WIP Billy Kaplan/Wiccan from Marvel's Young Avengers

[Grigori]

I'm starting work on my 2nd cosplay, and first time making the costume myself. I am looking to create an MCU inspired version of Wiccan from the Young Avengers. My goal is to make it a bit more real world than then comics (hence not doing the full subdye-zentai body suit) but also keep a fair bit of the magic/fantasy associated with the character. I'm using the volume 2 version of his costume as the main inspiration.

Current plan is to create the suit from stretch denim in a grey colour, with some subdye printed lycra inserts for the galaxy print areas, and a pretty dramatic red cape. I've got some ankle length boots that will be the basis for higher armoured boots as I don't want built in booties, and also have an idea up my sleeve for some special effects magic light up hands.

I've started some sewing lessons so i can make the suit myself, and after a few lessons learning how the machine works and now starting on patterning and creating the product. I'm intending to wear to a convention this year, so depending how quickly I progress could be anytime between April and November.

This is my doodle of how I'm thinking to adapt the costume design.

 

[Grigori]

Spent a few hours with my sewing teaching this morning, working on pattern for the cape which we're going to do first up. The design is a little more complex than a basic robe, as there is a lot of pleats, volume, and the design isn't centered, the robe and the hood each have a different and offset location for where they clasp at the front.



We've decided to have a woven piece of fabric collar as structure around the neck area, and attached a knit viscose on top of that. This will allow the hood and robe to be seperate from each others and offset portion like I'm wanting, and give me lots of dramatic flowing fabric also, while still sitting well around the neck. Today created a half cape using some offcuts while working out how to achieve this, and am now calculating quantities to buy the actual fabric ready for next lesson. It will be a three panel cape, so can be full length, and have a different size panel at the front for each side, so the right shoulder is visible and the left under the extra long fabric.



Next step is attaching the hood, and then getting to work on the actual cape.

 

[Grigori]

I'm trying to tweak the cape design further, looking back afterwards the first experiment was too much vertical folds extending from around the neck. The cartoon is much more about horizontal folds extending from the clasp. I'm thinking of working like this, with varying the panel sizes on each side, and reducing the bulk towards the bottom to keep open in front but build up the shoulders with the folds. Anyone with robe/cape making experience would love to hear any suggestions or ideas.

 

[Thorlief Golmen]

Great stuff can't wait to see it finished...

 

[Grigori]

Have decided to go with the new design idea. This week I played with a Jedi cloak my mum made me 20 years ago to get the design idea clarified, then converted it into a paper pattern to add in the different shapes and tweaks to get looking like the comic design, and to calculate how much fabric I'm going to need. Now to buy some cheap fabric for the first run knock up and then start on the final cape portion. I've also ordered a sample from a sub-dye printer who was able to create an image that shouid work nicely on the star print spandex portions.

 

[Grigori]

Made a go at the robe with a test fabric, and then tweaked the pattern some more today after that. I'm finding the test fabric difficult as it's a really light knit I bought cause was cheap, and it's difficult to work with compared to calico which is all I've used previously. So am skipping the small details and working on the big picture parts to get the pattern down. Next I'll start attaching the hood and see how the two halfs line up. I'm using some cotton tape to give the neck structure, and will hold the asymmetrical pieces together hopefully.

 

[Azelas]

that looks fantastic!! looking forward to your finished product! <3

 

[Grigori]

that looks fantastic!! looking forward to your finished product! <3

Thanks heaps, me too! Another day's work and I'll be ready to start on the actual fabric I think. And I've ordered and just received the McCall's pattern for a male body suit that I'll use at the basis for a pattern for the body suit.

 

[Grigori]

Things are ticking along pretty well. I'm almost finished the robe, just need to do the clasps and hem the bottom (I forgot to take the boots I've bought for this costume to sewing class with me today! Oops). I should be finished the robe next session, and hopefully my other fabric will arrive around the same time so I can move onto the suit.

I've ordered some charcoal coloured stretch denim for the main part of the suit off eBay, and also a funkybod shirt to help fill up my shoulders a bit more rather than trying to build that structure into the costume. Still ticking on the gym work also, I've now dropped 11kg and down to 11% body fat, about ready to start moving onto bulking phase

McCall's had a sale, so I got their men's bodysuit pattern for $4 including international shipping, so that will be my base to create the pattern from and save me some time. Once that denim arrives I'll also start on the boot covers/shin guards using that to cover some foam armour panels.

The subdye pattern trial on lycra for the arms and sides wasn't quite the right image for what I want, too much light and stars and not enough dark and sky, so I'm waiting on the printer to tweak the image a bit and try it again.

