Princess Zelda Costume

My daughter Aviendha or Avie for short is wearing the costume. She came to me and my mother in law who was visiting from Florida at the time, that she wanted to be Princess Zelda this year. I looked which one she wanted to be as there is more than version and of course she picks the hard looking one. So me and my mother in law who ill change her name for the story purpose, sat down to think about how we could do it and if it was doable. The sewing I know she can do she used to own a business sewing so it was to me for cost of materials, time and ability for the armor and jewelry which looks easier than what it was that's for sure.

So we went yard saling and found the white satin dress for $1.00 and bought it. At that point it was official we were going to do it. I went on YouTube and went crazy trying to find out how to make armor since all the halloween stores didn't carry anything even close to what I needed and online didn't have it either except whole outfit for around $100.00. No thanks.

After about 1 week of searching I found a great video on how to make armor type items out of craft foam which is cheap around .99- 1.50 depending in thickness you buy. Jewelry buy the thin type armor buy the medium to thick thickness. I used all thick and wish I used thin on the waist and necklace pieces. It was harder to cut and shape. I also went online to find patterns and them printed out at kinkos. This is good if your adult but not so great for achild I had to redo some by cutting down patterns without messing up designs ( armor pieces and necklace mostly), and taping them together to fit properly for her size. The necklace I had to draw myself by hand so you have to have some drawing skills if doing for child or a printer that will print odd sizes.

We went to goodwill to search fabric and materials to see what we could find for the purple vest and the banner aka Diadem that hangs down dress. We found blue satin napkins and used 2 of them for the top of the banner and a satin green pillow case for the bottom of the banner. We also used a white table runner for the pattern stabilizer to attach the napkins and pillow case to. We spent around a whopping 2.10 for them since if was half off day. We also put heat bond that I already had Inbetween the stabilizer runner and the front fabric pieces to help hold them more. We used drapery binding for the edges of the cut pattern parts and to help it tie in with the vest on top of the dress. I used markers for the bottom design and cardstock for the upper designs and painted them with a sponge brush for textured effect and then super glued it to the blue fabric. I liked this better than using the paint marker on the fabric as I found the marker to bleed into fabric. The puffy paint for yellow tri-star and pink for the design around it cost .99 each at the craft store. I still have tons left for future projects. You could use markers but I don't think it'd get that expensive royal look to it as I wanted. So 2.00 was fine me to spend but markers is another option.

We went back to goodwill again and found a purple kids witches costume just the pullover part for $1 and bought that for the vest. We cut the sleeves off, resized the new straps and cut the curve from the front down to a curved v in the back and used the drapery binding to hem the edges. The drapery binding was on sale at hobby lobby for about $3.00. The border on the bottom of dress was also on sale at same store and I spent $4.99 it was in ribbon section.

The chain connecting banner with waist piece and then to the vest was an old chain belt I had gotten at a goodwill awhile ago for a few dollars less than $5.00 of I can remember. So pretty cheap.

The crown was made from an old headband I had lying around and I spray painted it gold. The best kind that gives a real real metallic finish wether silver or gold is the brand is Rust-o-Leum I spent $3.99 at Home Depot. I had bought this real expensive brand at Walmart that ha primer and paint and it was more copper and not metallic like it said. Buy the brand above its almost half the price and true metallic. Anyhow the gems came from a wedding garland out of the wedding section at hobby lobby on sale for $4.99. I taped the gems and painted the wired gold had the kid untape them all that night. For three days I played with the design till I came up with one I loved. I painted the green ones with fingernail polish I already had. I used wet-n-wild brand they are .99 at Walmart usually. I used wire that my mom had let me borrow and only used it when the wire the gems were attached to weren't long enough rarely happened. After awhile I cut them and hot glued them in place.

Everything else was made out of craft foam, hot glue and spray paint. I spent $5 on my craft foam
And have 3 pieces left. I bought to many so would have spent 2.50. Hot glue I already had but you can get for cheap at target, Walmart, craft store etc. I traced my patterns onto cardstock, only after doing it on regular paper they were printed on and found them to move to much when tracing onto foam board and you can't make mistakes on the foam
Board, so I transferred them to cardstock and it was much better. So use cardstock not paper for pattern tracing.

