Life Fiber Cosplay

So um. I built a staff in about 4 hours tonight. 

~COMMISSIONS ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN~ This is not just for cosplay! I make regular day wear as well.

I will work on only three commissions at a time. (empty slot) (empty slot) (empty slot)

This is a guide for alternate locations for cosplay supplies. This will not cover craft stores (Jo-Ann, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Craft Warehouse, etc.) or other chain stories that carry crafting supplies, nor will it cover stores online. This guide will cover locations you might not think about for cosplay supplies.

Goodwill (and similar stories)

Goodwill is the top on my list for several reasons. Your milage may vary depending on the stores you have in your area, but I’ve found it to be a great place to go for cosplay shoes, clothing to alter, weapons and other toys to use for props, and craft supplies.

Yes, craft supplies. Goodwill often has a section devoted to bolts of fabric and other craft supplies. Again, it’ll vary, but I’ve always found yarn, craft foam, and thread there. Sometimes you get really lucky: 

Everything in the picture was being sold in a bag. All brand new or in great condition, only 4 dollars.

Creative reuse stores

This is one that will be more dependent on your area, but creative reuse stores are places that sell craft supplies and other items for cheap to promote reusing craft supplies. The best way to find one in your area is to google “creative reuse (city name)”. (For those around Portland, OR, there’s SCRAP.) I’ve walked away with full sheets of sintra, EVA foam, craft foam, styrene, acrylic, and a grocery bag full of fabric for 8 dollars. A very valuable resource.

On a similar note, if there are any stores around that repurpose housing/building supplies (Habitat for Humanity have several stores around the US), those are a great place for paint, MDF, and EVA foam. Some colleges also have a reuse space on campus, though it’s usually more office supplies.

Friends and family

Sometimes the best resources are those closest to you. Even if your friends/family aren’t cosplayers, they might have supplies. My former coworker, who does a lot of sewing, gave me eight yards of denim free of charge.

Craigslist and garage sales

This is very much a case of your mileage will vary, but you never know what you can find on craigslist or at garage sales. Check out the free sections and the arts and craft sections. This can also be a great way to get tools.

For garage sales, look up what garage sales are in your area and plot out a map. I usually hit garage sales looking for clothing to alter for cosplays and toys (for props), but sometimes you can find other things like tools or crafting supplies.

Makerspaces

This is different in that it’s not a place to find materials, but a place to gain knowledge. Makerspaces are open workspaces where you can join other like minded hobbyists to work on a project or learn a new skill. This can be a great way to learn how to use power tools or sewing or programming. See what you can find in your area!

Specialty material shops

This is really going to be dependent on the area you live in, but you might have stores that specialize in materials. Plastic stores are some of the most common, usually aimed at advertising companies. The ones we have the area usually have scrap bins where you can get large pieces of plastic for cheap (sometimes a few cents per pound). of note, Tap Plastic carries Worbla and resin casting materials.

Libraries

These were made with mirror vinyl (bought from a Chinese seller) over craft foam held together with various glues.

This is the process / tutorial used.

Use the following chart when adhering materials so they stick well:

Vinyl front to vinyl front: Super Glue / Krazy Glue

Foam to vinyl front: Coat the foam in a very thin layer of hot glue, let it dry, then use Super Glue / Krazy Glue

Foam to vinyl backing: Contact Cement / Contact Spray

Foam to foam: Hot Glue (or your favorite method…this is my preferred)

Others have used contact cement to hold the foam to the vinyl backing but because contact cement smells like death to me, I prefer the contact spray adhesive instead.

Foam and Worbla armour MEGA TUTORIAL 

So this past Anime Expo, I was constantly asked how I made/rigged up my wings for my Seraphim cosplay. I thought I’d write up how I went about making it for cosplayers who’s characters have multiple sets of wings, such as Angewomon, Lilith from trinity blood, and the like. 

(photo source x)

These are the supplies you’ll need (*will vary; this is what I used for 6 wings):

*x6  3/4″ PVC pipe 

12″x12″ 6mm sintra board 

1 flag pole bracket

*1 roll of packing foam (mine was 12″x50′)

thin/cheap fabric or whatever you want to use as a skeleton

super glue/epoxy

hot glue gun and loads of glue sticks

heavy duty fishing line 

6″ seperating zipper

canvas/duct fabric 

heat gun

dremel tool with a drill bit, rotary saw attachment, and sanding bit

screwdriver 

exacto knife/box cutter

self healing cutting mat/cutting board

scissors 

fray check

zipties (I used 10 of the 12″)

reference pictures!

***I would like to say ahead of time that these are literally my first set of big wings and that they were made with loads of mistakes. I hope you will take this rough design and improve on it! ***

The very first thing I did was cut out hundreds of feathers. I made 4 templates of varying sizes, and cut the entire roll of foam into feathers. It took a lot of time, but I think the result was totally worth it.

^ I had an entire packing box full by the time I was done, this was tray one.

I forgot to take photos of heat forming my PVC to shape, but it’s pretty straight forward. I matched up the ends of the pipe that would fit into my flag pole bracket, and drilled 2 sets of holed in each pipe. The first set towards the top of the bracket, and the second at the base. I did this so that at the end when I ziptied everything together it would be super, super sturdy. 

