I tend to gravitate more towards smaller, quicker cosplays, but every once in a while I like to do a really big, challenging one! And my Scarlet Witch cosplay was one of those! It took me a lot of time, money, and energy to complete, but in the end, I was very happy with the result!
Corset
One of the first things I did for this cosplay was create the corset. I started out by taking my basic female breastplate pattern I made a while ago, which you can get HERE, and adjusting it a bit, before making it out of 4mm EVA foam. This would be the base for the corset. I then covered the entire thing in plastic wrap and duct tape, and drew on all the details using a sharpie.
Once that was done, I cut out all of the details, and traced them onto 2mm EVA foam. I added details by cutting in thin lines using an exacto knife, and then heating it up; and also by heating it up, and pressing a piece of wicker basket into it. This gave me a whole bunch of nicely detailed pieces, which I then layered and glued onto the corset. This took a LONG time. Writing it down, it all sounds so simple, like “Oh yeah I just cut out some pieces, added details, and glued them on.” But this took HOURS, it took so long. It doesn’t look complicated, but IT WAS.
Once I finished adding the details, I primed the entire surface with flexbond, and then painted it with acrylic paints, weathering and adding shading afterwards. The whole thing attaches with a zipper down the back.
Headpiece
Next up was the headpiece! I first created a digital pattern, and printed it out. Then I traced it onto Worbla’s Black Art, once for the base, and again for all the details. I then cut out all the pieces, and heated up the Worbla to attach everything. Then I shaped it using more heat, primed it with wood glue, and painted it with acrylic paint. It’s held on with a simple elastic band. For a more in-depth walkthrough of the headpiece, I actually have a whole tutorial for it on my Youtube channel.
Boots
The next part my Scarlet Witch cosplay I made were the boots. I started out with some simple black boots that I thrifted, and cut off the straps and things I didn’t need. Then, I put on one of the boots, and covered both it and my leg with plastic wrap and duct tape, drawing on all the details. I then cut out this pattern, traced it onto 2mm EVA foam, and added details to it. I glued strips of red ribbon both to the 2mm EVA foam, and onto the boots themselves.
I also painted the heels of the boots black, to match the original reference images. Then I just had to glue the foam onto the boots, prime it, paint it, and it was done! These costume pieces were actually really easy to make, and I’m really happy with how it turned out!
Trousers
One of the pieces that I struggled a lot with were the trousers. I thought about making them completely from scratch, but buying the correct fabric would have been very expensive, and I’d never actually made pants before, so I opted just to thrift some simple black trousers and go from there. I cut and hand-sewed on all the red details, making sure everything lined up properly. I then made patterns using — you guessed it — plastic wrap and duct tape, and drew on the silver details. I then cut those out of 2mm EVA foam, primed them, painted them silver, and hot-glued them onto the trousers. And then they were done! Again, it sounds simple, but it took much longer than it probably should have.
Gloves
One of the trickiest parts of this cosplay was making the gloves. I originally started out making very professional gloves, with all different pieces and everything, but that did NOT work out. So I switched to my much-preferred method of tracing my hand twice onto stretchy fabric, cutting it out, and sewing it together. I then just had to cut off the fingers, paint on the black details (which I did before sewing the pieces together), and the gloves were done! Well, the hand parts, anyway.
For the longer sleeve parts, I used a different fabric, sketched on the details with chalk, and then painted on the black lines, using painters tape to make sure it was all straight. I then hemmed those sleeve pieces, put them together with the hand parts, and the gloves were done!
Skirt & Cape
There were two main sewing parts left at this point: The skirt, and the cape. For the skirt, I cut up and re-used a red skirt I thrifted, adding velcro both to that, and then to the trousers as well, so I could easily take it on and off.
Next was the cape! For the shoulder piece to hold it on, I patterned it using plastic wrap and duct tape, then built it out of different thicknesses of EVA foam. I added details, and then primed and painted it the same way as I did the corset.
For the cape itself, I bought two panels of flowy red curtains, and adjusted a commercial cape pattern to make my own hooded cape. I made a mock-up out of cheap fabric first, to make sure it would work. Then I made the actual cape and hood! To attach it to the shoulder piece, I just used more velcro. And it stayed on really well!
Wig & Makeup
Finally, it was time for the wig and makeup! I bought a curly orange wig from Arda Wigs, and did a lot of cutting and styling to get it where I wanted it. I’m not the greatest at wig styling, but it ended up alright. The makeup was pretty basic — just looking at references of the Scarlet Witch from WandaVision, and then trying to make myself look like her. Eyeshadow, contour, lipstick — I tried. It was a fun challenge!
And with that, my Scarlet Witch cosplay was done! It took around six months, on and off, to make. I started in March 2021, and finished in September! I tend to get distracted during big projects, so it took me a bit longer than it probably should have.
I entered with this cosplay into a few different cosplay contests, which I didn’t win, but it was still a lot of fun! While there, I met a lot of great people, and I had a great time. It was a fun, challenging cosplay to make, and I was so happy to have it done! That feeling of putting on a brand-new cosplay is really one of the best parts of cosplay for me, and finishing my Scarlet Witch cosplay did not disappoint!
