Captain Cold

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Captain Cold, debuted at MomoCon Cosplay On Ice in Atlanta GA. Here’s the step-by-step process:


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We always use concept art to help us keep track of where we’re going

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We used the Green Pepper pattern for a jumpsuit, since that’s what the costume is is.  The blue fabric came from fabric.com

3. “Found” pieces. Costume pieces “found” rather than made.

We found a pair of white gloves at Party City.  We made elastic bands and attached fur to the elastic, to be worn over the gloves.

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4. Making and customizing pieces. After collecting all the “found” pieces, the next step is to make whatever I couldn’t find.

Jumpsuit

Cut out the pattern pieces and pinned them to the fabric.  The directions on the pattern recommend not cutting out the pieces, so the pattern can be used for multiple sizes, but we knew exactly what we were going to use this for.  The pattern called for optional shoulder flaps, which we left out, and only put one functioning pocket in the suit.  Otherwise, we followed the pattern exactly.1460275_440047732783982_1993523483_n
Because this fabric is not stretchy at all, we used iron-on interfacing.  This helped cut down the time needed to attach interfacing.  Here’s the pocket flap, interface-side up.1469754_440047769450645_189349762_n
Here’s what the pocket flap looks like after flipped the right-side out.1482931_440047786117310_653730346_n
A very important part of this pattern is to mark out where the pocket will go.  Otherwise, it’s going to look weird.  There are great pencils made specifically for fabric that are perfect for this.1426353_440047792783976_1617029120_n
The next step was to cut out the pocket shape.1426456_440047819450640_2147261200_n
Here’s the pocket flap attached to the pants.1426440_440047852783970_1612055216_n
 On the advice of the directions, we used a piece of scotch tape to help keep the outline of where the pocket was going to be cut out. 1459934_440047872783968_1417489447_n
 The pocket all stitched together! 1450737_440047896117299_235506384_n
 Finished pocket from the outside. 1455003_440047926117296_309998633_n
 With the pocket done, it’s time to put together the top part of the suit. 1467331_440047956117293_275539753_n
 The sleeve.  Again, using the iron-on interfacing was a great time-saver.  We don’t recommend using iron-on interfacing for a stretchy material. 1462844_440047959450626_290253190_n
 Here’s the top and bottom of the jumpsuit. 1476390_440047989450623_833068210_n
 And now they’re combined! 1456578_441353869320035_1281628286_n
 The pattern called for installing elastic in the middle.  This won’t be visible because of the yellow belt, but it helps the jumpsuit to fit better. 1456012_441353872653368_162055426_n
 The next step is to install the zipper.  We went with a sport-style zipper to provide some endurance. 1470022_441545825967506_1128727793_n
 Front facing to help keep everything smooth. 1463431_441545559300866_1421977293_n
 After the zipper and front facing are installed.  The front facing is underneath the zipper, so you can’t see it in this picture. 1451402_441545565967532_396919154_n
 Next, it’s time to hide the zipper!  Again, using the iron-on interfacing. 582061_441545589300863_1114257359_n
 And completed! 1098087_441545639300858_989360314_n
 Here’s the zipper cover being attached to the suit. 1471883_441545649300857_335301968_n
 And a nice topstitch to keep it down. 1469828_441545665967522_1476889992_n
In the home stretch now! 1461863_441545682634187_1488487660_n
 The collar is installed. 1461181_441545695967519_235320265_n
 Even though the bottom of the pants won’t be showing, it’s still a good idea to hem them. 1489282_441545712634184_455717263_n
 We went ahead and added elastic to the bottom (optional) to help keep the pants legs down inside the boots. 1475998_441545729300849_645924425_n

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Hood

Since the jumpsuit pattern didn’t include a hood, we had to look elsewhere.  After some thought, it was decided to attach the white mantle to the hood.  We found this pattern, which we modified to include a liripipe.1456763_441545885967500_254973423_n
 We used a white jersey knit for the cowl, which we had left over from the Captain America costume from last year. 1426231_441545735967515_1475256473_n
 Because this was an internet pattern, we wanted to make a prototype before using the real fabric.  It was the perfect shape for what we wanted! 1238708_441545759300846_1760990906_n
 The hood is trimmed in fur, which can be tricky to work with.  We pinned on the fur first, to get it how we wanted it, wrapping it around the blue edge of the hood.  Be sure to know how many pins you’re using – you might need that number later! 935608_441545779300844_1132104348_n
 Because we wrapped it, we were able to stitch the non-fur side on first. 994980_441545792634176_1872571755_n
 We then stitched the fur side.  If possible, stitch with the grain of the fur, instead of against it.  This will save you a lot of frustration with the fur catching on the pressure foot of the sewing machine. 1462895_441545815967507_777375046_n
 Here’s the hood attached to the mantle. 994670_441758282612927_1809659061_n
 It’s starting to come together! 1451942_442118955910193_362361987_n
Initially, we threaded the shoelace through the hood, but we didn’t like the way it looked. So we cut the shoelace. 1452266_443938402394915_1880353771_n
 Shoelace attached, with a small piece inside the fur trim, to ensure it stays attached and looking good. 1501740_443938479061574_1980049575_n

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Belt

We took a piece of golden broadcloth we already had and cut it to the widest part (the hips).  We then cut three strips of elastic one inch shorter than the waist measurement and created casings for each individual strip.1424416_443938329061589_2027909784_n
 Here’s the finished version. 1472854_443938345728254_1774958294_n

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Boot covers

Brian had a pair of black combat boots, and since we were trying to get this costume done with the possibility of ice skating, we decided to go with boot covers.1476628_443938269061595_1222648986_n
We took more of the jersey fabric and draped it over the boot.1473066_443938272394928_789501101_n
We then pinned the fabric tightly around the boot.537923_443938265728262_76497599_n
We removed the boot and traced the pattern the pins made.1462922_443938312394924_552612446_n
Then cut out around the pattern, leaving approximately 1/4″ for seam allowance.1455140_443938325728256_1595338449_n
Sew up the front of the cover (the part that goes over the toe), and sew up the back approximately halfway.  We then installed elastic around the base of the shoe, to keep it down, and to allow for the potential to transfer to ice skates.1501795_443938385728250_1930700521_n
Since the fabric isn’t quite as stretchy as spandex, we put a 4″ zipper in the back, to make it easy to put the boot covers on.  We followed the instructions on the zipper packaging.994662_443938389061583_768594608_n
We ran out of fur trim at the last minute, so it was improvise time!  We attached the fur trim to pieces of elastic, with the elastic on the back of the shoe.1454896_443938459061576_2054712035_n

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5. Props

Brian found igaaks at a great online store.  We got them in two different shades of blue, so we could match the best color to the costume.7906_10151593481686612_549908335_n

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6. Putting it together

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Photo by Danny Hunter – http://facebook.com/dannyhunter

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