Introduction: Power Rangers MMPR/Zeo Gloves
I was having a hard time finding some Power Rangers costume gloves that I was happy with. So, I made some. I did NOT make the cuffs - those are a separate piece. This is good, because it means that you may reuse the gloves for any color ranger (and use them for Zeo Ranger gloves as well) by simply using a different cuff.
Step 1: Things You Will Need.
1. MMPR Costume Gloves - I purchased these before Halloween at a Spirit Halloween shop.
2. White Fabric. I found a remnant that was almost a yard of a really nice faux leather (or vinyl that looked like leather). It had a soft back, was fairly thin, and has a stretch to it. You want something that will stretch so that it flexes with your hand. Added bonus - it was 75% off on sale at Joann.
3. Round white shoelaces. 550 paracord is the same size and would work well. Any cord about that size should work as long as it is white. Mine had reflective lines on it. You can see those on the gloves, but not very much. I used three 45 inch laces, so you'll need roughly 4 yards of cord - give or take.
4. White thread of your choice.
5. Standard sewing tools. Sewing Machine, Straight Pins, Scissors, and a Seem Ripper are pretty much all of the tools I used.
Step 2: Disassemble the Costume Gloves
Turn the gloves inside-out, then take your seem ripper and take the gloves off of the cuffs. Also, open the cuffs up - this will make hemming them easier.
Step 3: Reassemble the Cuffs
Hem the cuff where you removed the glove Withe the cuff folded right (diamond) sides together, sew the cuff back together where you separated it before. Turn right side out and test fit. If you need to make it tighter, simply sew another line where you sewed the cuff together.
Step 4: Take the Gloves Apart and Use Them As a Pattern
Use your seam ripper to disassemble the glove part that you removed from the cuff. You only need to do this step with one of the old gloves. You should have three glove pieces. Fold your new fabric right sides together. Pin the glove pieces on the fabric and cut around them. Leave some extra fabric on the bottom of the main glove part (the side away from the fingers). This will let the cuffs overlap the gloves without showing any bare skin below. You should end up with four of the main glove pieces and two thumb pieces.At this point, you can hem the main glove pieces at the bottom. Be sure to fold your hem over the wrong side of the fabric (I forgot to do this at this point and did it later, so I don't have a photo of the hem during this step.)
Step 5: Make the Outer Pads
Use scraps from the gloves. Make sure they are wider than the main glove pieces. Stitch two pieces together at the top. Press the cord up to the stitch line. Using your zipper foot, sew another line as close tho the cord as possible. Cut the cord at the end of the fabric. Repeat until five cords are sewn between the fabric.Sew along the edges to hold the cords in place. Trim the fabric along all edges close to the stitches. You will need two of these pads.
Step 6: Sew the Pads to the Top Outside of the Main Glove Pieces
On each glove top, right side up, pin the pads leaving an overlap on each side. Make sure that it lines up exactly with the thumb hole. Using your zipper foot again, stitch the top of the pad and the bottom of the pad to the glove tops. Just like when adding the cord, stitch as close to the cord as possible. Trim the pad to match the shape of the glove top on each side. You may want to run a stitch around the thumb hole part of the pad and the outside edge of the pad to keep the cords in place until the gloves are sewn together. You should have two pieces that look almost identical. The thumb holes should face opposite directions.
Step 7: Sew the Thumbs in Place
This is probably the most difficult step in the entire process. Change your sewing machine foot from the zipper foot to either the standard foot or non-stick foot. Because I was working with a faux leather type material, I chose the non-stick foot. With the right side of the fabric together, line the curve at the base of the thumb piece with the curve of the thumb hole and stitch them together. Take your time and do a little bit at a time on this. Half of the thumb piece will be fastened to the top glove piece, the other half will be fastened to the bottom glove piece. If you forgot to hem the glove pieces earlier, this might be your last chance to do so. This is when I hemmed them.
Step 8: Sew the Gloves Shut
Pin the side edges of the gloves, right sides together. Pin each finger together. Stitch around the outside of the gloves, leaving the bottom open for your hand to go into. When you get to the fingers, it may be helpful to slow down. Another thing that may help is, on a tight curve like the fingers, stop the needle in the down position and lift your sewing machine foot and then rotate the glove slightly.
Step 9: Test Fit Your Gloves
Put the gloves on inside-out. If the glove fingers are longer than your fingers, mark just above your fingertips. Stitch a line at the dots, following the shape of the previous stitch. Trim excess material close to the seam and test fit again. If you like, you can then zigzag stitch around the edge of the gloves for additional strength.
Step 10: Final Test Fit
Turn the gloves outside-out and put on. Test the flexibility and fit. If needed, turn back inside out and adjust. Once all adjustments have been finalized, slip the cuff on over top of the gloves and you're a Power Ranger!
Step 11: Side-By-Side Before/After Comparison
Costume gloves on the left, compared to the custom gloves on the right.