Xmen Storm Bodice

What you need:

Leather look fabric

Gold shiny fabric

Marking chalk

Sewing machine

Swimming costume for reference

Needle and thread

Scissors

Pins

Step 1: Using a Swimming Costume As a Template

Lay your fabric out flat and place the swimming costume over it

Using marking chalk- draw the outline, making sure to leave about 3cm extra all around for just in case

For the back part, at the top you can just draw a straight line across and at the bottom, leave a little extra for that join

Then cut it out

Step 2: Repeat for the Front

Repeat the same process for the front

But make sure to leave about 10cm extra on the top so that you can fine tune that piece later on

Step 3: Pin It Together

Pin the two pieces together after lining them up carefully.

My sewing machine was giving me trouble with sewing such a thin fabric, so what I had to do was cut out thin strips of a regular black fabric and pin them in as well so that the fabric would be thicker

Step 4: Try It On

You will need to try this piece on a few times just to ensure that the fit is right.

A costume is tiny and tight so it needs to be tailored to your body

From there you will be able to see if you need to repin anything and adjust before you start sewing

Step 5: Sew the Sides

Sew down the sides

Make sure to leave the top open

And sew then along the gusset or the bottom

Step 6: Pin and Hem the Bottom

Once it is sewn, pin the bottom and try it on again to see if anything needs trimming or adjusting

Then do a straight stitch along the hem

Step 7: Cut the Gold Fabric

I bought a bunch of gold fabric for this project

For the lining of the bodice, I cut two 6.5cm wide strips

Step 8: Pin the Top

Now it is time to start perfecting the top

Try it on for one final time and mark on your top, where you would like it to dip

I did a gentle sweetheart shape at a medium height

Then take the top two corners and pin them together

This was when you cut, you will do both sides at the same time which will make it similar aesthetically

Then begin to cut out the curve

I did two cuts - one as a conservative test

And a second one a little lower down to where I was happy with it

Step 9: Cut Out Felt

Now the top needs to be a little firmer than the rest of the fabric

So I took some felt, lay the bodice top over it and traced an outline

I then cut it out, trimmed it, pinned in to the bodice and tacked it on with a simple hand stitch

Step 10: Add the Gold

Carefully, starting from the middle outwards, take one piece of gold and begin to pin it.

Follow the curve of the bodice and pin all the way to the end, leaving the excess gold to hang off

Repeat for the other side

At this point, I decided to do a hand stitch so that I could ensure that it looked delicate and precise

I then tried the costume on again and took the extra length of gold, tied it in a knot at my back for extra support

And any excess hanging off of that, I cut off

Step 11: Add the Gold Bands

Finally take the excess gold and hem it by hand all the way around

Then sew it to the bodice - one point underneath the armpit where the gold stops, and another in the middle of the back.

Repeat for the other side

These are for your arms to go through

And there you have it - a Storm bodice

For the full video see below