I was asked to create a tutorial showing how I did the sequin design on Mark’s Flash Gordon shirt, so here it is!
The original (at right), like all the costumes in the film, was done with hand-applied glass bugle beads, but I don’t have that kind of patience had been unable to source appropriate bugle bead fabric for Dale or Ming’s costumes, so to make everything match, we went with microsequins for our Flash.
To complicate matters, the only microsequin fabric we could acquire locally (and therefore have in time to complete the costume before the convention) only came on a stretch mesh backing, so the first step was stabilizing it to keep it from stretching while I did the appliqué. I applied heavy weight fusible interfacing on the back of the base layer of black sequin fabric to keep it stiff and flat:
(Obviously, use a cotton press cloth between your iron and any sequined or beaded fabric, and use the lowest possible heat that will activate the interfacing. Plastic sequins WILL melt on contact with the iron.)
Next – and unfortunately I don’t have photos of this step, because I wasn’t originally planning on making a tutorial – I ironed a panel of Heat ‘n’ Bond onto the back of the red sequin fabric, then traced my starburst shape and cut it out. I then layered that piece over the black fabric and carefully ironed it (again, using a press cloth) just enough that Heat ‘n’ Bond stuck to the layer below.
The Heat ‘n’ Bond, like the interfacing on the black layer, keeps the stretch fabric stable. It also provides enough friction to keep the points in place while I’m stitching through two layers of sequins (which is tricky with many machines).
Next, using the smallest possible zigzag stitch on my machine, I carefully stitched around the extreme edge of the red design. It’s not a true satin stitch, as the sequins won’t allow for that, but it secures the edge to keep it from rolling up:
Detail of teeny tiny zigzag stitch:
To make the gold trim, I stitched gold sequin fabric around a strip of 1/2″ polyester fabric braid:
I sewed the black piece down to the front half of the tank top, then pinned the gold trim around the outer edge and stitched through it to secure it to the shirt:
The gold circle in the center was added last. I wanted a perfect circle with some dimensionality to it, so that piece is actually a plastic ring with the gold sequin fabric glued around it. (I think it was a scarf ring or buckle or something, originally.) I hand-sewed it on using metallic gold thread pulled in tight loops around the ring.
Et voila! Flash Gordon shirt:
