Nora Valkyrie Costume

I am wearing the costume (Samantha).

I really LOVE costuming. I make all of my own costumes and go to Halloween parties, comic conventions and other events in them. Costuming is my stress relief. It is one of my fondest hobbies.

I enjoy watching the Roosterteeth Anime "RWBY". Nora Valkyrie is a character from that show and I wanted to really take on her Volume 4 costume. I made the patterns entirely from scratch, styled the wig, sewed the gloves, dyed the shoe laces and even made the giant hammer that she wields.

The skirts were basic circle skirts made using this measurement generator (https://byhandlondon.com/pages/circle-skirt-app). For the jacket I measured myself and drew the pattern out on some spare fabric. I lined it with athletic stretch fabric to help keep me cool (I live in a desert) and sewed everything with my Brother sewing machine. For the shirt I made a tutorial on how to create the heart cut out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlYhhnbXa_k&feature=youtu.be) and I made the shirt using some techniques I learned when creating body suits.

The painting on the back of the costume was hand painted using acrylic paint mixed with a textile fabric medium. For the socks I took some tights, cut them apart and modified them so they would just peak over the boots. The hammer was probably the toughest part. I took a 2x4 and drew the pattern onto it. I cut out grooves and details using a jigsaw while the wood rested on two cinder blocks. Once the handle was crafted I used anti-fatigue floor mats, a lot of imagination and a considerable amount of contact cement to put the head together. I cemented the head to a wooden mount on the top then added some spare wood to stabilize the whole thing. I painted it and used a metal join to add the head to the handle.

This costume was made in three days. It took a great deal of experimentation and just a little frustration but I could not be happier with the result :) I LOVE wearing this costume. It's comfortable and adorable!

The photos submitted were taken by my friend Jeremy McKean who is an AWESOME photographer (www.orangeslicemedia.com). He took these for me during a shoot I insisted on having after realizing I just did not have good photos of this costume.