Part 2 in How to Make a Ravio Cosplay! Or at least, how I made one.
One of the things that makes Ravio’s outfit a bit more complicated than it looks at first is how three-dimensional the details are. I’ve spent hours and hours doing applique on costumes, but Ravio has none of that: all of the details stick out from the base fabric. This is particularly evident on the hood, where the trim around the eyes sticks out a bit, but it is also true for the belt, which has three-dimensional red trim and a big 3D rupee in the front.
For fabric, I used some brown faux leather I had leftover from my Merrill costume and picked up some red cotton (again from the quilting section of the fabric store; I use a lot of quilting cotton because it is much easier to match colors, and it has a flat texture like most fabric in games and anime have).
First, I made a pattern for the front of the belt, which is rounded and slightly wider than the rest of the belt. Then I cut the belt out of the faux leather, trimming the ends and adding velcro so that it fastens to the side.
For the trim, I made red cording using thick upholstery cording and strips of the red cotton fabric. I sewed it to the belt then turned and topstitched the edges to keep everything looking nice.
The rupee was the trickiest part of the belt. I knew that clay would be too heavy to attach to the belt, and even if it did hold, it would make the belt sag. So instead, I cast the rupee out of resin, which turned out quite a bit lighter. After doing some experiments with resin pieces, a scrap of faux leather, and a bunch of different glues, I attached the rupee to the belt using jewelry glue. We’ll see if it holds.
To make Ravio’s scarf, I actually did sew strips of fleece together to make stripes. I cut out 30 strips of fabric total: 16 of each color for the “tails” of the scarf, and 4 or so of each color for the neck. The strips measured 4″ x 16″, leaving 1/2″ all around for seam allowance. For each of the three scarf components, after sewing all the strips together, I folded the piece in half length-wise and used my serger to create a closed tube, then turned the tube right-side-out. (For the tails, I also sewed one end shut.)
The scarf isn’t a true scarf–it’s not one long tube of fleece. It’s actually a cowl with two tails sewn in. I did it this way because whenever I wear a scarf, it constantly comes undone. I thought this would especially be an issue with a thick fleece scarf. So I sewed the tails into the seam of the cowl to give the illusion of a wrapped scarf without having to worry about it unraveling while walking around the convention. For just cosplay photoshoots, comfort isn’t a big consideration, but when you’re wearing a costume around a convention all day, it’s something very important to think about! (Especially if your hotel is some distance from the convention center, so you can’t get changed easily.)
Next week I’ll talk about the hood and Ravio’s companion Sheerow!
Ramona V.
Hello,
Do you by change do any commissions? I am looking to purchase a Ravio scarf!
Thank you for your time,
Ramona
alex
Hi Ramona,
I’m sorry, but I can’t take commissions right now. Good luck in your search!
Alex