*This Costume has sold*
Debuted Anime Boston 2009
I love how this Costume turned out! It was fairly comfortable to wear, though it did get a little hot sometimes in late may. It was a blast walking around carrying my huge scythe as it drew a lot of attention. I was thrilled with the positive response to my outfit and I thank everyone who complimented me or took the time to ask for my photograph.
Why I made this costume- I made this costume because I was approached by a friend who wanted to do a large cosplay group. I started watching the series and really loved it! Maka is a great character and her costume is pretty cool. And I have the right build to cosplay her.
Construction:
Wig – This costume started at the wig. I bought a wig from Amphigory.com…I can’t remember which one, but it already had bangs and was pretty thick. I think it was a Sindi. Anyway, I parted the ponytails and added extra wefts of hair to the parting of the wig so that the mesh would not be exposed. Once the wefts were in I worked patiently to get all the of the hair into poigtails without bumps or uneven patches. I secured the hair with elestics and glue and then covered the elastics with more hair. Then I trimmed the bangs and thinned the pig tails because Maka’s hair is very thin and I had a TON of hair in these pig tails. More than half of it needed to come out.
Boots – I made the boots from a pre-existing pair of Bogo boots. I used white acrylic paint and white broadcloth to make the straps, and model magic fo rthe buckles held on with hot glue.
Jacket – the jakcet was quite a task to make. I used the same pattern that I had used for my chrno jacket. The only problem was that this jacket needed to be fitted, and this pattern was way too big for me. Oops. So after the jacket was made, I went to work altering what I probably should have taken into account before cutting the fabric. 😛 I used several different guess-and-test methods of fitting the jacket to my shape and getting it to flare out like Maka’s. She is so thin! And her jacket fits her so closely! I ended up sacrificing a little mobility in the arms for accuracy’s sake, but its not so bad. I am pleased with the way the buttons turned out and black fabric is good for hiding stray stitches ^__^;;; I am very happy with the cuffs and collar! they couldn’t have gone any better.
Under Jacket – Under her jacket, Maka has a yellow sweatervest, a white dress shirt and a plaid skirt. because I would simplty MELT with three layers on at the end of May, I decided to skip the sweater vest and shirt, and just sew the bottom of a sweater to a sleeveless T-shirt. This will be a much cooler option and keep me cool all con long. The skirt is real, however, made from scratch.
Scythe – The scythe was a ton of fun to make, and my first large prop ever!! (I tried making a Tetsaiga in 7th grade but to no avail.) I started with a light-weight curtain rod, painted silver. I made the blade out of two layers of craft foam covered in duct tape. Attached to a strengthed paper towel roll, stabilized with two pieces of wood, cut on an angle. Then I used model magic and foam to construct the decorative elements. The blade is removable so that I can fit it in my car. 🙂 It was painted with care over two days.
All in All, this costume only took about a week’s worth of work to make, though I spread that time out over several months because I was away at school and only worked on it a little when I was home for Christmas break.
I cannot wait to wear this costume again. It is my new favorite and my first costume to win me any sort of official recognition.
Good blog with some exciting information. I’ll be back.
Hi, just needed you to know I have added your website to my Google bookmarks due to your extraordinary blog layout. But seriously, I believe your website has 1 on the freshest theme I’ve came across. It really helps make reading your blog a lot easier.
I am trying to get a soul eater cosplay for animenext in central jersey and was wondering if you would like to join? great experiance if you havent gone also it would be great to see a magnificiant Maka running around.
i’ll do a little research on Anime Next. I’ve never been before and I don’t even know what time of year it is held!
hey i saw your cosplay on google and i was wondering… how did you make thesword… i have this anime con on 15 days and i am gonna play maka with my other frinds… if you can help me plis it would be great!
Hello,
To make the scythe I used a long wooden dowel from Lowes, and painted it. Then I used foam core board covered in duct tape and some other cardboard to make the blade and attached it to the poll by leaving a tight space in the blade for the poll to slide into. I used Model Magic for the molding.
the curtain rods that we use are made of aluminum instead of still, the good thing about it is that they are very lightweight compared to steel
aluminum curtains rods are much lighter than those steel rods that we previously used .’:
I really love your site design, did you create this yourself or pay a site designer to code it?
Love your site man keep up the good work
There is obviously a lot to consider about this. I suppose you made certain nice points in features also.
Thanks for such great information. Mind if I make a post about it on my blog?
I wanted to say I really enjoy your site, thanks of posting.
I actually came here since this particular post was tweeted by a girl I had been following and am delighted I made it here.
I discovered this blog site from my cousin. You should submit this to rss directories. It would help people find this more easily. Thanks!
