Project: By hand- Thorfinn from Vinland Saga

It’s been a while since I’ve written any progress posts about my costumes. Some of the most recent projects have been just something I’ve occupied myself with or sparkled from the curiosity to try new techniques and material combinations. I also think that last year I lost something essential from this hobby. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but could describe it at enthusiasm of a sort.

I made new costumes last year and I really liked some of them and felt that I succeeded with them. But I can’t say I felt as passionate with any of them as I felt with Amira for example. I’ve been wondering why I couldn’t reach the same thrill with them as I did with her. Only now I understand that the characters just weren’t as dear and important to me as Amira and Otoyomegatari as a whole are! It seems that for me only reading and knowing the source material just isn’t enough. I need to be passionate about it to feel content.

Well, everything changed last fall, when I introduced myself to a historical manga about Vikings. Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura is just plain awesome! I was sold after couple of chapters and after I overcame the hesitance I had about cosplaying a male character, new costume project was ready to begin!

The character I chose was Thorfinn, the main protagonist of Vinland Saga. The version I started working on is probably the most recognizable design of Thorfinn; the teenage warrior during the years of the Dane invasion. I really wanted to do the ground work properly and honor the vast amount of research Yukimura have made for the manga.

I read some literature and looked up information about the patterning, stitching and materials used in Viking clothing. At some point I decided that I wanted to do something special and really authentic with the costume; sew it completely by hand. The project name in the title was actually something what we used when I discussed with Yoki about the costume, emphasizing the BY HAND bit with very throaty, vikingly yell of a sort.

It took me some time to find the right materials for the costume. It was winter season, but it became really tricky to gather suitable fabrics. It was actually a good thing, because I was forced not to rush the project, but to concentrate on different phases properly before moving onwards to the next one.

The undergarments I made from brown linen, possibly linen-cotton mix. The patterns for the trousers I drew based on a reconstructed Viking pants patterns using my measurements. The tunic is based on really generic medieval pattern I found from one of our costuming books. I sew the garments together with cotton thread and decorated them with different sorts of embroidery stitches.

The outer tunic and the capelet are made from wool with fake fur lining. To fit the color of the wooI better, I used tea to dye the white cotton thread used on the stitching. Lining the tunic's sleeves and the capelet gave some broadness to my shoulders and gave me slightly more masculine silhouette. The pattern I drafted myself, because Yukimura had pretty fine detailed images of the outfit and it was quite easy to pick the required shapes from them.

For the leather parts I used both real and fake leather. For the shoes I made an insole from stacked wool, because I didn’t want to freeze my feet when walking outside.

The dirks or short swords I made from plywood. Never again will I craft plywood props during winter, because working outside in the cold with power tools and all the clothes you could possibly have on is not fun at all… The grip for the heritage blade I made from Worbla. For the second blade I stitched a piece of pleather over the plywood after I had sanded it to the right shape.

The last thing to do was to weather and dirty everything up! I used acrylic paints diluted with water to add stains to the clothes. The costume was finished three days before the debut at Desucon Frostbite. I also was able to finish a long cape for Thorfinn, which he wears during winter season, but because the costume is hot as it is I didn’t feel the need to wear it at Frostbite.

The wig was a long one, which I cut and styled. I also added some highlights to it with Copic markers. The concacts are fully dyed lenses in color apricot. For the second day of the convention I found my misplaced make-ups and was able to add scars and cuts to my hands and face. And what come's to the basic make-up, I used Yumi's instuctions for male contouring as a reference.

At Frostbite, I got chosen to the Hall Cosplay Competition with the costume and won the first prize! I have never competed in said category, so I was super exited to even be picked from the crowd. Best wishes to everybody who were at the backstage on Saturday! I finally was able to push my shyness on the background and actually talk to people. And huge thanks to the stage managers, Ilona and the sweetest and most helpful cosplay mamas imaginable!

I’m hoping to have the costume photoshooted in some point during the winter, because it’s definitely not a summer costume. And yes, and the enthusiasm is been restored!

Deidara is ready for Cosvision

On Saturday I got to try out make-up for Deidara and also got few photos as evidence that I actually have a costume ready week before the deadline! Even if the costume is a simple one, I challenged myself to uplift it with material choices and patterning, which made the project interesting and in the end rather satisfying.

For the clothes I chose natural fiber mixes. The shirt is wool mix as are the pouch and the headband. The fabric I picked for the trousers is most likely viscose. The geta are made from plywood and the forehead protector is steel. I also made a sculpture from clay to pose with.

I got to use some parts of the Akatsuki outfit like the mesh undershirt and the wig. The ponytail was already removed, because I used the particular wig for Yuma.

Handmouth is latex cast. I used a cast of my own mouth to make it. I painted the lips with acrylics and blended the piece to my palm with basic foundation.

