First cosplay experience

It took me several years to not be afraid to wear a costume in public. And for my first costume project, I had set the bar high: I wanted to wear the Astrologian’s dress from the game Final Fantasy XIV. I realized that it was a little ambitious to start cosplaying (note that my sewing experience was limited until then to small projects like pencil cases or tote bags)…

Cosplay FF14 Astrologian
Astrologian — Pattern used to make the skirt — Assembling the panels of the skirt on the wrong side

I started the skirt but put it aside soon after. Nearly a year later I decided to go back to sewing. Unfortunately with the time I had left before the event I attended, it would have been impossible to finish everything on time since I was not far enough in the sewing and accessories. Because of that, I made the decision to make another costume instead. The search for something less complex (combined with a little nostalgia) led my choice to another online game character: the Swordman from Ragnarok Online. The astrologian will be for another time!

Ragnarok Online Swordman
Ragnarok Online Swordman

It was not a foregone conclusion. Although the set had fewer pieces, jewelry and details, it would not be super easy to make. Other than sewing, I had to work with EVA foam and paint it…

Transfer of patterns on the EVA foam
Transfer of patterns on the foam

Since this was my first costume, I made a few mistakes and had to start over again, but I also learned a lot. I would like to contribute to the other cosplay tutorials that exist across the web (including those of KamuiCosplay that I really like) by sharing the making of my costume. With a mini-series of articles on my first project (and perhaps others to come), I hope that I will be able to bring some complementary information and help others to advance their costume making… To be continued in the next article, dedicated to the skirt!