Stunning Raven Costume Based on Edgar Allen Poe's Poem

This is me in the picture. I wanted to be the raven from Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem. I created this homemade raven costume myself from scratch. It is mostly out of satin with lots of lace trim, rooster feathers, and leather. Due to the fact that I was going for a little historical accuracy, I tried to add as much lace as I could.

Creating the Gorgeous DIY Skirt

The skirt of my costume was gathered up in five places with a detachable bustle added on top. (So that I could ride in a car without crushing the tulle.) The detachable bustle has even more lace, tulle, and leather feathers added to it. This is in order to really give the silhouette some “oomph”.

The Awesome Costume Feathers

The most fun part of the costume were the leather feathers. First, I cut the shapes out of leather. Then I used a process called hot molding where you boil the leather for a few seconds. Next, while it’s still hot you can twist and mold the leather into a shape. It will hold when it cools and dries. The mask was based on an Italian plague doctor’s mask. It was formed the same way with the beak being molded over a mason jar.

My Favorite Part of the Raven Costume

My favorite part is the shoulder piece with the chains. It was important to balance the chains to make sure the feathers would not be slipping off my shoulder all night. I was inspired by a painting of a valkyrie for that piece, and it is definitely something I wish I could wear on a daily basis.