• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spandex Simplified
  • About Us
  • Tutorials
    • Table of Contents
    • Design Tutorials
    • Patterning Tutorials
    • Sewing Tutorials
  • Resources
  • Book Store
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Tutorials
    • Table of Contents
    • Design Tutorials
    • Patterning Tutorials
    • Sewing Tutorials
  • Resources
  • Book Store
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
×

How to Make Basic Spandex Gloves

Published: Jan 16, 2021

Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

Sharing is caring!

  • Yummly
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr

How to Make Gloves for Cosplay

This tutorial is excerpted from “Spandex Simplified: Sewing for Superheroes” by Marie Porter. All photos and accompanying tutorial are copyright @ 2012 Marie Porter, all rights reserved.

A two part compilation image showing blue spandex being sewn in a sewing machine, and a hand wearing a blue spandex glove against a black background. Text says How to Make Basic Spandex Gloves.

Custom gloves can go a long way to really finishing a costume. This tutorial shows you how to easily make basic gloves for cosplay and dance.

When sewing gloves for cosplay and superhero costuming, there are a number of different ways that you can put them together.

In general - not necessarily talking about spandex here - for gloves to fit best, they’re made with several pieces - a top of the hand/arm piece, an underside, a strip (or multiple strips) of fabric separating the front and back of each finger, and sometimes even a separate thumb.

While this is great for fabrics with a minimum of stretch, it can be overkill for dealing with spandex.

Not only do you NOT need to go to such extremes to make spandex gloves fit, sewing all of those fussy little pieces can be a pain in the butt. Keep it simple!

When possible, I like to sew all of the main seams into two pieces of fabric that have been pinned together, and then cut the shape out.
Done right, this is fast, easy, and produces a well fitting glove.

An Important Update for This Glove Tutorial

Since photographing this - almost a decade ago - I've slightly changed how I make gloves: I bond the main fabric to swimsuit lining, or to another layer of the same spandex.

3 bottles of 505 spray adhesive are laid out next to a bottle of E-6000 Fabri-Fuse, and a glue stick.

I spray the wrong side of the main fabric with Odif's 505 Temporary Fabric Adhesive, and adhere it to the second layer.

Once dry, I proceed with the technique as laid out, treating each piece of fabric/lining as a single piece of fabric.

This makes for a much sturdier glove, with much more secure seams. It also looks nicer when worn, than an unlined glove.

How to Make Basic Spandex Gloves

Make Your “Pattern”

Decide on your glove design. How high will it go up your arm? Is it fitted the whole way up, or does it flare out near the top? Any cuffs or other ornamentation involved?

With your fingers spread out, make a tracing of your hand and arm onto craft paper or - ideally - medical exam table paper

A hand is being traced on translucent paper.

Make a note on this tracing about where your elbow is, if the sleeves are longer than elbow length - it’ll be a good point of reference when proceeding.

When tracing, keep your pen perpendicular to the sheet of paper, using the widest areas of your arm/ hand as the outer guide.

That is, while you COULD tilt your pen to follow your arm closer to the point where it rests on the paper, you really want to use the outermost curve of your arm as the tracing guide.

At the top opening of your pattern (furthest point from the fingers), make any adjustments you need to.

I like to measure around my arm at this point as well as around the elbow, and adjust the pattern to be about ½ of those measurements, at those points on the pattern. Just freehand it - spandex is very forgiving!

A two photo compilation image showing a hand being traced, and the tracing of the hand.

If your pattern is to flare out at the top, adjust your pattern to be ½ of the desired final opening measurement, at the point of the opening on the pattern.

Mark It Out!

When you are happy with your pattern, cut it out. If your fabric isn’t the best in terms of stretch, add ¼" - ½" seam allowance the whole way around. (Use proper 4 way stretch fabric unless you absolutely don’t have the option!)

A spandex glove pattern that has been cut out of translucent paper, on a black background.

Lay out your glove fabric, folded with right sides facing each other. Lay out your pattern piece on the fabric, and trace the pattern out onto your fabric.

Make sure that your tracing is dark enough for you to see, but not dark enough that you’ll regret it later.

A glove pattern is being traced onto blue spandex fabric.

Pencil, pen, dressmaker’s chalk - whichever works best for you, and the type of fabric you are working with... just take care not to stretch the fabric out of shape as you trace!

Pin the two pieces of fabric together. Unless you’re using PVC, you can be VERY liberal with the use of pins. If using PVC, just pin on the OUTSIDE of your pattern piece.

A piece of blue spandex fabric has a glove traced on it.

Repeat all of this for the second glove.

Assemble The Spandex Gloves

Sew the two pieces of fabric together, right along your transferred pattern line.

A sewing machine is set up to sew blue spandex fabric.

Remember the basic principles of sewing spandex as you do this - stretch and hold! (See my post on How to Sew Spandex with or Without a Serger to get the technique down!)

A two part compilation image showing blue spandex fabric being sewn in a sewing machine.

Cut out your gloves.

A two part compilation image showing a blue spandex glove, before and after being trimmed.

Finish the edges with a narrow zig zag stitch. (Serger can be a pain to deal with, when it comes to fingers!)

Hem the top edge of your gloves, as desired.

A blue spandex glove against a black background.

How to Upgrade Your Gloves

Now that you have the basics down, be sure to check out my "How to Make Fancy Spandex Gloves" post to learn a few techniques for personalizing your DIY costume gloves!

I cover subjects like applique, fringe, adding built in claws, cuffs, and embellishment.

