Instructables user richardsonmeg10 has already made one cool glowing costume – Marvin the Martian – and she decided to use EL wire to give a packaged Captain America costume an extra kick. The costume is basically a Captain America dress that you can find at most online costume stores. She planned where the EL wire would go and which colors she would use. She emphasized that it’s important to take the time to plan before you purchase the wire so you have an idea of the best path for the wire and where the battery packs will go.
She used red, white, and blue 2.3mm EL wire and added it to the dress, mask, and shield. Here’s how she attached it:
The Mask:
Hot glue around the outside and circling the eyes along with the ‘A’ atop was about it for the mask. I added a few stitches at weak points so if the hot glue failed during the night it wouldn’t completely fall off. The tail coming out the back is still glowing, I wrapped electrical tape around the parts I did not want visible.
The Dress:
A similar combo of hot glue and hand stitching, only this time relying more on the sewing. Using clear fishing line as thread makes it nearly invisible when glowing. I started with the connectors near the arm pit of the dress, where I would route the tail into the purse to power the dress.
The Purse:
I sewed together a quick bag with a zipper. I hot glued the battery packs directly to the shield, then used more hot glue to secure the zipper bag to the shield, leaving plenty of room for my phone, wallet and some spare batteries. I attached a strap I bought from the fabric store and voila… Captain America Purse! I hot glued the EL wire along my planned pattern, putting opaque tape over the areas I did not want to be seen glowing on the front and back of the shield.
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