Princess Mononoke: San progress

 

I've finally had time to work on a costume. Last time I worked on this costume was either 2016 or 2017! I had only finished the dress, apron, some of the jewellery, and the mask/ears.

The mask is based on a tutorial by chezlin on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUF7gCnH4OI&ab_channel=chezlin I highly recommend her videos. She gives very clear instructions, and most of the materials she uses are easy to find.

The weapons are also based on Chezlin's tutorials 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy24upuW0Hw&ab_channel=chezlin

I used bamboo, card, and red cord. I did paper-mache the blades to add strength. The cord was shiny, so I weathered it with acrylic paint.

The faux fur for the cloak is from Mohair Bear https://www.mohairbearmakingsupplies.co.uk/fabric-room/faux-fur-fabrics/long-pile-faux-fur-fabrics 

If I were to buy the fur now, I would have chosen fur with variegated colour rather than plain white. Even animals with solid coloured coats have colour variety in their fur, and some different coloured hairs would have looked more natural than the plain white fur. 

The cloak is held on with the necklace. There are hidden buttons sewn on the cloak, and the necklace attached to those.

I hemmed the cloak by hand because I didn't like the look of the raw edges. 

The ears are made of thick card. The idea was to make them lightweight: cardboard might have been a better choice, but this card is probably more durable. Originally I just sewed the ears on to the fur hood, but they were much too floppy.

To fix the floppy ears, I cut a rectangular piece of EVA foam and glued it to the inside on the hood, then sewed the ears through the foam and fake fur. The base of the ears pushes against the foam, stopping them from flopping around. The foam also helps the mask to stay on, though I am thinking of adding a strap for extra security. 

In my first San costume I wore uggs, but I decided to try making my own boots. This is the same faux suede material that I used for the apron. I used two tutorials for guidance:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/paleoplanet69529/moccasins-101-how-to-make-one-piece-moccasins-t14813.html 
http://kalizk-kreations.blogspot.com.mt/2016/10/building-sanboots

The faux suede is backed with interfacing to add some structure. I am thinking of sewing a thicker material to the soles. The original plan was to glue foam to the sole, but that would make it a bit difficult to put these boots on.