How to Make Your Own Cosplay Clothing
Cosplay, or costume play, outfits imitate fictitious characters from movies, TV and comic books. The trend began in Japan, where cosplay adherents would dress like famous manga or anime characters . It soon expanded to America, and today includes figures such as superheroes, Star Trek characters and movie icons like Indiana Jones. With a knack for sewing and a little hard work, you can create a cosplay outfit for a convention, party or Halloween parade.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Needle
- Thread
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Thimble
- Accessories
- Measuring tape
Instructions
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1
Decide upon a character you wish to emulate. Ideally, it's a character who you physically resemble in some way, but it doesn't have to be. Some characters have multiple different looks: for instance, Luke Skywalker's white outfit in the original "Star Wars" is much different than his black garb in "Return of the Jedi." Pick the specific look you want and stick to it.
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2
Examine the source material for your cosplay character--the movie, TV show or comic series--and break the outfit down into fabric, color and possible pieces. A number of cosplay websites can help you single out proper fabric for the look, as well as the number of pieces it will take. (Dividing a costume into multiple pieces makes the task more approachable when you begin.)
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3
Measure yourself to get an idea of the fitting, then draw up a basic pattern for your costume.
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4
Purchase fabric of the color and constituency you need to put your costume together. You'll also need thread of a matching shade and possible accessories such as belts and boots. Cosplay stresses accuracy, so make sure you know exactly which components are required.
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5
Sew each piece of the costume together according to the pattern you've made. Keep track of which piece goes where, and if you get frustrated on one piece, move to another.
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6
Try your costume on and see how it fits, then make any adjustments or changes to get the final details as comfortable as possible.
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Tips & Warnings
Cosplay outfits often take quite some time to put together. If you want to assemble it for a specific event, make sure you start early enough to finish it on time.
It's also a good idea to purchase more fabric than you think you need. That way, if you make a mistake, you won't have to rush out in the middle of the process and purchase more supplies.
Be careful when weapons are involved. While a samurai sword or authentic pistol may complete the look perfectly, many conventions place strict restrictions on dangerous weapons and won't allow you to carry them.
