March 5, 2018

Stretch fabric Boots

Stretch

A pair of base shoes

Plastic Bag/Saran Wrap

Masking Tape/Painters Tape/Duct Tape

Sharpies of any color

Two-way or four-way stretch fabric (four-way is much easier to work with)

Optional: Sturdy non-stretch pleather/vinyl fabric

Machine Needles according to your sewing type:

Knit/Spandex/Dancewear – Ball Point

Pleather/PVC/Vinyl – Microtex or Leather

Two-Way vs Four-Way Stretch

First of all, get your mind out of the gutter. Second, stretch fabrics come in two fabric types: two-way and four-way. Two way means that if you tug a piece of square fabric in one direction it will stretch, but not if you pull the other sides. Four-way means it will stretch in both directions. This is important when making stretch boots because you need to ensure it will stretch around your shoe insert as well as your leg properly.

Four-way fabric is the best for stretch boot covers because it ensures it will stretch in all directions, both around your leg.

With two-way, you will need to ensure that fabric stretch is long ways around your leg instead of upward and downward. This means if you tug on the boots from the top they will not stretch, but if you it will if you pull at the back or sides around the thickness of your leg. If you have multiple panels you can play with this and put an opposing stretch around the knee in order to allow that flex if your boots go that high.

Ball Point/Microtex/Leather Needles??

Normally with our machines, newer cosplayers go for the default of 'universal needles.' Its the assumption that it is universal for the machine, but they're actually universal for fabric. It's also as universal for fabric as bike tires are for cars. 'Universal Needles' are generally cheaply made and the points give out really quick and, honestly, aren't the best for all fabric types. This is especially important when working with stretch fabrics. So look at the following:

Ball Point Needles – These needles are meant for stretch fabrics such as knit, spandex, dancewear, swimwear, ect. They are designed with a less sharp point than other needles in order to weave its way through stretch materials. This means that the needle is not piercing directly through the fibers themselves and instead making way between them to allow stretch.

Microtex Needles – Possibly my favorite overall, they are the sharp of the sharp needles. They are best for working through almost any fabric type be it cottons, satins, synthetics, ect ect. It is due to the fact that they are extremely sharp and come in a very wide sizes for any fabric type. They are far more durable then universal needles though and are meant for piercing.

Leather Needles – Akin to their name, leather needles are extremely sharp but also durable for leather work. They are meant to go through thicker fabrics that are not really like cottons. They also are larger than other needles, meaning they are less likely to break while piercing through the fabric. If you're working with a more durable pleather or vinyl, these needles are best. The downside is the fact that they are larger in size, so they will leave visible piercings if you decide later to seam rip something.

Don your shoe and wrap your leg up tight

Personally I am a much bigger fan of plastic wrap/saran wrap, but plastic bags also work for this. Slip on your base shoe and make sure to cover every bit you plan on making a cover for: your shoe from base to top, your foot, your leg, your knee if you need to go that high. This base is essentially something for the tape to stick to.

With that done, take your tape tightly wind around your plastic cover. Start with some vertical straight pieces from the bottom to top to add some backbone support before twisting it round and round. With painters/masking tape, you're going to want to make sure you overlay the ends you tape so that they don't easily spread apart. The places you especially want to get is the base of your foot up to the heal, and then up the leg. Add some more vertical straight pieces when you are done to make sure the tape doesn't separate when you start spreading the pattern out.

Source: viciouscosplay.com