Taylor Swift Reputation Leotard Part 2 [Applique and Assembly]

This is Part 2 of our Taylor Swift Reputation Leotard tutorial. This part focuses on patterning and sewing the snake appliques to the bodysuit.

Ok! Here we are at part 2 of the Reputation Era outfit tutorial!

As I mentioned in Reputation Outfit Part 1: Supplies, Patterning, and Piecing , I have tutorials for two of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour outfits: This one with the red snakes, and the pink and blue version of Taylor Swift's Lover Bodysuit- another iconic look!

If you got here without reading part 1 first, bookmark this page and go read that post first.

None of the parts of this tutorial are really going to make sense on their own; you really need everything leading up to parts 2 and 3 before digging into them.

Anyway.

Now that you’ve got your base pattern settled, styled, cut out, and sewn together?

It’s time to add the snakes!

As mentioned in part one, you can do this with one or two different reds. If you’re crystaling, it doesn’t make a HUGE difference.

That said, if you’re not using crystals, then using a lighter and darker red will definitely make a difference!

Anyway, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself - the rhinestonning isn’t going to happen until part 3!

Skoden.

How to Make Taylor Swift’s Reputation Bodysuit

These are the next few steps in making the suit - the rest will be covered in a final, followup post.

I’m going to start off by walking you through making the sleeve, which is an easier, less complicated version of what you’re going to have to do for the rest of the body.

Make the Sleeve

Sleeve Design Patterning

Draw your snake design on your sleeve pattern, leaving some space above and below the snake for seam allowance (at the top of the sleeve), and bottom (hem).

You’re going to want to keep the design to the middle ⅓-1/2 of the pattern area, to look the most like Taylor’s Reputation outfit.

Beyond that, just keep in mind that the top of the arm seam (the long straight sides) hits right around the level of the bicep.

That is to say, if you were to draw a line between the tops of those seams, that line would wrap around the top of your bicep.

When it comes to drawing the snake, keep it relatively narrow - you’ll be cutting this pattern out from red spandex, then making a small border of white around it.

Once you’re happy with the design, trace it out on a fresh piece of pattern paper.

Mark the snake as being “right side up”, and cut it out.

You don’t need to cut it out along the actual design lines - you’ll save a bit of effort if you just rough cut it out for now.

2 part image showing the snake labeled right side, then the pattern cut out.

Always label which is the right side up!

First Round of Sleeve Applique

Cutting and Gluing

Spray the right side of your copied snake pattern with spray adhesive.

Let it dry for a few seconds before placing it glue side down on the WRONG side of your red spandex.

Note: If you’re using two different colours of red for your appliques, you’ll be using the lighter red for this piece.

Using sharp scissors, cut out the snake design as smoothly as you can. See How to Cut Spandex for tips on cutting.

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I like to spray a large sheet of rosin paper or brown craft paper with some repositionable spray adhesive (see Spandex Costuming Tools & Supplies for more details on the glue), before proceeding.

This acts as both a drop cloth to protect surrounding surfaces, but also to hold cut pieces in spandex while you’re spraying them.

If you don’t use the “post-it note” effect of the glue like this, your applique pieces can fly up, flip over, get hit with glue on the RIGHT side (you don’t want that!), etc.

After spraying it, let it dry for a good 10 minutes before placing your cut pieces right side down on it.

*****

Placing and Sewing

Carefully peel your pattern paper off the snake cut out, taking care not to stretch out the fabric.

Place your snake RIGHT side down on the sticky paper, spray with your glue. Carefully position your snake glue side down on the RIGHT side of your white fabric.

I recommend rough cutting around the snake at this point, leaving an inch or more of white border around the red.

This will give you plenty of room to work, while also making the piece a more manageable size.

Load your sewing machine with red thread (as discussed in Reputation Outfit Part 1: Supplies, Patterning, and Piecing ).

Following the technique in How to Applique Spandex, applique around the entire red snake.

Once you’ve sewn it down, cut it out - leaving a small, even white border around the edge.