[…] Maka Albarn (Soul Eater) January 2010 15 comments 4 […]
Hey! So I am planning on being Maka for a local con and I had a few questions for you. Like you I am making my outfit from scratch, which will be interesting since it will only be the 2nd and most complicated cosplay outfit I have made myself. I was wondering how many yards of black material did you use for the Jacket? Also did you use a thick material or a thin material? Also any advice for making this outfit? I dont have any patterns so I am doing it all off the top of my head and any advice will be appreciated. Also I saw that you went with a group and was wondering if the rest of your group made their costumes or if they bought them. I am getting a small group together and we are gonna have Maka, Kid, Eruka, Tsubaki, and possibly Blair. Any advice for the other costumes? Sorry I just bombarded you with a ton of questions, haha! I am so excited for this con and I am so glad that I have about 4 months to prepare. Thanks for the help!
Well! That is a lot of questions. First off the number of yards you will need for your coat depends on how big you are. I think I used about 4 1/2 yards, and I’m a dress size 1. If you don’t want to use a pattern, I still suggest that you look at one to help you determine the amount of fabric you will need. If you go to Joanns and pick up a coat pattern that looks about what you want, on the back of the pattern package you will find size charts that correspond to lengths of fabric. Remember to add extra fabric for added length. If you have never made a coat or sewn on sleeves before, I highly recommend using a pattern at least to draft the sleeves. If you have experience sewing sleeves and feel comfortable drafting your own, go for it. My only real advice with Maka’s coat is to remember that it is a very tailored coat which fits her very snugly in the sleeves and shoulder. However you don’t want to be uncomfortable in the finished product. Maybe start with the coat a little bigger than you’d like, and take it in gradually.
The rest of my group, e.i. Death the Kid and Soul both made their costumes themselves. For Kid, you may be able to find an old suit in a second hand store that you could tailor. His costume is also very fitted, and should be carefully and gradually taken in, if you are not using a pattern.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know. 😀
Like someone else discussed what a great blog this is. Generally I dont take the time with a comment but for your time you will get one. Perfectly
Hi I love your cosplay! i am also going to a con as maka in a few months i have already constructed the jacket out of a fitted dress and cut out the bottom to make the opening and put interfacing on the inside to keep it a little poofy. i am just having a problem with the cuffs do you have any suggestions about fabric and how to go about that? I have sewing experience. also where did you find the tie and buttons?
Glad to hear you like it! For the cuffs I used double-layered broad cloth, and I actually made the buttons myself. The tie I found on ebay.
Hi! I was wondering how you made the buttons.. I’m partially building a Maka codon a and am super curious about that aspect.
Also, I LOVE you choice for the boots… this would be my optimal choice for boots. Thans for the help and descriptions on everything. ^^
I sculpted the buttons out of polymer clay! It wasn’t hard–just make sure to make a little loop on the backs so you can sew them to the jacket.
Um, just wondering, what type of material did you use for the jacket itself? or is it just black material haha ^^”
I think it was a polyester-rayon blend. One side was matte and the other was a touch shiny.
thank youu 🙂
Hi there!
I just found your website and your Maka cosplay looks amazing!
I have a question about how you sewed the wefts into the wig. I’ve read a couple tutorials on how to make it so that the wefts in the wig don’t show when they’re up in pigtails, but both ones that I read are so complicated and require a lot of sewing or criss-crossing or heating… the way you described it sounded pretty simple. I already have wefted extensions and my wig. How did you sew yours in? Thanks! 🙂
well, it’s easy if your wefts have a front and a back. As in, one side is pretty, and one side it not. Just like in sewing, you sew the wefts to the wig “right sides together” and then flip the weft to reveal the finished edge.
So, you pin the pretty side of your weft face down onto your wig with the fibers going the opposite way of how you want it finished. Then you stitch the weft to the wig, and fold the hair over so the fibers are going the direction that you want them to face. Because the weft is now folded over itself, you shouldn’t be able to see any mesh.
If you wefts do not have a pretty side, and both are unfinished, you can create a pretty side by training the fibers with heat to fold over one edge of the weft. This is a shortcut-version, and though it takes time to train the fibers in this way, it is still a lot faster and less complicated then trying to sew the weft to the inside of the wig and pull out each of the fibers by hand. (But that is another way to do it)
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you so much!
Hmmm the wefts are so small that it’s hard to tell if there’s a pretty side or not. Either way, both doing it your way and the way that makes you pull the fibers from the inside to the outside of the wig sound a lot simpler than the God Save the Queen’s criss-cross tutorial or Katie Bair’s pigtail tutorial, which are pretty much the only ones floating around the Internet right now. My cosplay doesn’t need to be amazing (in fact I’m not even going to wear a jacket for my Maka cosplay – maybe another time, but I don’t sew so I’d have to buy it), but I don’t want it to look like crap either. So thanks again! 🙂
Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is wonderful, let alone the content!. Thanks For Your article about Maka Albarn (Soul Eater) Shauna's Cosplay Pages .
