So, I mentioned last time the two possible ways of moving forward with the DIY suit:
A) Continue to refine my patterns and strive to more precisely transfer the patterns–including seam allowances, guides, and measured marks–to the fabric.
B) Create a precise, fully marked template using my patterns and the patterns I modified from others for the shirt, mask, gloves, and boots and have that template professionally printed onto fabric (by the company that did the bodysuit template printing).
There are pros and cons to each.
A Pro for Option A is that it continues down a much more DIY path, but the accompanying Con lies with difficulty in achieving the marking and guides needed for ease of precise sewing, and ultimately in getting a satisfyingly precise web pattern on the suit.
Option B’s Pro is that it makes getting both the precise sewing guides and web pattern much easier and more exact, but the Con, of course, is that it does take more of the DIY aspect out of the equation.
Cost…well, it could go either way whether that’s a Pro or Con for either. The printed fabric costs a bit more than unprinted, but without a precise pattern with guides, I could continue burning through a lot of unprinted fabric. Plus, any method that I use to get the web pattern on the fabric myself will cost something (in addition to not looking as good). So we’ll see.
For now, I have decided to not decide, and to go into Full Steam mode with getting the professionally printed Ditko suit prepped and sewn together.
The Comic-Dotted Ditko Suit
About twice a day, I think “Man, I am just going to cut out the pieces of that suit and start sewing. What could go wrong?” And then I remind myself of all the things that could go wrong if I don’t properly educate myself on how to properly size and sew the thing, and I make myself slow down. Luckily, I don’t have many large blocks of free time available anytime soon, so that helps too.
But I do have a definite plan to prep and get started:
1) A Customized Tutorial: I am making a text and image tutorial based on the video shared by SaiTurtlesNinjaNX about how to sew a (similar) Spidey Suit template. Watching the video a number of times in order to make the tutorial helps get techniques in my mind (modified from the serger techniques in the video and accounting for the slight differences in the costume templates involved), but ultimately it will be easier to follow a text and image based guide at my own pace.
Screenshot from “Making Your Own Spidey Suit: sewing the Pattern” -> http://youtu.be/BJvSxyEkWTE?list=PLvrj78qLT6EyAm0wV9UBkgKjD3ZFK8dAt
(I will also need to get around to practicing at least a little with installing an invisible zipper, but that will be the last step of the sewing.)
2) Guide Image with My Measurements: I am also preparing an image of the template design overlain with my measurements translated to the layout of the costume, basically how wide each part of the costume should ideally be for my size. That will make it easier to mark the fabric with chalk so that I can cut it with a proper seam allowance and ultimately sew along the right lines.
90% measurements that I will distribute evenly across the marked areas of the suit for sizing.
3) Pace Myself and Sew in Manageable Chunks: I tend to want to dive in and sew a project all at once, to go at it until its done. I am aware that I cannot do that with the costume, not only because I need to approach it carefully, but because that would probably be, like, 48 straight hours of sewing or something. So I will approach the sewing in parts: torso/mask (not including the zipper yet); legs and feet; gloves; arms/arms to torso; install zipper, or something like that.
And anyone who sincerely tries to digest all my blogging verbosity will be glad to hear…
4) Minimize my blog posts during the process: I love to talk, be it verbally or in writing. As I’ve mentioned, it barely matters whether I have anything to say or whether anyone is listening, I’ll talk/type anyway. But I could actually do a lot of sewing in the time I spend typing about sewing, so that seems like a good approach to getting this costume done, eh?
And on that note, I will wrap this up for today and get back to my tutorials and guides for sewing the suit!
Up Next: Fewer Words… I hope… (It’s not easy for me. See? This “up next” thing should’ve been a lot shorter than this, but I’m still typing! Okay. I’m stopping now…)
Spider-Man Mashup Cosplay Costume: 