More Cosplay Posts

Looking for more Cosplay tutorials and posts? Here are a few for you:

Cosplay Photography Tips
Katniss Wedding Gown Wings
How I Made the Maleficent Costume
How I Made the MCU Hela Costume
How to Add a Sole to Boot Covers
How to Make Fancy Spandex Gloves
How to Make Maleficent's Headpiece
How to Make Spandex Boot Covers
Maleficent Staff Tutorial
Poured Latex Smaug Top
Thranduil Crown Tutorial
Triceracop Costume
Weeping Angel Costume Tutorial

Share the Love!

Be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @OverlordMarie - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, and subscribe to my Youtube Channel and free monthly email, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.

Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

A hand wearing a blue spandex glove against a black background.

Print

How to Make Basic Spandex Gloves

Custom gloves can go a long way to really finishing a costume. This tutorial shows you how to easily make basic gloves for cosplay and dance.
Prep Time10 mins
Active Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Keyword: cosplay, cosplay gloves, costume gloves, diy gloves, gloves, how to make gloves, how to make spandex gloves
Yield: 1 Pair of gloves
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Sewing Machine
  • Scissors
  • A pen or marker

Materials

  • Exam Table Paper
  • Spandex

Instructions

Make Your “Pattern”

  • Decide on your glove design. How high will it go up your arm? Is it fitted the whole way up, or does it flare out near the top?
  • Any cuffs or other ornamentation involved?
  • With your fingers spread out, make a tracing of your hand and arm onto paper or - ideally - medical exam table paper.
  • Make a note on this tracing about where your elbow is, if the sleeves are longer than elbow length - it’ll be a good point of reference when proceeding.
  • When tracing, keep your pen perpendicular to the sheet of paper, using the widest areas of your arm/ hand as the outer guide.
  • That is, while you COULD tilt your pen to follow your arm closer to the point where it rests on the paper, you really want to use the outermost curve of your arm as the tracing guide.
  • At the top opening of your pattern (furthest point from the fingers), make any adjustments you need to.
  • I like to measure around my arm at this point as well as around the elbow, and adjust the pattern to be about ½ of those measurements, at those points on the pattern. Just freehand it - spandex is very forgiving!
  • If your pattern is to flare out at the top, adjust your pattern to be ½ of the desired final opening measurement, at the point of the opening on the pattern.

Mark It Out!

  • When you are happy with your pattern, cut it out. If your fabric isn’t the best in terms of stretch, add ¼" - ½" seam allowance the whole way around. (Use proper 4 way stretch fabric unless you absolutely don’t have the option!)
  • Lay out your glove fabric, folded with right sides facing each other. Lay out your pattern piece on the fabric, and trace the pattern out onto your fabric.
  • Make sure that your tracing is dark enough for you to see, but not dark enough that you’ll regret it later.
  • Pencil, pen, dressmaker’s chalk - whichever works best for you, and the type of fabric you are working with... just take care not to stretch the fabric out of shape as you trace!
  • Pin the two pieces of fabric together. Unless you’re using PVC, you can be VERY liberal with the use of pins. If using PVC, just pin on the OUTSIDE of your pattern piece.
  • Repeat all of this for the second glove.

Assemble The Spandex Gloves

  • Sew the two pieces of fabric together, right along your transferred pattern line.
  • Remember the basic principles of sewing spandex as you do this - stretch and hold! (See my post on How to Sew Spandex with or Without a Serger to get the technique down!)

Cut out your gloves.

  • Finish the edges with a narrow zig zag stitch. (Serger can be a pain to deal with, when it comes to fingers!)
  • Hem the top edge of your gloves, as desired.

A hand wearing a blue spandex glove against a black background.

Related posts:

A pair of shiny purple spandex boot covers on a black background.How to Make Spandex Boot Covers A glove pattern has been cut out of exam table paper. A neon green flame has been cut from fabric and placed on top.How to Make Fancy Spandex Gloves A synchro headpiece, made up of squiggly shapes in 4 colours: lavender, salmon, gold, and lime green.How to Make Synchro Headpieces Two sparkling light pink scrunchies are shown against a black background.How to Make Scrunchies
« How to Make Spandex Boot Covers
How to Make Fancy Spandex Gloves »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

WELCOME TO OUR (UPCOMING) BLOG!

A front view and rear view of a spandex dress, pink with black lines.

I've been sewing spandex for 30 years, and have written 6 books about it. Now I'm going to blog EVERYTHING!

More about me →



PARDON THE CONSTRUCTION...


You've stumbled upon a blog that has not officially launched yet!
Please excuse the lack of content, as we work to build something awesome.

Join us on Social Media

Facebook logo, a white F on a blue background. Instagram icon - a stylized white camera image on blue background. Pinterest Logo - White on red background.
Twitter logo - a white stylized bird icon on an aqua background. YouTube logo - a red stylized icon.


HOW TO APPLIQUE SPANDEX


Front and back views of a beautiful figure skating dress. The lower part of the dress is black, turning into a flame design going up to the shoulders.Ever wonder how spandex costumers sew such intricate details, using pieces of different spandex?
Click the pic to learn how!

META

Site Admin

Logout

Entries Feed

Comments Feed


Most Recent Posts

  • How I Made That: Art Deco Skating Dress
  • Types of Stretch Fabric
  • How to Make Figure Skating Skirts
  • Padded Applique

We'd love to have you subscribe to our newsletter!

Footer

About

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

Newsletter

  • Sign Up

    for emails and updates

Our Other Blogs

  • Autism Rants
  • Beyond Flour
  • Celebration Generation
  • Low Carb Hoser

Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. While I’ll only ever link to items that I, personally, wholeheartedly recommend, I do need to put that disclosure out there!

Copyright © 2020 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme