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Costume Build

thebigblackbat

18 October 2012

I'd had the idea before to fashion my own Batman costume and I have seen a few "How to make a Batman cape" instructions posted by a costumer, but I had no idea who it was, so I just typed into trusty old 'Google" "How to make a Batman cape" and BANG there it was from someone called the 'greenarrowfl' on www.theleagueofheroes.yuku.com.

The instructions were spot on, easy to follow and exactly how I wanted it to look, pretty long and closes completely at the front.

So I had to buy 7 1/2 yards of fabric, but what type of fabric was the question!

After many hours of trawling costuming sites, I had an answer, some elusive fabric called 4-way stretch dull black PVC, and when I say elusive I mean ELUSIVE, no one in the UK seemed to have heard of it and I think I only found one place I could maybe get it from on the internet, but again not from the UK!

So that was out of the question! Saturday came round, so I took myself of to the City and paid a visit to the 'Rag Market'. I found something not unlike this elusive "4-way stretch dull black PVC", but it was more like 'pleather' and I didn't want anything that heavy!

The last market stall I came to I asked the woman had she heard of it and she shook her head and said "NO, we don't have anything like that here, but try our shop, a few miles away!".

A brisk walk and I was transported in to the most amazing Fabric shop you could ever imagine, which I later found out was where all the Theatre people go for creating the costumes in stage productions .... I may not have found the elusive 4-way stretch dull black PVC, but I found what I think in my eye's was something better! A kind of Lycra Fabric with a latex coating! It's amazing and I think PERFECTION. The cape is massive, meets in the centre (just like depicted in the pages of the Comics), yet light as anything to wear ... literally AMAZING!

Mind you, not cheap ... I think the cape ended up costing around £80 ... but to me "Money well spent" :0)

7 1/2 yards of Fabric become a FULL 360 degree cape!

So the next thing was to ask a favour from the Mother!

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The next day I spent a whole day at the Mothers and after many hours (up till 11 O'Clock at night) I had a complete Cape. 7 1/2 yards of fabric, cut into 8 triangular pieces, each sown together and scolloped at the bottom... all I had to do was complete the cape with a strengthened collar piece and a clasp!

SERIOUSLY! THIS CAPE IS PERFECT AND IT ACTUALLY STRETCHES LIKE THE SKIN OF AN ACTUAL BAT'S WINGS!

Published in: Costume articles category

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