Your best bet is to keep it between ⅛" and 3/16" wide, the whole way around the red snake. Once the snake is cut out from the white fabric, set it aside for now,

Prepare the Sleeve Base

Lay your sleeve lining piece right side up on your sticky paper, spray with adhesive.

Carefully lay the sleeve lining glue side down on the WRONG side of your black mesh, such that the greatest degree of stretch with the mesh is going side to side on the sleeve.

Smooth out any wrinkles - from both sides - without stretching or warping either fabric as you go. You may need to peel back and reposition portions of the lining piece, to get everything flat.

Once you’re happy with the positioning, use sharp scissors to cut the sleeve out from the mesh.

Note: The adhesive doesn’t form a GREAT bond between lining and mesh, so you’ll want to avoid over handling it.

Second Round of Sleeve Applique

Place your snake applique RIGHT side down on the sticky paper, and spray with adhesive.

Place your two coloured snake GLUE side down on your sleeve, using your original sleeve pattern as a placement guide.

Once you’re happy with the positioning, pin the snake in place.

Be sure your pins go through all layers fo fabric - applique, mesh, and lining - and don’t stretch or warp the fabric layers as you go.

Load your machine with white thread, and applique around the outer white edge, all the way around the snake.

Assemble the Sleeve

Fold your sleeve in half, matching up the long sleeve seam edges.

Following the directions in How to Sew Spandex With or Without a Serger, sew that long seam, as pictured.

I used a serger, but you can use a straight stitch and zig zag, as described in the post I linked above.

Once the main seam is sewn, serge or zig zag around the edge of the sleeve cuff opening.

Turn your sleeve right side out.

Using a wide zig zag at a medium stitch length, fold back about ½" of the sleeve cuff (will depend on the pattern you use), and hem it.

Be sure to smoothly fold back the cuff, evenly around. This will ensure a crisp edge, with no waves.

Finally, zig zag along the raw, top edge of the sleeves, to secure the mesh to the lining.

It’s going to be a while before you sew the sleeve into the outfit. As I mentioned, the glue doesn’t form a really great bond here, so zig zagging the pieces together now will make sleeve insertion easier, when you get to that point.

Set your sleeve aside for now.

Applique the Body Designs

Now that you’ve got the basic idea, we’re just going to get wild with it.

Patterning the Snakes

Paying attention to only the snakes that have a white border, sketch out your snakes design on the right side of your front body pattern.

You’ll have parts of snake that you’ll want to continue onto the back piece - just draw those ones in to the point where they reach / return from the side seam for now.

When in doubt, see my Pinterest board of Reputation Outfit Reference Photos.

Tape the back portion of the pattern that corresponds with that side TO the front pattern, matching up the long seam side as much as possible.

Draw your continued snakes onto the back piece, along with the remaining white/black snake designs that you want on that side of the back.

Once you’re happy with your applique design, use a fresh piece of pattern paper to trace out each snake - individually.

I like to scribble out each snake on the main pattern, as it’s been traced onto the paper.

It’s a good way to avoid missing any, or ending up with multiples of the same snake piece.

First Round of Applique

Spray the RIGHT sides of your traced snake patterns with glue, and lay them out - glued side down - on the WRONG side of your red spandex.

Again, if you’re using 2 different reds, this round of snakes is being done with the lighter red fabric

Using sharp scissors, cut out each of the snakes.

Glue the WRONG sides of the red snakes, then place them glue side down on your white fabric.

Be sure to leave enough space between the snakes for the borders.

Rough cut out each snake.

As with the snake on the sleeve, use red thread to applique each of the snakes down to the white fabric.

Trim, leaving the same size border around each, that you did for that first snake.

At this point, I like to lay out the cut out snake appliques on the original pattern, to make sure I didn’t miss any.

Second Round of Applique

Lay your snake appliques out - right side down - on the sticky paper, and spray generously with adhesive.

Allow to dry for 30 seconds or so, then start arranging them on the body of your Reputation outfit.

2 part image showing the original pattern being placed over the laid out applique to check placement.

The nice thing about using exam table paper is that you can see through it, to verify placement!

Be sure to keep an eye on where you want snakes to overlap each other, and reposition them as needed.

