Captain America Shirt

Hooded Captain America Shirt.

Start by cutting out red and white strips of fabric (if you make them too wide, don't stress, just start over). Sew each strip of fabric in a red white red white pattern together.

Once they're sewn together, cut it into a mountain shape. Yeah you could go easy and make it straight...but it wouldn't look as much like the captain america in the movie. (but if the curve scares you, you can always skip this step.

 Now for the front of the shirt. Take a regular shirt that fits your kid and turn it inside out. Then lay it on your prefered fabric and fold in the sleeves so you can see the "outline" front piece. Cut your fabric around the shirt. (if it helps you can pin the shirt to the fabric like a pattern).

Now you lay your "mountain stripes" on the front of your cut out t shirt (remove the shirt you used as a pattern before this step), you can pin the stripes to the shirt to make them sit still, then cut off the bottom of your shirt to replace with the stripes. Now you just have to fold them together and sew them. EASY....maybe.

UH OH! The pieces don't just SEW together....hum. that takes some thinking..... Pin the middle of your stripes to the middle of your shirt. Now we can flip it over and work our way out.

Now pin the mountain corners . Tuck your blue fabric, but try not to make it tucked where you pin. you want this to look pretty much flat so just pull it tight while you pin it to the edges.

 Once the edges are pinned, sew carefully around your "mountain" taking out pins as you go. Go slow and turn your fabric as needed, and pull extra fabric away from the seams to keep it from puckering. If you're using an old t shirt you can skip this next part, but I used a sheet.....sheets unravel a lot, and quickly. So after you sew it, do a zigzag stitch on the edge to keep it from falling apart.

Now unfold it. WOW! that looks like the front of captain america's shirt....aren't you impressed?

Now take the shirt you were using for a pattern and put it on your blue fabric again. Fold the sleeves in again and cut out around it to make the back of your shirt. This time you don't have to cut off the bottom for the stripes. Now, put the outside of the pieces together so the seams will be on the inside of the shirt. Sew the shoulders together, and also sew just the straight part of the sides. **don't forget to back stitch at the beginning and the end of each seam** Now if using a fabric that unravels, do your zigzag stitch on the edges.    You should now have a sleeveless shirt when you turn it right side out. 

Next we make a hood (you can find instructions for that here) or you can skip. But in the movie...Captain America has a mask AND a hood underneath it. Just be sure if you skip the hood to zigzag/finish your edges on your neck hole. Have your child try on the shirt and the hood at the same time, mark with chalk, or straight pins (if your careful) where the shirt and the hood meet up on your child.

Once your hood is made turn it right side out. Turn your sleeveless shirt inside out.  Now, find the middle of the back of your hood by laying it flat, mark the middle with a straight pin. Find the middle of the back of your shirt as well (just fold it in half) and mark JUST THE BACK of the shirt with a straight pin. Then do the middle of the front of your shirt with another. Don't pin anything but your ONE piece of fabric that you're finding the middle of. Now, put your right side out hood upside down, in your inside out shirt, so the neck parts will sit together. Using your pins as a marker, pin the middle of the back of your hood to the middle of the back of your shirt. (Make sure you stay on your chalk/pinned line that you made earlier.) Pin your way around to the front making sure the middle of the front of the hood, meets up with the middle of the front of your shirt.

Picture of the hood and shirt sewn together.

Sew them together being careful not to sew on top of any other part of your shirt. Make your zigzag stitch around the edges to keep it from unraveling. Now turn it inside out and have your kid try it on. At this point...I was kind of regretting not using a fabric that stretched. My son couldn't get his head in his shirt, so I had to cut a line down the middle until he could fit through. Once I had the front cut I zigzaged the edges. I didn't bother turning in the raw edges. It's a costume, and looked fine with just a zigzag.

Sleeveless Hooded shirt. Now I was sad cause where the Captain America star is supposed to go, there is a great big slit. It's ok, I found a way to make it look right . But first, lets put the sleeves on the shirt.

If your pattern shirt has long sleeves just fold your fabric in half and put your sleeve on the fabric. Make sure you have the fold of your fabric where the fold of your sleeve is. Then cut it out. When you unfold your sleeve it should look like this. You will need two of these. If you don't have long sleeves on your "pattern shirt" no sweat. Just measure the length of your child's arm (from top of shoulder to wrist) and add a little extra for a seam allowance. 

Now my fabric had a soft side and a shinier side. I wanted the soft side on the inside. So make sure you always sew with you inside (the soft side) facing you. (unless told otherwise). Fold your sleeve in half with the soft side out, and sew up the long part of the arm. Make your zigzag stitch, then do the same to the other sleeve. **Don't forget to back stitch at the beginning and end of each seam** Turn your sleeves right side out. and once again, turn your shirt inside out. Pin the top of your sleeve to the top of the arm hole and work your way around. I would pin under the armpit last just in case you have to fold over the fabric to make it fit.

Sleeves sewed on. Inside out view.

Sew your arms on, being careful once again to keep the rest of your shirt out from under the presser foot. Do your zigzag stitch and turn the whole shirt right side out. It should be looking pretty awesome by now. Go ahead and finish off your sleeve edges and the bottom of your shirt with a zigzag stitch. Now for the star on the front.

Cut a star out of foam (or your fabric if you want, just make sure you finish the edges) and glue some velcro to the back. Sew on two squares of velcro on either side of your cut front of your shirt. (I just used velcro with adhesive on it, but beware when you sew it on with the adhesive it makes your needle sticky and might seize up your sewing machine) 

Now, velcro the star over top of your seam and TADA! Captain America at his finest.

I added an extra strip of blue fabric to the end of my sons shirt so it wouldn't com untucked while he was playing. Helps out tremendously.