This costume was VERY time consuming! I am not somebody who has any real sewing skills, I don’t make sewing patterns, and I have never used a sewing machine. Needless to say, wanting to be Astrid (from How To Train Your Dragon 2) would prove to be a daunting task!
I started off by searching online for anything I would be able to buy and use. I bought the boots, fur boot covers, and the wig. The rest would be a challenge! I spent hours on end measuring myself, measuring fur that I went out and bought, and trying to figure out how to make a well-fitting skirt out of fur, with no stretch.
I ended up sewing the fur over an existing skirt I was going to get rid of anyway. This ended up allowing the fur to use the elastic from that skirt, so it DID stretch a little bit. Details came next; I used Crayola Modeling Clay to sculpt the spikes and skulls. Everything was painted grey, polished with silver Rub N Buff, then glazed to create a metal-ish look. I figured out a simple enough pattern for the fur hood, so I sewed that up, and used a large chunk of old grey fur I had to finish that part. These were attached to thick strips of brown vinyl that I cut and sewed onto the skirt.
Since I couldn’t find anything to use as the metal ring on her chest, my boyfriend got a plastic shower curtain ring, then painted it black and grey to make it match the spikes and skulls. The shirt was the part that stressed me the most. Initially, my plan was to sew bands of fabric together to give it that banded/layered look seen in the movie, but after days of hand-sewing that (since I can’t machine sew), that shirt ended up being too small. Desperate for a solution, I bought a sleeveless red turtleneck online. I cut the neck to where I needed it, then mixed red and black paint with water to dye the shirt the appropriate shade of darker red.
The arm warmers were fun to make; I used a tan colored fleece that I lined with beige fur, and basically sewed it right around each arm for the best possible fit. This was difficult, but worked out quite well.
Due to shortage of funds, I wasn’t able to finish the costume with the thin leather banding that goes around the arms, arm warmers, and boots, and shoulder pauldrons didn’t work out. Regardless, I had a lot of fun wearing my costume to Disneyland’s Halloween party. Many people recognized me, and one little girl was speechless and excited to see Astrid! This costume was well worth the effort, and I am happy with the reactions it received. It was also very fun to walk around in.
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I was wondering where you got the wig from as I usually get mine from a salon in Manchester who find them for me but as this is a more detailed than my usual straight style I thought I’d ask for help.
I was wondering where you got the wig from as I usually get mine from a salon in Manchester who find them for me but as this is a more detailed than my usual straight style I thought I’d ask for help.