More Halloween Jammies

[Videofox]

Here's my own set of Magic Jammies that I pieced together for Halloween. I know I didn't go for the hair and the boots aren't accurate, but this was more of a last-minute type of thing (last minute meaning only a few weeks to get everything together) but I hope to have better boots by next year.

That's my 19-year-old brother in the store-bought Superman muscle suit.

Kudos still go to Lauren and her mom for having the ability to make a suit from scratch; I wish I could've done that! Modifying existing pieces can get a bit expensive when you add it all up. In fact, the only thing actually sewn on this suit was the red trim on the cape (and my lovely lady Linda did that!)

[culpkatt]

Great job with the suit! What type of fabric did you use? How did you get the insignia to look so near perfect? And how about the belt buckle? Seeing these pictures has inspired me to try to make my own. It's a bit late for this years Halloween, but there's always next year.

[HoudiniDerek]

I know...Lauren inspired me for next year too.

Great job, videofox.

[Lauren]

videofox said:

Here's my own set of Magic Jammies that I pieced together for Halloween. I know I didn't go for the hair and the boots aren't accurate, but this was more of a last-minute type of thing (last minute meaning only a few weeks to get everything together) but I hope to have better boots by next year.

That's my 19-year-old brother in the store-bought Superman muscle suit.

Kudos still go to Lauren and her mom for having the ability to make a suit from scratch; I wish I could've done that! Modifying existing pieces can get a bit expensive when you add it all up. In fact, the only thing actually sewn on this suit was the red trim on the cape (and my lovely lady Linda did that!)

That's really good for last minute! Great job!

And, thank you!

[Videofox]

Thanks, everybody! And you're welcome Lauren (from one Monkee fan to another!)

anyhoo, here's the recipe for my suit:

Basic Jammies: the miracle that is Under Armour (TM). The only complete set of thermal underwear that doesn't look like thermal underwear: no fly, and none of that typical long-john ribbed pattern. A nylon/polyester/spandex combo, this is from their ColdGear line, which has a thick inner layer so that, like Ralph's suit, does not look like pure spandex, but is still very tight. At XXL, it still feels like it's cutting off my circulation. :-) Plus it was very difficult finding it in red...easier for the shirt, but the pants took longer to acquire. I think this color may have been discontinued, as it's not featured on the official Under Armour site. Most of the shirts have logos on the right side of the chest, but this is the mock t-neck version with a logo on the t-neck part...which is folded down out of sight. There's also a logo on the back below the neck, covered by the cape. The pants have a logo on the hip which kept peeking out, so I solved that problem by wearing the pants backwards! (Except for the string tie, they're made the same in front and back!)

Cape: black crushed velvet cape from Wal-Mart. Came with a trim of flames across the bottom which was cut off. Red ribbon also from Wal-Mart, sewn around the edges. Cape ties were removed and a hook-and-eye clasp was sewn instead (making two things sewn on this suit...my mistake from earlier post!)

Boots: there aren't any, at least not the way they look here. The bottom white trim are sleeves cut off of a polyester/spandex t-shirt found at Wal-Mart worn like leg warmers, sticking out of the bottom of the pants and folded up. The top of the boots are 3/4 inch elastic bands velcroed in the back, tight enough to stay on by themselves and not actually be attached to the suit. I am wearing men's black ankle boots with red shoe covers used by professional cyclists, found on eBay. The red doesn't match up with the rest of the suit, but then again Ralph's shoes were darker anyway.

White trim is provided by an identical white polyester/spandex t-shirt, with the cuffs and bottom pulled past the red shirt and folded up. (keeps requiring adjustment tho).

Belt: 2-inch webbing similar to backpack straps, velcroed in the back. Ordered from an online fabric store, a five-yard strip cost several bucks more to ship it than it took to buy it!

Buckle: fan-made machine-metal replica found on eBay for around ten to twelve bucks. They still pop up from time to time.

The Emblem: Taken from a photo of a replica suit that was sold on eBay several weeks ago. The photo was able to be enlarged in Photoshop to an appropriate size before it started losing resolution. Emblem was color-corrected and printed out on cotton fabric sheets made for inkjet printing that can be ironed or sewn on. In my case, it was attached with double-sided fabric tape. Since it was a photo of an embroidered emblem, it still looks like an embroidered emblem!

Therefore, everything can be removed without any harm to the original shirt and pants!

