Debuted: Ani-Me at Asian Fest 2017
Notes:
Tokyo Mew Mew (aka Mew Mew Power) is an anime I grew up watch. It was such a huge part of my childhood! I had so many favorite characters from that show, it was hard to choose who to cosplay! I actually decided that I'll be cosplaying them all!! Ichigo's (aka Zoey Hanson's) costume is definitely one of my favorite designs from the show! It's pink and it's poofy!! Onto costume construction! I've actually shared the entire build, start to finish, in video form on my YouTube channel. But here's a quick breakdown. I created the pattern for the top from scratch. I used the duct tape method and drew my pattern on that. I then transferred it to some thrifted bed sheets and created a mock-up. I sewed that together and tried it on, making any alterations I needed. Once happy, I finally transferred that onto the real fabric. The fabric I used was a type of "satin"-like material. The right side was super shiny but the wrong side was more matte, so I used the wrong side. I strung wire through the "spikes" on her shirt and added interfacing so that they'd better keep their shape. The skirt was made using a basic skirt pattern I owned. In order for it to maintain a super poofy shape, I used horsehair braid for the first time!! It was actually really easy and I love the results! I also added a tulle skirt underneath for extra poofiness. The gloves and the boot covers were made from stretch velvet. Both were created by pinning the fabric around the area needed, cutting that out and sewing it together. I created a foam base for the ears and then glued fabric on top. The tail has thick wire running through it and is stuffed with stuffing. It would keep any bends I created in it but it was a bit too heavy to stay up. I order to get it to sit up like her's does in the reference photo below, I attached clear elastic under the bow. That clear elastic then went over my head and under the "collar". It wasn't soo heavy that it choked me or anything! It sat very comfortably. I found a giant bell for her tail on Amazon. That was tricky! The necklace/collar and arm bands are just rectangle strips of fabric. The arm bands are much longer strips than needed, so that I could bunch and gather the fabric. The prop is made from fabric and stuffed with stuffing. The rest of the pieces on it are made from craft foam. The bell (and necklace's pendant) is made from polymer clay. What was made?
Top & skirt. Arm puffs. Gloves. Ears & tail. Necklace. Leg band. Boot covers. Prop. What was bought? Nothing! Everything for this costume was made. Related Links!
Photographer: N.
Editor: Arlena Fae Reference:
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Material & Cost BreakdownEVA Foam
Material: 4mm EVA foam
Cost: $1.89 per sheet Purchased: 1 sheet Where: Joann's Fabric/Michael's Clay
Material: Polymer Clay
Cost: $3 Purchased: 1 Where: Joann's Fabric Pink Fabric
Material: Pink Satin
Cost: $6 per yard Purchased: 2 1/2 yards Where: Fabric Outlet Pink Fuzzy Fabric
Material: Pink Fuzzy Plush Fabric
Cost: $10 per yard Purchased: 1/4 yard Where: Joann's Fabric Interfacing
Material: Iron-on Interfacing
Cost: $3 per yard Purchased: 1 1/2 yards Where: Joann's Fabric Red Fabric
Material: Red Velvet
Cost: $6 per yard Purchased: 3/4 yard Where: Fabric Outlet Fur
Material: Black Faux Fur
Cost: $20 per yard Purchased: 1/4 yard Where: Joann's Fabric Bias Tape
Material: Red Bias Tape
Cost: $3 per pack Purchased: 2 packs Where: Joann's Fabric Acrylic Paint
Material: Gold, Green, Pink
Cost: $0.89 per bottles Purchased: 3 bottles Where: Walmart Elastic
Materials: Clear Elastic, White Elastic
Cost: $5 per roll Purchased: 2 rolls Where: eBay, Walmart Horse Hair Braid
Materials: Horsehair Braid
Cost: $12 per roll Purchased: 1 roll Where: eBay Mock-Up Fabric
Material: Cotton Bed Sheet
Cost: $1 per sheet Purchased: 1 sheet Where: Thrift Store Total Estimated Cost: $65
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WIP PhotosBuild TimeShopping: About a day + one or two hours of searching online
Pattern Making: 1 day Sewing: 1-1 1/2 week Foam Work: 1/2 day Painting: 1/2 day **Days are not a full 24 hours. They're more like "work" days. Meaning for each day, I worked on the cosplay for anywhere from 4-10 hours per day--it's all a rough estimate.
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Fun Facts!
Favorite Episode?
- My favorite episode was the one where she did ribbon gymnastics! It made me super want to do that when I was little. And I did! Sort of... I was able join a gymnastics program but there was no ribbon. However I did buy a ribbon for that later and played around with that at home, trying to mimic the show.
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