Swinging Around in Style: Making a Spider-Gwen Jacket

As many STEM students are aware, laboratories tend to be cold. Of course, it's very appreciated in a tropical country like the Philippines, but when you have long periods in these places and no jacket... it's like entering the Antarctic.

Unfortunately, most jackets sold in physical stores are generic and boring. Most jackets, sold both online and physically, tend to be made with materials that don't last after a few washes. They are also made using standardized measurements, which don't fit most people perfectly.

This is why I decided to make my own jacket based on the character of Ghost Spider or Spider Gwen. She is one of my personal favorite characters and she has a fantastic design and color palette. The jacket aims to be functional and comfortable, while also being stylish.

Feel free to follow these instructions to get your own stylish and comfortable spider suit!

Machinery

Both the sewing and embroidery machines are optional if you are willing to sew and embroider by hand, but these are recommended to make things easier.

1. Sewing Machine
2. Embroidery Machine
3. Clothes Iron

Sewing Materials

Even with a sewing and embroidery machine, these tools are still necessary for various parts of the process.

1. Needle and thread (in white, black, fuchsia, and turquoise)
2. Needle threader (optional but highly recommended)
3. Pins and pincushion or sewing clips
4. Tailor's or regular chalk
5. Seam ripper
6. Fabric shears or a sharp pair of scissors

Fabric

You can source these from whatever is local to you, just keep in mind that the amount of fabric needed may also differ depending on the width offered by your source!

1. 3 yards of the cheapest fabric available (for mockup)
2. 3 yards of fuchsia-colored fabric
3. 2 yards of white fabric
4. 2 yards of black fabric
5. 1 yard of embroidery stabilizer

There are several ways to go about this step, personally I followed this process:

1. Take measurements of torso, shoulders, and arms
2. (Optional) Compare these measurements to a jacket for a baseline
3. Sketch jacket pattern based on measurements taken
4. Add details such as pockets and hood
5. Add designs on different parts of the jacket

Things to note:

1. My design is purposefully oversized on me because that's the fit I like on my jackets
2. The top of the black fabric is measured to align with my chest, mimicking Spider Gwen's suit
3. The triangular pocket is aligned with my waist, similar again to Spider Gwen's suit

1. Following the pattern drafted above, cut the mockup fabric accordingly
2. Note: Make sure to add at least 1.5 cm of seam allowance, though more is better
3. Sew pieces together based on pattern
4. Mark necessary adjustments
5. Cut mockup along seams using fabric shears or seam ripper to create a pattern

Cut out pieces for each fabric based on the pattern created from the mockup.

1. Download Inkscape and Inkstitch
2. Open Inkscape
3. Utilize combination of Bezier/Pen tool and rectangles to form a spider web pattern
4. Utilize Bezier tool to create Spider Gwen's eye shape
5. Click on Path > Object to Path to convert all objects into paths
6. Select all paths
7. Click on Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Params
8. Adjust settings based on machine and design
9. Check simulation to ensure design is stitched correctly
10. Save file to USB stick

1. Cut stabilizer according to slightly larger than embroidery hoop
2. Place fabric to be embroidered on into hoop along with stabilizer
3. Place hoop and USB stick into the embroidery machine and conduct appropriate setup and usage procedures
4. Remove the hoop from the machine
5. Remove the fabric from the hoop and cut away excess stabilizer, leaving around 7 mm of allowance
6. Follow this process again for the eyes/web designs, depending on which one was done first
7. Remember to change the thread in between designs. Turquoise thread is used for the web designs while fuchsia thread is used for the eye designs

Note: The embroidered area is much smaller than initially planned due to limitations with the embroidery machine.

Satin stitching is a way for appliques to be attached with proper finishing. In this case, it is used to finish the edges where black and white fabric meet and allow for more complex designs

1. Cut out stabilizer slightly larger than designs
2. Place stabilizer behind part to be satin stitched
3. Pin together parts to be satin stitched together (including stabilizer)
4. (Optional) Change sewing machine presser foot to satin presser foot
5. Use a scrap piece of fabric to determine proper thread tension (depends on machine and fabric)
6. Fabric puckering indicates tension is too tight, decrease number on tension dial
7. Loops on back of fabric indicate tension is too loose, increase number on tension dial
8. Determine appropriate stitch width
9. Exact numbers depend on machine, but generally, numbers in the middle or lower end are ideal to reduce visible gaps between stitches. Larger stitch widths tend to make gaps more prominent.
10. Determine appropriate stitch length
11. Exact numbers again depend on machine and fabric, but the goal is to get it as close to zero as possible without jamming the machine
12. Set stitch to zigzag
13. Sew along edges of design, ensuring that both fabrics and the stabilizer are being caught underneath the presser foot
14. Ensure that thread being used matches at least one of the fabric colors
15. Repeat this process for all the points on the jacket where white and black fabric meet in a pattern (including the two front panels and back panel)

General Tips:

1. Go as slowly as you can without jamming the machine, control is absolutely crucial for this step
2. Watch out for fraying, this can cause the fabrics to not be joined properly
3. When dealing with points or sharp turns, place the needle into the fabric, lift the presser foot and turn the fabric to the new orientation. This makes turns cleaner
4. Ensure that there is no other unwanted fabric under the presser foot when stitching, as unpicking these threads is very very tedious

