Kids Spacesuit That Doubles As a Winter Outfit

This tutorial shows how you make a kid's astronaut suit that doubles as a snowboarding or winter outfit. The idea originated from having made a handful of intricate costumes for my son over the years and only using them once or twice. Kids grow so fast, and unless you have a couple of munchkins that are younger, the outfits just end up collecting dust. This seemed like a waste of time, so why not design something that can get more use out of it? Hence the winter spacesuit was born.

I decided to use Nasa's Z2 concept spacesuit as the inspiration because there are already a bunch of white astronaut suit tutorials out there. That, and I think the black and grey suit looks cooler, but that's just my personal preference.

So without further ado, let's get started!

Basic sewing and pattern-making items are not included in this list because this is a somewhat advanced project. I'm assuming if you're attempting this project, you already have those items in your tool kit. Most of the other items were purchased on Amazon and for the items that weren't, I found substitutes for them.

Grey Waterproof Ripstop Fabric

Black Waterproof Fabric [Substitute item. They no longer carry the one I had originally purchased.]

Plaid Fleece Fabric

4-Way Stretch Knit Fabric [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Black Thread [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Grey Thread [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Reflective Piping [Substitute item. They no longer carry the one I had originally purchased.]

Quilter's Batting [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Stuffing [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Knit Sleeve Cuffs

Zipper [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Snaps [Substitute item. Had some left over from older projects.]

Buckles [* I don't recommend these for the overalls because they come undone with lots of movement. I only bought them because of how thin they were. But they were used in the tutorial, so I'm including them in the supply list.]

Buckle Sliders

1" Nylon Webbing

Reflective iron-on

Bungee Cord

Cord Lock

Eyelets [Substitute item. Make sure your bungee cord will fit through it. ]

Optional Items:

Cricut: [ If you don't have one, you can cut it by hand. ]

Laser Cutter: [ Used to make patches and labels. If you don't have one, you can substitute it with print-out iron-ons or skip this step completely. ]

Nasa Patch [Substitute item.]

Pin Backing [Substitute item.]

Eva Foam: [ I think I purchased 1mm and 4mm for the helmet ]

Collect Reference:

The Z2 is Nasa's 2030 Mars Mission Spacesuit comp from 2015 or earlier. Find as many high-resolution images of the suit as you can, so you can translate it into your final design.

If you're interested in learning more, here's an article about it:

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-s-released-a-prototype-of-the-spacesuit-astronauts-will-wear-on-mars

Concept Design:

Once you have your reference images, decide what aspects you'd like to translate over to your design. Since this is a winter outfit for my son, I chose to omit a couple of things like the rear entry hatch (the large backpack thing), and the giant red "T" in front. He wanted to be able to pick out his own patches and customize them later on.

Draw out your designs digitally or on a piece of paper. If there are special features in your garment this is the time to figure out what it should look like. This will help you figure out what you need to pattern draft. I chose to make a protective water-resistant pant leg insert layer because I wanted my son to be able to play in the water and snow without water soaking into the fleece lining. The layer with the bungee cord would tuck into his boot and the outer cuff would go over the shoe. The sleeve cuff also has a protective water-resistant layer, but the inner cuff is made out of a knit. It would probably get soaked but hopefully won't seep into the lining. I chose to go with the knit because my son won't wear things that he finds uncomfortable.

When you're happy with your ideations, it's time to move on to patterning.

No point in reinventing the wheel, so rummage through your kids closet and find some items you can make basic block from. You want to look for items that have similar cuts and fits you like. Then trace the garmet to make your blocks. Sometimes you'll happen to find something that's too small or too big, but you love the cut. Measure your child. Then add or subtract the circumference and length that is needed to make up the difference.

Once you're confident with your basic block. The next step is to start drawing seam lines. Always reference your concept art to make sure the proportions are accurate. I personally like to keep the original template as a "blueprint" and trace the pattern pieces onto another sheet of paper so I can always reference the original.

