Child/Toddler Cowl

Costume making, prop building and other '66 Bat-related arts and crafts.

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Ben Bentley
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Ben Bentley »

This is looking great so far! Even the most of observant of youngsters will be happy with the attention to detail on that bad boy!
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Batfanman
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Batfanman »

Looks very good so far! Perhaps some buckram for the shell?
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Okay, time for some updates. I decided to try and make a shell out of eva foam. After trying a few different ideas, I finally decided to use the pattern for the cowl itself, and modify it slightly.

Here are a front and side picture of the cowl shell I made. (NOTE: Yes, they are crooked, the head I'm using has the head tilted, and it annoys me.)
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The hardest part of creating the shell was getting my three-year-old to try it on to determine where to cut the nose, and then where to place the eyes. Once the eyes were cut, he was much more willing to try it on.

These are pictures of the fabric on the shell. I still need to glue it, cut the eyes, and paint. I will also need to cut back the cheeks a bit on the shell, but I need to see how the rest attaches/looks first.
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I've tested a couple different methods of glueing before going for the real thing. None of them worked. I checked on line, and one of the best tutorials I saw was for attaching fabric to foam armor. The girl used contact cement and it seemed to work really well. I'm going to pick some up later today and do a test of it before actually attaching the cowl.

If anyone has any better ideas, I'm all ears.

I'll post some more progress pics as this wraps up.

Mike
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Batman65
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Batman65 »

That looks really good so far. I can't wait to see the finished product.
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Larry A.
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Larry A. »

Hey Fellow Joe Fan!
Since I'm planning on doing my 1950's BatSprang cowl out of EVA foam, I am VERY interested to see how You are doing this! What sort of glue did You use to glue the foam cowl together? What was the web address for the tutorial You found, Please? Finally, what thickness did You use for Your foam shell?
Thanks in advance, Mike,and......
Cheers, :D
Larry
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Stryker,

To date, there is no glue one the shell. This shell was made by taking the pattern of the cowl, cutting it on the stitch lines and then running it through the sewing machine. The toughest parts were finishing out the sides and the center dart (the foam doesn't bend or crumple up like fabric, so I was stuck with some awkward spots).

I had originally tried using a template for a baseball hat. It actually worked well, but getting the faceplate in the right shape wasn't easy. Also, I realized that I needed to have sideburns for the cheeks to fold back on, and I didn't account for them. Since I was doing another attempt, I decided to try this idea. All in all, I think it is coming along okay (especially since the little guy is three, and I don't think he will notice the issues). If I were making one for myself, there would be a number of things I'd be trying in order to make the dome rounder.

The foam thickness is about an 1/16". I bought some sheets of it at Michaels. Keep in mind, that this was built for my son, and not for one of us. Once again, if it were for me, the foam would probably be thicker.

As for the tutorial I found, it is a YouTube video on attaching cloth to foam. I had read/viewed a few others, but I liked what this girl came up with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bMBvX40JTU

I'm hoping by the end of the weekend the cowl will be done. I still will need to get my son to sit for the neck closure fittings... I'm not looking forward to it.

Mike
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Larry A.
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Larry A. »

Thanks for Your info, Mike. It is VERY helpful. I live about 3 miles from a Michael's so I won't have a problem there. I know what it was like getting my 30= year old sun to sit still when he was 4 for me to fit his M. Keaton Batman cowl so I feel fro You Brother, I REALLY feel for You.
Good Luck,
Larry
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

So, I did a test of the method mentioned in the linked YouTube video (contact cement). It sticks extremely well. However, with the stretch satin I used, the contact cement discolors (i.e. darkens) the material where the cement is applied. I will probably only apply it where the material flips under the shell.

Mike
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Larry A.
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Larry A. »

That's a very good point about the contact cement. Ironically, according to my notes of 30+ years ago, I did just what You suggested by applying glue ONLY where it folded under the foam/shell. The other thing that I did, where I could not glue the satin, (HINT ALERT) was to use "invisible stitching", a way of "Stitching in the ditch". Check out any good book on Haut Couture sewing...that's were I learned it from. Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Larry
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Okay, so I finally got brave enough to glue the fabric on to my shell, and cut the eyes. Couple of items to note. The contact adhesive will discolor the fabric. It doesn't matter where you need to paint the face, but unfortunately, it showed up in the unpainted nose section. I wound up stitching the cowl to the shell along the top and down the back with random stitches to hold it in place. I don't like how the right eye (left in pics) turned out, and I might try to cement it again.

I still need to paint, and attach the neck closure, trim the cowl, and sew on the "banana". Jack is getting a little better about trying it on, but not so much. I need it on his head to figure out the neck closure placements. I think (and really, really hope) that once it is done, he'll be more willing to wear it.

It is amazing as to how much this step changed the look of the cowl.

Mike
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Larry A.
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Larry A. »

It's looking good!. I have the same problem of getting my Younger grandsons to sit still. Please keep us posted.

Cheers,
Larry
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Started painting the face today. I checked the patterns, but it doesn't say what color the ears are. Are they straight up black?
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by Chuck Williams »

Navy blue...
Quick, Everyone, Flee for your lives, into the street!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WilliamsStudio ... eller_info
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Chuck, as always, thank you.
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floatinjoe
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Re: Child/Toddler Cowl

Post by floatinjoe »

Well, I finished the cowl. Jack decided to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween at the last minute, and I'm not going to argue with the 3-year-old, no matter how disappointed I was.

Here are some pictures of the finished cowl. I will be repainting the eyebrows, but over all, I'm pleased with it. I'd consider making another one in the future, but I think I'd need some coaxing to do it.

Tons of thanks to Chuck and Lynne who guided me through this process. Without their help, this would have never been started, and certainly never finished.

With out further wait...
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