Fabrics?

[MattNes]

I am starting to look for fabric to do the cape, and eventually the gloves and trunks. I understand that the cape is a different material compared to the gloves and trunks. The Cape being a type of Satin. My question is, where does everyone buy their fabric? Im assuming I cant just go in to my local Jo-Ann Fabrics or Hobby Lobby. I want something good and as close to the original as I can but I dont need the Exact same material (which Ive read is no longer in production). On the other hand, I dont just want to buy a plain Satin material when it should be a stretch satin or a woven satin or a stretch woven satin....
Makes my head spin...
Im sure other people on here have had this question. And Im sure many more will eventually come to this point.

[Scott Sebring]

Also, on a side note. I think the search feature on this forum is broken. I tried searching for "Utility" and it comes back saying the term is too general. So I tried searching "Utility Belt" and it says the same thing. Why cant I search for the term Utility Belt when it should be a common term used on this forum?

Checked it out and it worked for me. Try refreshing your browser.

[MattNes]

I guess you are right. But it wasnt working for me for the last couple of days. It must have been a glitch...

[MattNes]

So now that I have the search function question answered,
What is the best place to order the fabric for the Cape and trunks and gloves? I called my local Jo-Ann fabrics and talked to a nice lady who basically told me that they dont carry any of the Medium or Heavy weight satins . That they mainly carry the light weight stuff made for prom dresses. And that most of the bigger manufacturers only use the medium and heavy weight satins for actual clothes. I hope she was just mis-informed. I told her that I was looking to make a costume but I didnt even get to telling her it was a Batman costume...
She also said that they dont carry stretch satin either.
Can someone who has sucessfully ordered fabric help me out?

[Batfanman]

ebay may be a source - I found this listing as an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/270562765382?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

[The Ojo]

Contacting a local theatrical supply house might be your best bet, like this one close to me.

[MattNes]

Can satin be made from Polyester? Or does it need to be made from Satin? Basically is satin a fabric or a finish type?

[Chuck Williams]

Satin is indeed a weave and not a fiber.

It can be made with many different kinds of fibers.

Polyester and acetate are the most common and inexpensive fibers used to make satin.

Silk is another common fiber used in satins and is one of the most expensive.

They all have their pluses and minuses .

Chuck...

[MattNes]

OK as for the Cape for Batman, It seems that a lot of people are using a Satin. But would a Silk Satin be too fragile? Or would a person be best to go with a straight Polyester Satin?
And then for the trunks and gloves I would definitely think a Silk Satin would be too thin and easy to tear. So Im thinking also a Polyester Satin, but a stretch satin.
I dont want to end up settling for something that is close and then when I get the fabric it looks nothing like what it should because I chose a non-woven satin when I should have chosen a woven version.
It seems like no one makes these fabrics anymore. Not even a knock off version or a modern version. The couple places I have called all given me the attitude that Im a little nutz to be asking for these fabric types. And most of them didnt even ask what I wanted them for.

[Chuck Williams]

Polyester satin for the cape is fine.
So is silk but in order to get a weight heavy enough for the cape it will be in the neighborhood of $30 a yard with a minimum of 9-10 yards.
Silk is measured by weight and you are looking for a 30-40mm weight silk.
Then if you want to get really crazy, you can get it custom dyed.
We've already done this all before so I speak from experience.

I don't recommend that you go for the silk unless you have an expert that can sew it for you. It only takes a second to ruin hundreds of dollars in fabric.
Stick with a medium weight poly or acetate satin for the cape.

There are some stretch satins out there that will work for the trunks and gloves but you have to shop around to find a decent color match.
The ebay link posted earlier is a perfect example of the type of fabric you are looking for. I know it well . The color is fairly close but not perfect. I would recommend you pick up a yard so you can get an idea of what you are looking for.

It will not be as heavy as the cowl fabric, that's true. There is no fabric exactly like the vintage stuff anymore.
The lighter weight doesn't matter for the gloves because Dorothy Gaspar uses a heavy interfacing which stiffens them up.
For the trunks, just double the fabric. That is the same type of fabric that my first set of gloves and trunks were made of. See photo from back in the day... Not the same vendor but basically the same type of fabric.

Without custom dyeing or ordering fabrics by the roll you are going to be limited in what you can find but you can get pretty close.

Chuck...

[Chuck Williams]

I knew I had photos of this!

This was the dyelot of the fabric sold by the ebay seller from a few years ago...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270562765382?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

A little darker and a touch warmer but this is with a flash point blank...
Certainly works for a cosplay costume set of gloves and trunks...

[Chuck Williams]

The same fabrics with no flash....