So that's how you make a no-sew GAH suit (except for the cape, of course)... great for people like me who can't sew!

Beware...UnderArmour is typically more expensive than buying material to make it from scratch or even to buy a plain spandex bodysuit. In my case, however, it was worth it. :-)

Pretending to be ten years old again for one day can be good for the soul. :-)

[Maxwell - F.B.I.]

That's GREAT!!! KILLER job. And the insignia and how perfect it looks really makes it! <clap clap clap!>

[Lauren]

Excellent! Thanks for listing how you put it together. I'd like to look into different pants for mine (instead of the sweats, which, even after mom took in the part from the ankle to the knee, were still too loose). Then again, I also bought four different red shirts before I settled on the mock turtleneck.

videofox said:

Thanks, everybody! And you're welcome Lauren (from one Monkee fan to another!)

Ahh, a Monkees fan, eh?

[HoudiniDerek]

You mean some people are not?

[Videofox]

"You mean some people are not?"

Surprising, isn't it???

OK, Monkee "fans", trivia quiz:

Who did Micky introduce as "The Man With the Gabardine Voice" during a concert, and what was his reply? ;D

Anyhoo...the Halloween Jammies were a hit, even if I also had to remind people where the character originated.

Thanks for the applause, Maxwell! I'm rather surprised myself at how well it turned out. Of course, mine doesn't beat YOUR Halloween costume though, right? Come on, you wore it, right?

Posted by Lauren: "I'd like to look into different pants for mine..."

Short of buying the fabric and making it from scratch, I have to say that the red UnderArmour ColdGear t-neck and leggings are the most perfect--and I mean PERFECT--starting point for a custom suit that is commercially available. (There may be knockoffs that are cheaper, but I don't know of any.) It's snug around the ankles and looks like a hybrid between thermal underwear and sweatpants, with the material, color and texture exactly matching the shirt. The only problem I have to solve are the mock boots....I really don't want to cut up the anklets and HOPE they stretch right.

Took a few more photos in hope to show more detail...

[HoudiniDerek]

Great work on the jammies. Did people try and get you to fight Superman to see who was the greatest American hero?

[Videofox]

Thanks...and I think we all know who the "greatest American hero" is without fighting Superman...

Supes is Kryptonian. ;D

[Lauren]

videofox said:

"You mean some people are not?"

Surprising, isn't it???

OK, Monkee "fans", trivia quiz:

Who did Micky introduce as "The Man With the Gabardine Voice" during a concert, and what was his reply? ;D

Anyhoo...the Halloween Jammies were a hit, even if I also had to remind people where the character originated.

Thanks for the applause, Maxwell! I'm rather surprised myself at how well it turned out. Of course, mine doesn't beat YOUR Halloween costume though, right? Come on, you wore it, right?

Posted by Lauren: "I'd like to look into different pants for mine..."

Short of buying the fabric and making it from scratch, I have to say that the red UnderArmour ColdGear t-neck and leggings are the most perfect--and I mean PERFECT--starting point for a custom suit that is commercially available. (There may be knockoffs that are cheaper, but I don't know of any.) It's snug around the ankles and looks like a hybrid between thermal underwear and sweatpants, with the material, color and texture exactly matching the shirt. The only problem I have to solve are the mock boots....I really don't want to cut up the anklets and HOPE they stretch right.

Answer:
Micky: "Pretty, Peter, the man with the gabardine voice"
Peter: "What is that gabardine voice? ...Man with a rayon acetate throat"
Micky: "Always asking that musical question..."


You had the same results with the suit that I did.

I'll have to look into the leggings. Those would be perfect.

[HoudiniDerek]

True. Maybe he got a US citizenship in between movies.

[Videofox]

Lauren: "man with a rayon acetate throat."

Yay! A winner! And I bet you didn't even have to look it up, either.

As for the pants, I got mine here:

www.weplay.com/thermals/

There's probably other dealers (a few I checked didn't have red) but I was in a hurry...the eBay store I first ordered them from realized they were really out of stock after the fact, and the second eBay store shipped the pants but they were lost or damaged in transit (according to tracking)...thankfully both dealers had no problem refunding, but that left me with too little time to shop around. (I had already ordered and received the shirt on eBay by itself, to check out the material.)

[HoudiniDerek]

I am thinking of taking every idea I have seen on this site and make a kick-arse costume for next year...keep them coming.