After the frame was shaped, I laid it over some cheap fabric and traced out the basic shape of the wing. I cut 2 of each shape, glued it to the PVC frame with hot glue!

I also apparently forgot to take photos while gluing on feathers, but this is the diagram I used as reference.

I tried to do a mix between what’s anatomically correct and the design, so the feathers are actually overlapped in the reverse of the above image. If that makes sense? 

Now onto the harness for your wings. Because I had so many wings, I wanted the weight to be distributed to my hips instead of my back. However, the costume design wouldn’t allow for a typical corset harness. I opted out for a sort of belt harness instead. It was actually really comfortably and you honestly didn’t feel the wings at all. 

I took a 12″ square of 6mm thick sintra and cut it into a 5″ width band diagonally. I also trimmed the sharp corners. 

Find your center, and line up the end of your bracket. I traced it out with a pen, and also marked where I’ll be drilling holes for the screws (included with bracket)

Now, taking one of the corners you cut off trace the bottom of your bracket a second time. I felt doubling up added extra support, and also helped the screws lay flush with the board. At this point in time you should have 2 pieces of sintra and your bracket.

Drill your holes, and glue your smaller piece of sintra to your band. Take extra care in lining up your holes, the super glue bond is ridiculously strong so take your time. Then screw in your bracket. 

Next you’re going to heat up your sintra and form it to your hips! If you think you need help, get help! I didn’t have any trouble doing it by myself though. When you’re done, you should end up with a little something like this.

You’re almost there! Next you need to make a casing for your sintra/bracket combo. What is a casing? Well in this case it’s a band of canvas that encases your sintra and allows you to wear it as a belt! 

Measure the width of your sintra and double it, add 1″ for seam allowance. As for the length you’ll be using your waist measurements, add another 1″ or two as you’ll be sewing in a zipper. Sorry I did this all very last minute and forgot to take photos of this part. You’re going to align your bracket with your casing and cut out a notch for it. Go over the cut with fray check. Place your casing over your sintra, fold in the raw edges, and sew! Do a test fit before sewing in your zipper to determine how tight is tight enough, remember you’ll have a little bit of weight pulling it back. When you’re done it should look like this.

I don’t have any picture of when I ziptied each wing in but this is how it went down: 4 of your PVC pipes are going to fit in the bracket. It’s going to be a very tight squeeze, but you’ll get them in there. The other two will be straddling the side of the bracket. Do not fret though, thanks to the holes you drilled prior, they will be on there and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. 

Now here is a word of caution, I trimmed the ends of my zipties, but two or three ended up digging into my back and I ended up tearing myself up pretty bad. So, if you’re going to trim your ends be sure they are 1″ or shorter. 

Here is the other thing, my wings were a hot mess when I got to the con. They were dropping and darn near the saddest thing I have ever seen, ever. After stopping at the repair center the problem was fixed with cord, but I would suggest using fishing line.

(photo source)

The green line is where the harness is, the blue dashed and straight lines are the cord. Blue dashed lines mean it goes under something else. Basically, the top set of wings got holes punched under the PVC frame, so that the weight is supported. It’s then strung around my shoulders, and tied around the bracket, then back over my ribs, and again around the bracket, and tied off. It didn’t cut off any circulation, and was surprisingly comfortable! However, as this was an emergency fix I wasn’t thrilled. Looking back I wish I had fishing line, but that’s what I’ll use the next time. 

Today I bolted a bunch of fabric - this is such a satisfying process!

My primary reason for bolting fabric is because it’s really, really, convenient. I don’t have to worry about bolted fabric wrinkling. I don’t have to constantly fold and unfold material when i’m working on a project - then rematch the edges every time I want to cut something from it. If a fabric is bolted then I can easily see it and estimate how much I have of it. Bolts also give you a good place to label the fabric - what type it is, where it’s from, how much you have of it, all that good stuff.

I think people assume you need a fabric store setup to have bolted fabric, but that isn’t true. Bolts (especially half bolts) can be store vertically on shelves like books, in drawers, stacked on top of bookcases or bins, or in any other way that works for you.

They are also really easy to make. In about half an hour I made a dozen half bolts (16”), eight full length bolts (31”), and four narrow bolts (24”). They are all 7.25” wide.

I used 1/2″ wide sheets of styrofoam for mine - you can get these in big sheets from Home Depot or Lowes. A normal sheet (4’ x 8’) costs less than ten dollars and is big enough to make more than a dozen full sized bolts.  I marked the dimensions onto the foam, then cut them out with a utility knife (you could also use scissors to score the lines, then break the foam by hand but it’s messier).

Then each bolt was wrapped with newsprint so styrofoam lint wouldn’t get onto the fabric. You could use wrapping paper but keep in mind that pigment from paper might transfer onto fabric over time, especially if the paper ever became damp.

For the full length bolts I fold the material in half, with the selvedges touching. I lay as much of it flat as I can, then start bolting it from one end. When doing it you move the bolt, not the fabric, and continue to lay out and adjust the material as you go. 

For half bolts the process is the same except the fabric gets folded in half once again, so the folded edge touches the selvedges. I tuck any scraps near the front of the material before I begin bolting it.

Plaster Moldmaking Tutorial