Fabric for an art car?

[uncle sticky]

We're dong a 4 foot radius sphere, and are looking to cover it in black, stretchy fabric that is opaque during the day, but will be more transparent when lit from the inside. Lycra comes to mind, but we need 200 s.f., or about 40 yards, which is expensive! Good alternatives, or a good, cheap source for the fabric?

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to the Preparation board, since that's a better fit for general preparation questions.

Lycra's what I'd use too (though double or triple up on your fire extinguisher plans and keep a relatively safe distance at burns). Yes, it's really expensive... but building a mutant vehicle ain't cheap!

If you've got a decent garment district near you, go there and start looking in person. If not, look for the best fabric stores within a few hundred miles of you, and go visit 'em. Bring a flashlight that's roughly similar to the brightness of the lights you're thinking of using underneath. If online's your only option, start surfing and ordering samples. Don't be afraid to fork out a couple bucks for samples on some sites. If you see something that might be 'the one' buy a yard and test it.

You should also double check your math, as 200 square feet is definitely NOT 40 yards. At the places we shop, lycra's usually sold on 60 inch rolls. So one yard is 15 square feet. 14 yards should get you there, 15 buys you a little wiggle room. Still spendy, but not anywhere near 40 yards (believe me, I've built a couple vehicles that used 40 yards... it's a big chunk of the budget, but worth the expense).

[uncle sticky]

Damn these english units! Right, 5 feet across, 3 feet long, 15 s.f., so 15 yards will be 225 sf. thanks!