right (as images are duller when printed so you have to play around with brightening the image).

Once I had the patch, I needed to find some Starscream quotes to adjust to fit a service dog vest. Took quotes like his famous, "Fools! There is no escape!" and changed it to "Fools! There is no distracting me!" So every sentence on this vest is an actual Starscream quote with a couple of words changed. Minus the "Megatron has fallen" quote. That's... We all know that one!

And just like with my Decepticon vest, I had the same lady and her team make this vest. If only she would stop buying from breeders and go vegan....

But, the vest was finally finished, I just got it, and it fits! The belly strap is elastic, too. It's smaller than the Decepticon vest, which is fine.

I hope to add a bit more to this vest, such as a "do not separate from handler" leash cover, and a couple of Starscream charms to the guide handle.

But, for now, enjoy it! There's only one in the world like it! :D