I used modified kimono pattern for the shirt. For the trousers I used my basic pattern with some small alterations. The pouch was pretty much cut, measure and sew-project. The belt is just a strip of fabric, but I tried to tie it like an obi.

In my opinion the best part of the costume is the geta! On Friday I felt down since everything I tried to achieve that day on costume front failed miserably. I also realized that there was only a week left to finish the costume with hectic days at work ahead. Working with power tools didn't sound that appealing or saw dust or outdoor working by any means, so I thought I'd cut some corners and cover regular flip flops with fabric and roll with them.

I made one sandal ready, stared at it and just sat there wondering could the shoes break the costume when I tried to head for authenticity? After five minutes of intense staring and reflection I had sudden change of heart. I threw the sandal into the trash bin, gathered myself, packed some clothes on and headed out to the evening. On Saturday I had neat pair of geta ready and they truly were the cherry on the cake. Sometimes all you need is some perseverance and I know that I would have let myself down if I had chosen the easy way over the obviously right one!

I thought of wearing Deidara on Saturday at Cosvision. For Sunday I will most likely pack Kofuku if nothing drastic happens... like contact lenses not arriving on time!

Cosplay is a bang, un!

Cosplay frenzy has taken over me once again! And it’s pretty nostalgic frenzy, too! It all started a week ago, when I realized that there was only three weeks until Cosvision and I had two costumes under construction that I might not be able to finish in time. And they would be too “big” to transport by stuffing them into one suitcase. So, I kind of started a new costume… But this character I’ve already cosplayed and I think he was actually one of the reasons why I got hooked to this hobby.

Of course he is Deidara! We made Akatsuki outfits for Sasori and Deidara as our second costumes in 2007. In 2010 I updated the undergarments and we had a small photoshoot. Then we have all the videos we made dressed as the characters on our Youtube account.

After the first costumes back in 2007, I considered making the flashback version of Deidara. The idea got pushed back, probably because it would’ve been solo cosplay as Sasori’s "camouflage form" was not on our to-do list. But now since I’m going to attend Cosvision without Yoki, I remembered young Deidara. A week later, here is what I’ve got!

I wanted to cast new mouths for Deidara's hands and got rather satisfying results considering it was my first time making a partial facecast on myself. I thought that making a mouth in resting position would be easier and faster for a first timer. Also I wouldn't need to make positive cast from the mouth and sculpt a whole different expression for the latex cast given the time I have before the convention. At Cosvision I'm going to wear only one mouth, because I need one fully functioning hand without a lump of latex glued on the palm.

The only things left are to construct the sandals, add some finishing stitches on the clothes and try out the make-up. I also thought about sculpting the first clay sculpture Deidara presents to the Akatsuki who came to claim him aka. the fat spider.

Amira and Karluk at Desucon Frostbite

Desucon Frostbite was held last weekend at Sibeliustalo, Lahti. It was a three day convention, but as we both had certain obligations towards work and school we only left to Lahti on Friday evening. As I wrote earlier, I crafted a costume for myself from Sandman for Saturday. I also made another costume for the weekend, but it was not for me. It was for Yoki.

On Sunday I dressed as Amira and Yoki draped herself in the multiple layers of Karluk’s outfit. When I look at the photos of us, I’m really happy how the costumes fit together; they have somewhat the same vibe, but are still totally different.

I’m truly grateful to everyone who came to talk to us, complimented the costumes or changed few words about last year’s competition. And the cuteness overload reactions were just priceless!

The photos in this post were taken by Emilia Lahtinen at Frostbite’s photobooth. I’m always so happy to get photographed by her, because it’s certain that I will love the outcome! Thank you yet again!

Photographer: Emilia Lahtinen
Costumes: Hiron/ Casualty Cosplay
Models: Yoki as Karluk, Hiron as Amira

Costume cross-section- Baby Jane Splicer

My splicer costume has only three different pieces; dress, hook and a stay-up sock. If I ever wear Baby Jane again I will finish the other hook and definitely wear a wig, since my own hair wouldn't do anymore. The wig I have planned for Baby Jane is again a remnant from last decade. The bob is actually going through one of my experiments, which this time is dyeing with ink. I might tell about that ordeal later on.

The dress was rather simple task to complete. Based on the reference pictures, the cut was easy to transfer to basic pattern, as the seams follow quite faithfully the darts on the front. The dress is made from taffeta that shifts between dark green and black. The cuffs and the collar I made from some navy blue scrap velvet, which had been conserved into the depths of the sewing locker for over ten years. Now I finally found use for it! Thank goodness, my memory served me well. Cotton velvet is so damn expensive!

I added a lining on the bust and sewed plastic boning on the seams. Hidden zipper is on the back seam and the dress has too removable navy blue shoulder straps. The hem was constructed what was left from the fabric after cutting the bust and the sleeves, which I two-pieced to get the right fit. I tore the hem with scissor and added an old fake rose on the bust.