I need help making a Tsubaki cosplay
Tsubaki from Soul Eater? What do you need help with?
that is sooo cute did u get the cosyume all in one piece or it all separate? if separate; where did u get the vest? ? 😦 ?
I made the entire costume myself. The vest was once an ugly men’s sweater which I cannibalized for the costume.
Great costume!!!!
im gonna play Maka in a few months and im gonna start working on my Scythe… can you please tell me how long is the blade and the pole?
Thank u soooo much ^_^
xoxo
I think that the blade is 4 feet long and the pole is about 7 feet tall from what I remember. I don’t have it in front of me at the moment. I am considering selling this costume soon, so let me know if you are interested.
I would be interested in talking with my parents about buying if I knew how much it was. I’m going to an anime fair and I need a good maka costume with a scythe
Umm…
Im going too cosplay Maka in about a month and havnt started yet(it was decidet a few days ago) but the question is: Do you still have your pattern(if you could take a pic and mail it) or where did you buy it??
The pattern to the coat i mean.
Sorry, a pattern which I can send doesn’t really exist. I drafted the pattern myself right on the fabric. I am looking to sell this costume soon, if that might help you.
well then i just have too draw it myself like you did^^
im sorry but i dont think i can buy it from you…
[…] For more photos, please click here: https://shaunartcosplay.wordpress.com…rn-soul-eater/ […]
Hi,
I’m going to cosplay as Maka at a local anime con and I am not very good at making things, especially big props. 😦 I was wondering how tall exactly did you make your scythe? Also is the blade painted or duct taped? I’m attempting to make mine look like yours because otherwise it won’t look much like a scythe…
My scythe is about 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Where are you located? I am looking to sell my scythe for cheap and if you are close enough for pick-up, maybe that’s an option for you.
I think I am going to try and make my scythe because I have already spent my money on the costume and don’t have much left. Thank you for the offer though and for the height of the scythe.
I am making my scythe and already have the wooden dowel, do you have some advise on how to make the blade part detachable but still fit snugly on the dowel, so I won’t have to worry about it falling apart during the con.
I constructed a tube from several planks of wood and strips of duct tape that fit snug over the dowel. Then I sculpted the blade mount over top.
I love youre maka cosplay and officer jenny and i was wondering if maybe you can make a pattern for souls jacket so not only can i wear it for cosplay but in real life if you can that would be awesome please try to reply back thanks,jazzy
Hi Jazzy,
I’m glad you like my costumes. If you would like to commission my to make you a Soul jacket I would be happy to take on that project, but I do not have the time to work for free and I do not sell patterns. I offer free patterns on my tutorials page located here: http://www.shaunart.net/pages/tutorials but I never sell patterns.
Theres these girls down the street from me that are obsessed with Maka. I just wanna ask, is the scythe realy that big?
If you’re asking if I photoshopped the scythe, no that is the real prop. And yes, that is how big it is in the show in proportion to the character.
if you still have this costume let me know cause i really want one but all the online anime stores charge so much and there are no anime store in my city
The costume has already sold, but I do take commissions.
Hi, this is awesome! Do you have a picture of the original boots? Are they like regular combat/army boots?
I do not have any pictures of the original boots but they were fairly straight-forward. Black leather, basic shape, zipper up the inner ankle, with laces and a buckle too.
Can I ask where you bought them?
And your idea of cutting out the sweater vest is such a good plan! It’s mostly very hot in the convention where I go! It’s very hard tough to find a yellow sweater that looks like Maka’s
No wait I take that back. I didn’t get that pair at Kohls. Those were an old Harley Davidson pair that I had worn into the ground and adapted for cosplay. However I have bought similar boots at Kohls in the past.
[edited post]
I love your cosplay, it looks amazing!! I’m curious as to what pattern you used for the jacket and any tips you have. If not, how much are you selling it for?
Thanks so much!!
Is this still for sale? My daughter wants this for Halloween!
No, I’m sorry this costume has sold.
Hay death the kid you dont have perfect symmetry
Do you have the pattern lay-out for the jacket? Also what fabric would you recommend?
I do not have a pattern for this jacket. I free-handed it. I no longer post sewing projects to this blog, but sometimes I recommend and lay out patterns for sewing on my website blog: http://www.shaunart.net
Most simple polyester will do for this jacket. If you want to elevate the project, suiting with a poly liner might be nice.