1. Cut a triangle-shaped hole into the black fabric of the front panel around waist-height
2. Cut out fabric of the same color (black) of the same length as each side of the above triangle
3. Place these pieces over the edges of the triangle cutout to finish them
4. Use a basting stitch or sewing clips to hold these fabric pieces in place
5. Use the sewing machine to do a running stitch to permanently affix them
6. (If applicable) Remove the basting stitches using a seam ripper
7. Follow the process for satin stitching on the outside edge of the fabric pieces
8. Take the the white piece of fabric cut out for the outer pocket
9. Attach it to the wrong side of the front panel using a running stitch
10. It should be attached with the top slightly above the triangle cutout to make a pocket
11. Repeat steps 1-9 for the other front panel, with the triangle cutout being flipped horizontally
12. Use the sewing machine to running stitch the front and back panels together at the shoulder seam and side seams, making sure to leave space for the armholes

1. Pin the inner pocket piece to the right side of the fabric
2. Use a running stitch on three sides, leaving the top side unattached, to attach it as a patch pocket
3. Make sure to use the fuchsia thread for this as the thread can be seen
4. Repeat the above step for the other front panel
5. Attach the front panels to the back panel at the shoulder and side seams, similarly to the outside layer

1. Pin the right sides of the fabric together along the neckline, around the armholes, and down the front of the jacket
2. Do NOT pin the bottom of the jacket
3. Use a running stitch on the sewing machine to attach the pieces together
4. Use the open bottom side to flip the jacket inside out so that right sides are facing outwards
5. Fold the raw edges inwards and pin them
6. Sew along the bottom edge with a running stitch to finish those edges
7. Use a black thread so that it will not be easily seen

1. Fold and pin the sleeve pieces in half, right sides together
2. Use the sewing machine to running stitch along the pinned edges
3. Repeat above steps for other sleeve
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the lining fabric
5. Pin the embroidered web patch onto the sleeve along the seam line according to measurements (should be roughly around the elbow)
6. Pinning it along the seam line ensures that it will be on the bottom of the sleeve
7. Remove the front panel of the sewing machine to slip the sleeve hole onto the sewing machine base
8. Follow the procedure for satin stitching to attach the piece onto the sleeve
9. Be careful not to stitch the two sides of the sleeve together
10. Sew outer and inner fabrics together at the shoulder opening, right sides together
11. Turn them inside out so that the right sides are facing outwards
12. Push the right side of the white outside layer back into the pink lining
13. Fold the white fabric over the pink lining
14. Pin the hem of the wrist opening into place
15. Attach it using a running stitch on the sewing machine
16. Repeat steps 5-12 for the other sleeve
17. Turn the sleeve right side out and jacket inside out
18. Pin the sleeve and armholes right sides together, with the sleeve being on the inside of the jacket
19. Slip the jacket onto the sewing machine using the armhole
20. Running stitch all around the armhole
21. Repeat steps 15-18 for the other sleeve

1. Pin the outer layers of the hood together along their curve
2. Use the sewing machine to running stitch along the pinned edges
3. Repeat above steps for lining fabric
4. Pin the outer layer and the lining layer right sides together along the outer edge (the one closer to the user's face)
5. Running stitch along the pinned edges
6. Flip the hood inside out using the unattached bottom
7. Flip the jacket inside out
8. Pin the hood on the inside of the jacket, so that right sides are facing each other, along the neckline
9. Running stitch along the pinned edges

Note: I used this very in-depth tutorial on YouTube, check it out for detailed instructions and a video demonstration!

1. Measure the zipper to ensure that the length is as desired
2. (If applicable) Cut the zipper to the appropriate length
3. Mark the new length of the zipper
4. Cut the zipper using a pair of scissors or fabric shears. This only applies if your zipper is made out of plastic, metal zippers require a different process
5. You will need to create a new zipper stopper. To ensure that it can still separate when the jacket opens, use a needle and thread to create knots of thread on both sides of the unzipped teeth. Knots can be made by running the thread repeatedly over the same area
6. Pin the zipper to the front panel right sides facing together
7. Change the sewing machine presser foot to a zipper foot
8. Zipper foots often have two sides. Attach the foot on the right side when the zipper is to the right of the needle, and to the left when the zipper is on the left of the needle
9. Align the needle and presser foot to ensure that it does not hit the teeth when sewing
10. Use a running stitch to attach the zipper to the panel
11. Put the zipper at the very top of the tape and avoid it initially when sewing.
12. After finishing the rest of the stitching, pull the zipper down and stitch the top part that was initially skipped
13. This process ensures that the stitching will not be warped by the zipper being in the way
14. (Optional) turn the zipper the right way around and top stitch over the zipper tape to ensure that it stays upright
15. Unzip the zipper so that the other side of the teeth can be pinned to the other front panel
16. Repeat steps 3-7 on the other front panel

And with that, the jacket is now complete! Hopefully you didn't break too many needles in the process of sewing together the thick fabrics and attaching the zipper.

Note: I utilized this YouTube tutorial for attaching a zipper, again, check it out for detailed instructions and a video demonstration!

Congratulations on making it this far! For future projects I would recommend:

1. Adding elastic to the sleeve cuffs
2. Adding an elasticated waistband
3. Using different character designs (Miles Morales perhaps?)

This project is a great way to get your own personalized spider suit, just like in the comics. The lining makes it very warm and comfortable, and the outside layer is very helpful for protection against the elements. The pockets are also very deep and useful for carrying around a wide variety of objects for all of your superhero needs.

Fair warning: this project is not very beginner-friendly, as satin stitching especially can be very tricky and requires a great amount of control and knowledge. Though if you have made it this far, maybe you have already learned this the hard way. Good luck and don't let people tell you how your story is supposed to go, go out there and do your own thing!