I had to custome make all the pieces except the waist piece that pattern was fine. Cut the patterns out and then used the stove to heat the foam to shape them. Here is link to YouTube video showing this process I'm talking about. ( https://youtu.be/M2wluN_oJ7I), after you shape them you need to put a stabilizer fabric on it. I went back to goodwill to find something I could use. I found bedskirts and bought the one that was half off spent 2.50 and used the white part in the middle for the stabilizer. You put glue on the foam then the fabric then more glue. Let it dry and then cut off excess. Make sure your shape is still good and then do your 3-d hot glue design or puffy paint if you have a little area I had allot of area and used hot glue. Let dry and then spray paint or hand paint with acrylic paint. Some people like to use black to darken parts of armor but Zelda's is bright gold usually so I skipped this step.

To make the gems I used hot glue. I took a piece of cardboard and make droplets of glue in the sizes and shapes I was trying to go for ( don't lift tip out of glue till you have amount, size and shape to where you want it. If you take it out and put it back in and squeeze out more if will not be smooth like gems are supposed to be). After dry about 1 hour or more I left overnight I painted them 1 red the others green with nail polish and then a clear coat of polish for shine. The only gems that are not made from hot glue is the hanging one from the waist that is actually a recycled cake design jewelry piece I used on my daughters bday cake 2 years ago, and the hanging bunches on the necklace those are left over ones from the crown I didn't use and just painted them and got glued then together to make the pattern shape.

We bought the gloves from goodwill for $5 and my husband used a sponge brush and blotted the design from a stencil I made onto the glove.

The elf ears are made from craft foam also and some hot glue to make the veins. I had to custom make the pattern as their were no kids ones online. I took a mold of her ear using aluminum foil so I could use that as a starting point for where the ears would start since they start about half way up your ear. I wanted them to point up and curve a little bit as the real zelda does and then flipped it over and traced it again for the other ear. I figured out the shape for the back of ear drew that one up as curve is much bigger so it can rest on back of ear right and then tape them together with the front side backwards and the back side facing you and drew them together on the paper as one piece. That way when you fold it together it comes out correctly. You use hot glue to draw veins in the top of the ear only and not the tip on super glue shut along the edges. This one was the hardest it took me 4 days to get the pattern correct. I used makeup to color the ears lighter for my daughters skin tone and used dark browns so shade the veins so they pop out. I was supposed to put hairspray on it to make it stay in place (makeup) forgot and it came off except the foundation. Oh well. I used eyelash glue (duo) to stick it to her real ear or you can use spirit gum. I already had eyelash glue so that was free.

On the armor I used elastic to help hold it on her shoulder and sidearm. It was perfect for the sidearm but suggest using wire to connect the top with the bottom and only use elastic for side arm. The top kept slipping off shoulder here and there. I just ran out of time and used elastic instead. The necklace is supposed to go just under the edge of the top shoulder armor but mine didn't because I custom drew it so I just pinned it to her shirt with a sewing pin. Worked like charm stayed in place.

I punched holes in the waist piece, banner and bottom of vest and connected old belt to each piece to hold the banner in place. The sword was bought at goodwill for a couple bucks my daughter bought it. So it couldn't have been much, she only had $10 and she bought stuff at another store. It was a ninja sword and didn't go with the theme of zelda so I used left over fabric from the witch costume used heat bond to hem edges on ends and the wrapped it and hot glued it shut. To cover this up and make it look royal looking I used left over drapery binding and came up with a snake like curve to it so you see it from any angle she's holding it, it also gives it a great grip because its raised and not flat. I ended it with wrapping it around base of sword and then painting stopper pie e and bottom of sword metallic gold and spray painting the blade from
Grey to metallic silver. I already had silver paint from previous costume years back but its the same brand I mentioned above. Best silver paint ever. Fabulous finish and very very metallic. Great for Xmas ornaments and for spraying leaves, pinecones etc for Xmas decorations, gold to if you like that color.

Anyhow it took us 4 weeks of research, shopping and more research and doing to make this. I have never done anything so challenging in all my life but now that I've done it'll be so much easier next time and faster. I was so scared of the armor and procrastinated and I shouldn't have, it's easier than it looks at least the shaping part and painting part is. I'm glad I challenged myself on this and I'm proud of how it came out and about how we used unusual fabrics and items to make them and it helped me stay within a good budget I say, and I have plenty left over for future projects. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Who says napkins, pillow cases, tables runners, bedskirts, hot glue, thread and needle, craft foam and some paint cant make something beautiful? Now I know you can recycle and make anything out of well, anything if you put your mind to it. Another mans trash became our treasure. Have a Happy halloween.