I laughed a lot while trying to take a photo of the stay-up sock, but I think you might get the idea… I didn’t want to buy a pair of socks just to destroy one, so I made one from pair of old pantyhose. The upper part of the sock or the panel is made from the crotch part of the stockings, as its bit more durable. The suspender is just a piece of black elastic band.

The hook has its own construction post. For painting the hook I used acrylics paints, mostly grey with hues of silver and copper with black on the weathering. The red is theatrical fake blood, still tacky after six months.

The make-up had rather regular composed feel to it, but this time I used make-up latex with tiny pieces of toilet paper to make the scars, with touches of fake blood. I especially liked how my knee turned out, even if it didn’t show in any of the photos. And about the black tooth lacquer… it tastes horrible.

"I don't wanna be a real boy"

The end of the year is closing in with rabid speed, so I thought it would be good to look back in time and see what has been done. However, my pendulum faced a critical malfunction and tossed me all the way back to the year 2007 and our second pair cosplay.
The first armour, or more likely body, we ever made, belonged to a redheaded puppet master, whose peculiar frame has raised many questions. My new mission was to retrieve the armor from the depths of a wardrobe and make a short briefing about it, answering the scattered questions.

Cosplay memoirs: Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Akon from Bleach

After browsing through old folders I had to make a post about our third cosplay together. We did quite many things with these costumes that we had never done: Yoki worked with insulation foam and I had a lesson from make-up and prosthetics, if Akon’s horns can be called that way. We attended to two different conventions with the costumes. Mayuri and Akon was our second day duo. The first day we wore Sasori and Deidara. The order was everything, because otherwise Sasori would have had weird dark smudges on his face.

What we learned from Mauyri and Akon was that always try out full face make-up beforehand. The morning was one of the most hectic ones we have ever had. Curses, oh the curses. Of course it took few years to rub in, because about year later the morning we got ready with Jasdero and Debitto could not be called calm in any way. In my opinion we survived quite well with Luminara and Barriss this year. Ho-ho, that's four years later...

The photos are taken from Ropecon, 2007.

Baby Jane made her first appearance

Even if my Halloween didn’t go quite as I planned, I got my Baby Jane costume ready for a test shoot. Yesterday I scraped together the accessories for the costume; a corsage that I happened to find from my drawer and a black stay-up.

I couldn’t force myself to buy a proper pair of stay-ups just to ruin them. Instead I took a ridiculously cheap pair of stockings I had lying around. I cut the legs and made the wide top panel from the upper part of the pantyhose. Then I just sew the pieces together with a serger. I haven’t weathered the dress aside from cutting and tearing the hem, so there is still some smearing, ripping and burning ahead.


For the make-up I used different eye-shadows, some grey crème make-up, red lipstick, fake blood and 3D-gel. This was my second time working with the gel and I think I made some progress with it. The only down side this time was that the gel didn’t stick. It started to peel away especially around the mouth. While teasing my hair I came to a conclusion that I might buy a wig for this particular cosplay even if I didn’t originally plan to. I’m trying to decide whether to go with the concept art style or the dark bob. The bob is actually starting to intrigue me more and more.


By the way, is it just me or does anyone else get a questionable 80’s vibe from the dress?

Costume cross-section- Barriss Offee

In our version of Barriss’ costume there is seven different pieces; cape, scarf, cowl, dress, belt, shoes and lightsaber. I’ve seen other costumers and cosplayers with different solution. Some have done separate shirt and skirt or cowl attached to the cape itself. You can’t really tell how the costume is constructed when it’s on, so I went on with a way that was most suitable for us and my way of costume making.

The cape fabric was something we really searched for. Finally we accepted this synthetic fiber mix we found from local fabric store. It has velvety or brushed cotton type surface, but the inside looks like what you would use in a shell suit. Gladly, the printing emulsion worked on the synthetic fabric. We used a stencil roughly a size of an A4 sheet and used pearly blue and silver opaque colors from EMO-tuotanto. Needless to say, the process took days! Still it was bit faster than printing Luminara’s cape.


The cape is pretty much straight pieces of fabric. The back is gathered to eight large folds, which I sewed on a shoulder panel. The front is double layered and lifted from the front to the tip of the shoulder and sewed on place. The hood is patterned rather freely, it’s supported by iron on backcloth and the whole thing is lined with black acetate. The cape has hidden hook fastening on the front.


The scarf is actually my old “pashmina” scarf I bought for few pounds from London. I just cut it in half and thus sacrificed it to cosplay goddesses.


The cowl is sewed from leftover pieces of the cape. It fastens with hooks on the back of the neck.

