gstqfashions
Member
I was recently commissioned to make a Superman suit. I'm not super familiar with all the very small details that differentiate all the super suits (although I am aware that they are many). I based this suit off an old suit that the client provided to me. From what I can tell, it incorporates a variety of elements from different suits.
Fabrics (all from Spandex House):
Blue: Moleskin matte (brushed texture)
Red: Miliskin matte
Yellow: Miliskin matte
That being said, here are some photos:
Full suit together on my (slightly too small) mannequin.
I had this emblem done by Gail Reeder, my go-to-lady here in Atlanta for satin stitching. She even mitered the corners!
This is how I attached the emblem to the suit and cape, as per Gail's suggestion. I have my machine set on a zig zag stitch. For the straight stitches, I just set my width to zero. Every five or so stitches, I change the width to 5. This way, I catch the edge of the emblem and it doesn't do that weird curling up thing that happens if you just stitch inside the border. I didn't want to do a regular zig zag stitch all the way around as that would mess up the lovely border that Gail had already done.
Closeup of the stirrups at the bottom of the pants. I used foldover elastic to encase the raw edge. This gives it a nice finish (even if you don't see it because the boots cover it) and allows for good stretch without adding much bulk.
This is the back zipper. I generally swear by invisible zippers on superhero suits, but there is a cape covering the back and in this case, sturdiness wins over aesthetics. Not to say that I'm unhappy with this centered zipper installation, I like it quite a bit! But, invisible zippers are the prettiest beings in the zipper world. Too bad they're weaklings in comparison to the mighty sport zipper!
This is how the cape attaches to the suit. Lots. Of. Snaps. Also, this shows the facing that I put around the neck. I added a facing for a couple reasons. First, it prevents the neckline from stretching out from the weight of the cape. Second, it gives the snaps an extra layer of fabric to be sewn into, so they don't pull on the main bodysuit fabric so much.
Here is the belt and buckle. I know this shape is based off the Dean Cain version. I asked Volpin Props to laser cut two pieces for me: 1) 1/4" plastic and 2) 1/16" plastic, both in the rounded corner rectangular shape. I covered both pieces in the yellow miliskin by scuffing up the back of each piece with sandpaper, then covering it in E6000. I then gathered (like a weird ghost decoration) the fabric around it with a rubberband, and let it dry. After it dried, I cut off all the excess fabric.
Then, I sandwiched both pieces together with some more E6000, clipped them together with binder clips, and let them dry.
Lastly, I glued another fabric strip with velcro to the back so it can easily be taken on and off the main belt.
Here is the edge of the red briefs. Again, I used foldover elastic to create a soft, non-bulky, but still stretchy edge. The matched colors were a lucky find!
Here is the hem on the cape. Since the cape is spandex, I really wanted to make sure the hem turned out nice and non-lettucey. To do this, I used ribbon as a stabilizer on the edge. Once I turned in the edge, I trimmed off the excess and did my final rows of stitching.
Another picture of how the cape attaches.
This is probably my favorite part of the suit! I've always been really into circle capes, so this is my first gathered rectangular cape. To fit all the fabric into the yoke (approximately 2.75 yards), there are tons of overlapping pleats.
And...that's it! Thanks for looking.
Fabrics (all from Spandex House):
Blue: Moleskin matte (brushed texture)
Red: Miliskin matte
Yellow: Miliskin matte
That being said, here are some photos:
Full suit together on my (slightly too small) mannequin.
I had this emblem done by Gail Reeder, my go-to-lady here in Atlanta for satin stitching. She even mitered the corners!
This is how I attached the emblem to the suit and cape, as per Gail's suggestion. I have my machine set on a zig zag stitch. For the straight stitches, I just set my width to zero. Every five or so stitches, I change the width to 5. This way, I catch the edge of the emblem and it doesn't do that weird curling up thing that happens if you just stitch inside the border. I didn't want to do a regular zig zag stitch all the way around as that would mess up the lovely border that Gail had already done.
Closeup of the stirrups at the bottom of the pants. I used foldover elastic to encase the raw edge. This gives it a nice finish (even if you don't see it because the boots cover it) and allows for good stretch without adding much bulk.
This is the back zipper. I generally swear by invisible zippers on superhero suits, but there is a cape covering the back and in this case, sturdiness wins over aesthetics. Not to say that I'm unhappy with this centered zipper installation, I like it quite a bit! But, invisible zippers are the prettiest beings in the zipper world. Too bad they're weaklings in comparison to the mighty sport zipper!
This is how the cape attaches to the suit. Lots. Of. Snaps. Also, this shows the facing that I put around the neck. I added a facing for a couple reasons. First, it prevents the neckline from stretching out from the weight of the cape. Second, it gives the snaps an extra layer of fabric to be sewn into, so they don't pull on the main bodysuit fabric so much.
Here is the belt and buckle. I know this shape is based off the Dean Cain version. I asked Volpin Props to laser cut two pieces for me: 1) 1/4" plastic and 2) 1/16" plastic, both in the rounded corner rectangular shape. I covered both pieces in the yellow miliskin by scuffing up the back of each piece with sandpaper, then covering it in E6000. I then gathered (like a weird ghost decoration) the fabric around it with a rubberband, and let it dry. After it dried, I cut off all the excess fabric.
Then, I sandwiched both pieces together with some more E6000, clipped them together with binder clips, and let them dry.
Lastly, I glued another fabric strip with velcro to the back so it can easily be taken on and off the main belt.
Here is the edge of the red briefs. Again, I used foldover elastic to create a soft, non-bulky, but still stretchy edge. The matched colors were a lucky find!
Here is the hem on the cape. Since the cape is spandex, I really wanted to make sure the hem turned out nice and non-lettucey. To do this, I used ribbon as a stabilizer on the edge. Once I turned in the edge, I trimmed off the excess and did my final rows of stitching.
Another picture of how the cape attaches.
This is probably my favorite part of the suit! I've always been really into circle capes, so this is my first gathered rectangular cape. To fit all the fabric into the yoke (approximately 2.75 yards), there are tons of overlapping pleats.
And...that's it! Thanks for looking.
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