That’s why you want to let the glue dry for 30 seconds first - it makes them more repositionable, and less likely to leave glue residue when you move them around.

In places where you want to layer a top snake under the one that’s currently under it, you can cut it if moving the layers isn’t a good option.

Just cut the top snake as shown, then tuck the cut ends under the snake below it.

Once you’re happy with the placement, pin everything in place.

Using white thread in your sewing machine, applique around all of the snakes.

Take care to make sure that EVERY raw edge of applique has been stitched down.

I find it helpful to look at the wrong side of the garment, to see if I can spot any missing chunks of seam.

Finish the Red and White Snakes

At this point, I do the patterning and applique for the red and white snakes on the remaining back piece, using the same techniques as I did for the front.

For any appliques that are meant to cross the center back / zipper, just be sure that they line up *when you fold back the seam allowance*, as I mentioned in part one of this tutorial series.

Sew everything down, then set the bodysuit body pieces aside for now.

Pattern the Second Round of Snakes

Now it’s time to pattern the second type of snakes - these ones don’t have a white border.

If you’re using 2 different red fabrics, these will be cut from the darker red spandex.

Place a fresh sheet of pattern paper over your main body pattern, and draw in the no-border snakes where you want them.

Mark the snakes as being right side up, then rough cut the pattern pieces out.

Glue and Place the Second Round of Snakes

Lay the pattern pieces out on the sticky paper -RIGHT side up, and spray with adhesive.

Place glue side down on the WRONG side of your red fabric, smooth, and cut the snakes out.

Lay the cut snakes out - right side down - on the sticky paper, and spray with adhesive.

Allow to dry for 30 seconds before you start placing this round of snakes.

In the places where you want this round of snakes to appear to go under the first round of snakes, cut the upper snake.

Trim back each side of the cut to it matches up with the outer edge of the snake below it, as pictured:

When you’re happy with all of the placement, pin everything in place.

Sewing the Second Round of Snakes

Load your sewing machine with red thread. Carefully applique around EVERY edge of every red piece.

Take care not to miss any loose edges!

It’ll be really difficult to stitch any of them down if discovered after assembling the Reputation bodysuit!

Check to make sure that your appliques will still match up across the center back (when the zipper seam allowance is folded back), before sewing the other side down.

If you have any appliques that are to cross over the other side seam - on the short leg side - only applique them to about 1" away from the seam edge.

Pin the loose section of applique back to keep it out of the way, then line up the front and back bodysuit pieces along the side seam.

Sew your side seam, using either a serger or a straight stitch and zig zag combo, as described in How to Sew Spandex With or Without a Serger.

Remove any pins from the loose applique piece, then smooth it out across the side seam.

Trim the loose applique to match the edge of wherever it’s ending. Pin and stitch into place.

Once again, check everything - on the right and wrong side - to make doubly sure that EVERY edge is stitched down, before proceeding.

Make the Collar

Paying attention to the greatest degree of stretch (which should go along the length), cut your collar piece from the white spandex.

Spray the WRONG side of the fabric with adhesive, then carefully fold it in half down the length of it, as pictured.

Take care not to stretch, warp, or twist the fabric, and to match the edges up well.

Cut a strip of your red spandex (lighter, if using two reds), with the greatest degree of stretch going along the length of the strip - same as the collar.

This will be about the width of your 2 tone snakes.

You’ll want the measurement to be such that - when positioned over the folded collar piece - you have room for the white border (⅛-3/16") on the top edge along the fold.

Along the bottom edge, you need that measurement, PLUS your seam allowance. This will allow you to sew the collar to the body, while still having a visible white border.

Once you’re happy with the side, spray the wrong side with glue.

Position the strip on the collar, leaving the small border along the top edge, as shown.

Smooth in place, then applique down with red thread.

And with THAT, we’re done part 2 of my Taylor Swift Reputation outfit tutorial!

Be sure to bookmark the site, subscribe to my newsletter, and/or follow us on social media, so you can be alerted to new posts!

In the next - final - part (Reputation Outfit Part 3: Finishing), we’re going to deal with assembling, embellishing, and finishing the Reputation costume.

See you back here soon!

Reputation Leotard Part 2

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