The dress has four different fabrics on it. The top layer of the shirt is made from two crinkled and detailed tricot fabrics. As a lining is used lycra tricot on the bust in two layers to prevent transparency. The hem is made from heavy knit fabric with 5% elastane to ensure decent fall and flow. To make the look on the middle section of the bust according to references, I sew pin tucks for more detailed look.


The hem is half circle as the upper part of it is more or less like a tube. I sew the shirt part and hem part separately and joined them as a last step. If I wish to change the hem, the cut on it is slightly lower than the reference because in my mind it fitted Yoki’s physique better, then I can do it easily without having to seam rip the sides.


Yoki made the belt buckle from pulp board, craft foam and some yarn. Here is a link to a post she made about it. The belt is made the same way as Luminara’s; with brown pleather on top and awning fabric on the back to give support. Barriss’ belt is little darker than Luminara’s, so I used a sponge to rub dark grey acrylic paint thinly on the pleather. It actually worked really well. The acrylic set on the pleather nicely and didn’t crack even if I tried stretching it.


The black boots were found from same second hand shop as Luminara’s. There are five decorative buckles on the sides and reasonable heel to walk. Price for the boots was something ridiculous, like ten euros.


The lightsaber Yoki made from pulp board tube this time from plastic wrap container, craft foam, putty, black electricity tape, silver spray paint and finally screws and plaster buttons as details.

Costume cross-section: Luminara Unduli

Luminara's costume consist of ten different pieces. From top to bottom; headpiece, cape, brooch, shirt, arm guards, pair of belts with large buckles, waist cloth, skirt and shoes. She is also carrying lightsaber somewhere under her cape.


There is actually a pair of post, where I go through the construction of the headpiece. In short, it's made from mosquito net, modeling paste, small piece of foam and few different fabrics. The trim on the head piece is still not finished, I still need to add two decorative ribbons to it.

The cape ate five and half meters of brown wool, which I printed by hand. I used black pigment and the base emulsion for fabric printing from EMO-tuotanto. It was bit risky to use the colors on wool, because they are meant for on cotton and cotton mixes. The printing process took several weeks, because I had to do a negative print, meaning that I had to cut the pieces separately.


The idea for the pattern came from Yoki. After browsing through Rebel Legion forums I found credible verification for the plan. The whole body of the cape is actually one big piece of fabric. The sleeves form when the fabric is pulled from the hem up to the shoulder. There is narrow yoke on the front with snap and hook fastenings.

The back of the cape is heavily draped. The drapes are sewed to piece of fabric tape on the waist. The hood is only for a show. How would you wear a hood with the huge headpiece anyway? I modeled the hood on my fitting dummy before sewing it on the cape.


The base of the brooch is pulp board. The rest of the body is modeling paste and hand-twisted wire. The brooch is painted with acrylics. The body is black and green mixed together and the wires are copper and gold. I used a tooth pick to paint the wires. The fastening is a safety pin, which is glued to the brooch a with a piece of fabric.


The shirt fabric was originally beige cotton tricot. I machine dyed it with cotton lace I used on the skirt. The pattern of the shirt is pretty basic. The front panel is striped with crooked pin tucks on the wrong side of the fabric. The ribbons are braided from strings of pleather. The high turtle neck has a zipper on the back, so that the garment would be easier to get on and off.


The arm guards and the front cloth are made with same materials and techniques. The figures are craft foam painted with acrylics and glued on brown leather. The details are made with different tools, like hair pins and a seam ripper. The arm guards fasten with Velcro, which is actually movie accurate solution. The cloth fasten with Velcro to the belt higher on the waist.


The belts are made from brown pleather. They both have black awning fabric as lining to make them sturdy. The belts fasten from the back with to poppers. The buckles are made from pulp board and paper. They are painted with acrylics in gold and copper and weathered with watercolors. I like to use watercolors instead of acrylics, because they stick too fast and don't spread well even when rubbed.


The skirt has two layers. Ribbed, black cotton forms the first one with cotton lace that I had dyed earlier. Black cotton acts as lining underneath to give support to the first layer, which would be too limp alone and not hold the required A-line form. I had my old petticoat with two hoops the first time I wore the costume.


The boots are brown leather with warm tone, even if the color looks grey on the photo. There is three copper colored buckles on the side and moderate wedges. And they were found unexpectedly from a second hand shop for seven or eight euros. Good bargain.


The lighsaber is made from a pulp board tube stolen from aluminum foil container, soft foam, glue, putty, screws, plaster buttons and black tape. The body was painted with silver and chrome sprays and the golden details with acrylics. I like the result a lot and the fact that is was virtually a free prop. All the materials used was found from our cosplay workshop.

Writing this made me realize that there is still some work to do with this costume like dyeing the cape darker and making the decorations on the headpiece, but I think I'll manage to finish everything before the next wear, which will be at Tampere Kuplii next spring.