 

[Grigori]

Finally finished the cape, after getting it nearly done I realised I forgot to include the horizontal folds I'd planned for, so went back and did some work to incorporate those, then hemmed, and used a couple of press studs and a hook for the close. It's got some binding behind the close, but is still a little softer than I'd like, so I may end up using some foam or something to keep that area spread out and prevent folding.



I've started on the suit now also, and now have my fabric. The grey stretch denim I got from eBay arrived and is pretty good, and I've got some subdye printed lycra from a company I also found via eBay who were up to do some custom work on an image they had to get the colours I wanted.




I've been using the McCalls pattern, but it's really built for stretchier fabric than the denim, and has seams along the crotch line which isn't ideal. I'm wanting a seam around the waist (similar to how the movie Deadpool suit was done) and to be able to incorporate a zipfly, so today I bought a cheap pair of skinny jeans and used them as a model for creating a pattern for the pants, which I can join to the top from the McCall's pattern. Am doing a mock up in calico first to see if the idea works, and then will try in the denim with lycra inserts for the star print area.

 

[Grigori]

Sewn up the calico jeans. I wasn't able to get them properly on as the jeans they're based on had a bit more stretch than I anticipated, but I was able to see how to make a pair of pants, and with some of the seams split get them on enough to make a few little tweaks to my pattern and to add longer waist so they won't sit as low on my hips. I've now updated the pattern, recreated it to have lycra inserts, and now about to make a test run using the actual fabrics

 

[Grigori]

Made a trial of the pants using the actual fabric. Worked pretty good! I've updated the pattern a little based on that as had underestimated the stretch in the Lycra and the lower legs were a bit too loose. Still looking into how to make the fly to see if I'm on track with that, and some tests with including the piping. Next will do some work on the pattern for the upper body

 

[Grigori]

Cut out the pattern for the upper body today, and did a test with some spare stretch. Didn't turn out too bad. The body fits pretty well, arms are a bit loose but they'll be replaced with Lycra sleeves anyway. I need to tweak the shoulders a little, and next session I'll see how it's joining with the pants. May need to speed things up a bit to have ready for my goal date though!

 

[Grigori]

Slowed down progress a lot as was completing my masters and took some time off of life, so didn’t make my original goal date to have ready for a con this year, but am back into it now and will have ready for the next con opportunity

I’ve adjusted the pattern a little further, completed a test of the top using the actual fabric, and then tweaked the pattern a little further following that.

Today I cut out the fabric based on the (hopefully) final pattern, did some tests of creating the red accent pieces, and then cut the strips for all the accents I’ll need. Next session I’ll start putting it together. I’ve got zips ordered and on the way, and am starting to plan for some of the accessories.

 

[Grigori]

Put the pants together today, and learnt to make a zip fly so I could include one. Did some more work on the gloves, the two piece version I’d planned doesn’t fit as comfortably as I’d like, so taking the pattern from a zentai suit to try and get that a bit more sophisticated and easy to wear all day. Hope to get the gloves and a lot of the top finished next time. I’d debated leaving out the red accent, but glad I left it in as really makes the look I think

 

[Sundowner]

Those pants look fantastic! Wiccan is one of my favorite Young Avengers

 

[Grigori]

Thanks so much Sundowner! It was exciting to try them on and have them have worked. I feel like I’ve come a long way from not knowing how a sewing machine worked, though has taken most of a year since I only have a class twice a month

 

[Grigori]

Had a productive day sewing today. Suit is getting close to done, but the remainder is fiddly work so it will take a while longer to complete. I still need gloves and to compete the forearms, the belt, the neck, and the boots. I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out though.

My sewing teacher is on holidays now till mid January, so I’m going to be working on a pattern for, and creating the gloves as I can do that on a basic sewing machine without access to her overlocker (last few attempts at gloves were duds, I’m going to try adapting from a Spider-Man subdye file), and I’ll get started on the foam work for boot covers. May work on a pattern for the belt also, but will need the overlocker to create that. I didn’t get finished in time for any cons this year, but will be easily ready for the first one in April next year.

I want to revisit the cape also, not happy with how the clasp and neck of that are working/sitting over the suit.

 

[ROYALCheshire17]

where did you get the fabric for the galaxy print and what is it called?

 

[Grigori]

where did you get the fabric for the galaxy print and what is it called?

I’d love to see what you do, not many Wiccans around! The suit is made from a charcoal stretch denim I got from eBay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Charcoa...800274?hash=item33e7d49312:g:KC4AAOSwIWtZ0mZV

The star print Lycra I also got from an eBay seller, but purchased from their non eBay site as they custom edited the image they usually sell to suit the colours I was wanting https://www.lsprints.co.uk/

The cape and piping is a red viscose from a local fabric store. If buying again I’d get something with a bit more weight so it would hold foods better, this is a little too soft I think, but it’s nice and flowy.

Good luck!