Combine pattern pieces if necessary to give the right design appearance. Once you've traced all the pattern pieces, you're going to add seam allowance to it and cut it out. A general rule is 1/2" all around and 1/4" on enclosed seams like necklines and cuffs. Those guidelines can change based on your design or if you're from a different country. When you're done adding your seam allowance, cut the pieces out and make sure all your patterns are true. Truing up your patterns or walking them is the process of aligning pieces that will be sewn together to check if they will sew together correctly. It allows you to see if you have excess length on one pattern piece or not. If you do, then you're going to have to correct it, either by increasing the length of the opposing pattern piece or by finding the difference between the two. During this part, you also want to notch your pattern pieces. Notching is the act of putting visual registration marks on your pattern piece, so when you go to sew it, you have indicators to align the seams. When you're done, it should look something like the picture with all the pattern pieces laid out on the floor.

Place the pattern pieces on the fabric, pin, then cut. You want to arrange them as close as possible so as not to waste material. Use scissors or a rotary blade.

I tried to make these steps as visual as possible for you guys. You want to sew anything with pleating first. Then you'll slowly sew the patterns that connect to it together and keep adding to it until you're done. In the photos, I've indicated the "previous pattern" and the "new pattern." "new pattern" is the next pattern piece to be sewn. The "1" are the pieces before they are sewn together. The "2" is the pieces sewn together.

This step is essentially like the front overall legs but with less pleated parts.

Connect the front to the back leg. Then you'll need to put interfacing in the peplum fin pieces. Assemble those together, then you'll add them to the newly combined leg piece. Add on the other 2 hip pieces as well.

Before you can add the bodice pieces together you'll need to attach the pockets. Sew the pocket onto the bodice piece on both the front and back bodice pieces. Topstitch pocket opening down to bodice. Then you'll attach the front and back bodice together at the side seam. Finally, sew the pockets together. It should look like the last image when you're done.

This is where things start to get exciting. You'll finally get to see what the outer shell looks like. Attach the bodice to the leg on both sides. Then you'll sew the leg seams together. Here's were you'll have to prep the center front closure flap. Attach the interfacing, sew around the perimiter leaving the side that will go between the bodice pieces open. Flip it right side out and topstitch. Now sew the front closure flap one side of the front bodice. The side you sew it on depends if it's for a girl or boy. Male closures are on the left and female closures are on the right. Not sure why the fashion industry does this, but it does, so we're going to follow thier lead. Once it's sewn in, topstitch the flap in.

Sew the center back bodice seams together then attach the facing strip. Add your logo or tag in this step. Then sew the corresponding facing pieces to the front bodice. Once you have the front and back assembled, you'll sew them together. Remember to leave a gap for the front opening closure flap.

I usually like reinforcing the eyelet area with interfacing so it doesn't rip out as easily. Punch holes for the eyelets and iron bottom cuff in place. This will help later on with placing in the drawstring. Insert your eyelets, then thread the bungee cord through the cord stopper. You'll then tie off and secure the ends. Slip the cord in the folded cuff and topstitch around encasing it inside.

Sew the outer lining leg cuff together and slip it over the leg cuff with the bungee cord. Then attach it to the fleece lining.

Before you can attach the front buckles, you'll need to sew the outer shell to the lining at the top and around the arm holes, leaving gaps where the webbing would be slipped in. Turn right side out. Don't worry about the cuffs and hole in the center front, you'll deal with that later.

Front buckle: Slip webbing through the buckle slot and slide it in the front gaps. Topstitch in place.

Back buckle: This one's more complicated. First, sew the webbing onto the middle adjuster slider bar. Secondly, slide the buckle clip on the other end. Thirdly, weave the webbing in, over, and back into the adjuster. Then pull the webbing through. Once in, attach it to the back bodice strap gap and topstitch.

This part can be done a couple of different ways. I chose not to use a serger because I wanted a cleaner-looking finish. I cut a thin strip to sew on the button of the cuff on the outside and attached it at 1/16". Then flipped it over to the inside and topstitched it. The next step is to align the lining cuff to the outer shell cuff. Secure it with pins to keep it from shifting, then fold the outer cuff inside encasing the lining outer cuff in the fold. Make sure not to include the inner lining cuff with the bungee cord in it. I just shoved it up the pant leg while I was working on this. Secure with more pins and topstitch.

This is where you clean everything up by topstitching it. You'll also close the hole in the center front of the bodice that doesn't have the flap by topstitching it together. Finish up by adding in snaps.

Place the pattern pieces on the fabric, pin, then cut. You want to arrange them as close as possible so as not to waste material. Use scissors or a rotary blade.

