<p>There are a number of ways to do this and still keep the material flexible.  Here are a couple that lend themselves to low-quantity, low-cost applications:</p>
<ul>
<li>Start with a sandwich of foam rubber, like EVA, between two layers of fabric.  The outer layer of fabric needs to be a little stretchy, and the backing fabric non-stretch.  Use spray adhesive to bond the layers together.  Use a heatable metal template in a press to create the pattern.</li>
<li>Use a vacuum table to suck the fabric (should be a little stretchy), into a template of the pattern.  Apply a coating to the back of a material that bonds with the fabric but is thick enough to not soak through it, and dries rubbery, like silicone caulk.</li>
<li>Like the previous method, suck the fabric into a pattern template on a vacuum table.  Insert pre-cut patterns of foam, like EVA, into the cavities.  Apply fabric glue to the ridges of the pattern and bond a non-stretch backing fabric.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are also a few other ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>For large quantity runs and complex designs, you can invest in creating mating metal dies (expensive).  The fabric is coated on the back with a material like silicone and then pressed in the dies to emboss it, typically with a hydraulic press.</li>
<li>It's possible to get the appearance of deep embossing by silk screening with puff ink.  If the color is matched to the fabric and a fuzzy fabric is used, the ink can look like the fabric.  But I'm not aware that you can give the ink a surface texture.  So this would not be a way to replicate something like the Captain America suit, where the fabric texture is very visible.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-25T20:38:48.370Z
2021-12-29T16:44:44.297Z
2021-12-29T16:44:44.297Z
fixer1234
<p>What is the technique/fabric technology to make raised surface pattern as seen on Captain America suits (see the image below)? At first sight, I thought it was quilting pattern, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that there is no stitching line at all around the bumpy pattern! It is so fascinating!
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/QpMgT.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/QpMgT.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-27T11:36:57.100Z
The key word here is "embossing". If you look online for "emboss fabric" you'll find a lot of options.
Joachim
<sewing><fabric><material-identification><costume-design>
Captain America suit's raised surface pattern?
Tan En De
# Captain America suit's raised surface pattern?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-25)

What is the technique/fabric technology to make raised surface pattern as seen on Captain America suits (see the image below)? At first sight, I thought it was quilting pattern, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that there is no stitching line at all around the bumpy pattern! It is so fascinating!
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/QpMgT.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/QpMgT.jpg)

**Tags:** sewing, fabric, material-identification, costume-design

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The key word here is "embossing". If you look online for "emboss fabric" you'll find a lot of options.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-12-25. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

There are a number of ways to do this and still keep the material flexible. Here are a couple that lend themselves to low-quantity, low-cost applications:

* Start with a sandwich of foam rubber, like EVA, between two layers of fabric. The outer layer of fabric needs to be a little stretchy, and the backing fabric non-stretch. Use spray adhesive to bond the layers together. Use a heatable metal template in a press to create the pattern.
* Use a vacuum table to suck the fabric (should be a little stretchy), into a template of the pattern. Apply a coating to the back of a material that bonds with the fabric but is thick enough to not soak through it, and dries rubbery, like silicone caulk.
* Like the previous method, suck the fabric into a pattern template on a vacuum table. Insert pre-cut patterns of foam, like EVA, into the cavities. Apply fabric glue to the ridges of the pattern and bond a non-stretch backing fabric.

There are also a few other ways:

* For large quantity runs and complex designs, you can invest in creating mating metal dies (expensive). The fabric is coated on the back with a material like silicone and then pressed in the dies to emboss it, typically with a hydraulic press.
* It's possible to get the appearance of deep embossing by silk screening with puff ink. If the color is matched to the fabric and a fuzzy fabric is used, the ink can look like the fabric. But I'm not aware that you can give the ink a surface texture. So this would not be a way to replicate something like the Captain America suit, where the fabric texture is very visible.


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