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Costume Build

thebigblackbat

17 January 2021

Black stretch fabric Ultimate Cowl.

Now the 'toile' had been worked out and complete it was time to create the same version using the black stretch pleather four way stretch fabric. With a few alterations to the pattern I marked and cut the pieces and backing a few pieces like the ears with a fabric stiffner. I put together the collar first, just to make sure that the opening would stretch to go over my head.

Knowing that the collar would fit and return to shape the main head piece was attached the centre then the three pieces that formed each side sewn together, then each side attached to the centre piece, creating a kind of helmet. Then came the hard part! Forming the front face piece and at the same time inserting strengthening by backing certain pieces to form the eyebrows. All in all, with the thickness of the fabric and the inclusion of strengthening once the seams were sewn and a few turned back on themselves which gave the brows the 'over reach'.

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    The under chin pieces which form a kind of 'chin strap' were the intricate as it's formed out of four small pieces that fit very close to each other. When the cowl is put on over my head through the neck piece with a bit of 'placing' the chin strap fits closely to my chin.

    I'm still working on a version where I can put the cowl on without pulling it over my head and a have a few ideas which I've been working on for MK3. I'm extremely please with the finished cowl and again thinking towards MK3 on I think I will add further pieces between the helmet piece and collar, thus creating a close fitting neck piece between the helmet and the collar.

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      I also have white LED lenses that i'm thinking of inserting behind the white netting for the eyes.

      I'm working on how the cowl will be connected to the cape. I'm not quite sure yet whether it'll be a case of using velcro to attach the collar to the cape, permanently attaching the cape to the cowl, which would mean I would have to pull the whole thing over my head.

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        Below are a few images of me wearing the cowl with netted white eyes.

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          Excuse the beard... i'll take a few more pics at some point clean shaven!

          I'm ultimately looking for is an all-in-one cape and cowl that the cowl can be pulled off my face and hang down my back...

          I think I'm 'half-way-there'!

          Published in: Costume articles category

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