There are quite a few pleated pieces. You can use the overall pleating method, or just topstitch it. I chose to topstitch it because the overall pleating method required an extra step and I got impatient. However, the other method aesthetically looks closer to how spacesuits are sewn. If you have the time, then I'd go with the overall pleating method.

Sew all the back bodice pieces together. For the reflective arrow, either cut it out on a cutter or by hand. Then iron on. I ended up running a flame along the edge of the black fabric to seal it from fraying. If not, then you'd have to include a seam and fold it under. Lastly, pin in place and topstitch around the patch.

Sew all the front bodice parts together. This is also the step you would add the giant red "T" logo if you're going for a more accurate representation. I'd probably do a red vinyl iron on the center front top bodice piece or make it like the back arrow patch with smaller borders and topstitch it on. Anyways, I skipped this step because my son wanted to be able to remove and add his own patches.

Piece the pocket parts together. I chose to do grey pocket lining in the front and black on the back so that when the pockets are open, it would still look like parts of the front and back bodice. Attach pockets to corresponding bodices then sew the bodice side seams, and finish off by connecting the front and back pockets together.

Sew the pleated bottom sleeve cuff together. The piping that I had purchased had a very small seam allowance so if you purchase something similar, you'll have to do an extra prep workaround. I set my sewing machine guide to sew 1/2" and placed the piping in the area it should be sewn and base stitched it in. You can see in the second image that the piping is missing a 1/8." Sew the piping to all the pieces that need it. Then start combining the under-sleeve parts. When you're done with that put all the top sleeve parts together. The top sleeve has a cuff facing that needs to be sewn in. I just serged the end that would be folded up. Once you've sewed the side seams of the top sleeve, attach the cuff facing. Sew the side seams of the stip. Next place the strip on the outside of the sleeve sew it around then flip it inward and topstitch the cuff together.

Baste the top sleeve to the lower sleeve. Work on the sleeve fin piece. Add interfacing if you want it stiffer. When you're done, attach it to the sleeve.

Sew the shoulder seams together, then attach the sleeves and collar. Add interfacing to the collar before you sew it in.

Each pattern piece should include a fleece, quilter's batting, and knit layer. I've never made a puffer jacket so I decided to use the 4 way knit so it would be easier to put the stuffing in. I wasn't sure how much stuffing I'd need. Once you sew the 3 layers together, add the stuffing in on the knit side. You actually don't need that much stuffing to make it look puffy. I overstuffed mine and had to smash it down with heavy objects so my son didn't look like a giant marshmallow in it. You probably only need half the amount I put in.

Fully sew the sleeve side seams together on one sleeve. On the second sleeve, you'll sew 1/5" in on the top and bottom of the sleeve. Leaving a giant gap for turning out the jacket in the next step.

Next, cut the knit cuff to double its size and fold it in half. Attach it to the sleeve. Prep the outer cuff by sewing the side seams together, then sew it to the cuff seam on the sleeve. From here on out, it's like sewing a basic block.

Sew the zipper in on the outer shell, then you'll sew all the way around the lining and outer shell like in photo 2. I forgot to take a photo of the step in between photos 2 and 3. Which is sewing the sleeve cuffs together. Once you've done that, it should look like an "8" from the top view down. Now you'll pull the jacket through the opening in the sleeve lining.

If this step sounds confusing, I explain this process in detail in an older tutorial on step 12.

PATCHES:

The patches were laser cut, hand-painted, and hot glued onto pins. The Nasa patch was purchased, link in supplies. If you don't have a laser cutter then you can always print it on iron-on sheets and cut it out.

HELMET:

Since the helmet's a prop and doesn't really need to function besides sitting on my son's head, I cut some corners on it. It's very much Frankensteined together. I started by covering the head form with small strips of crudely pinned on foam, then used the muslin fabric to get the rough shapes of the helmet patterns. Transferred it onto paper and cut the foam out. I hand-stitched it together because my son doesn't like the smell of barge and since it's going on his head, he gets to make the call.

When you're done with the foam base, drape out the helmet cover patterns. Cut them out and sew them together. I hot-glued the cover onto the helmet. Then made a rectangular strip for the neck cover and hot glued it onto the bottom of the helmet. To cover up all the sloppy edges, I cut out Eva foam shapes and glued them on.