Appa Cosplay Master Post!

Flameo, Hotman!

This post will act as my build book/journal for my human Appa cosplay. It wont be posted until the entire cosplay is finished, but this way I can just have the process well-documented while the info is still fresh! 

If you're reading this, that means the cosplay is finished! Read on for the entire process breakdown for how i made the cosplay. 

First off: the design 

I did create the original design for this cosplay myself. I was inspired to choose the character when I asked my husband which ATLA character I should cosplay, and he said Appa! 

I had already started playing with the idea of a "human" version of a sky bison, and when he said Appa I knew I had to make it a reality! The muses were airbenders and humanoid spirits as depicted in the show, such as Yue as the moon spirit and The Painted Lady (a dream cosplay BTW)

So when I drew this up I took inspo from a few different directions. Obviously the basic theming and color palette is inspired by the Sky Bison themselves. I had imagined a cloak with the arrows on the back and a wool/fur trim from the start. 

The base layer is based on Aang's base outfit in season 1. I did decide to make the design more feminine, since I didn't want to crossplay this time around. So when I drew out the robes, I chose to go with a style reminiscent of the female airbenders, such as Yangchen (who is my favorite avatar other than Aang, fun fact!)

The main layers are all Appa's colors, the base layer is the brown of his underside, the kimono and cloak are beige for his fur. The cloak also has his iconic arrow markings on the hood and back. I also ended up adding some blue accents to the kimono to represent the sky, and bring in more color. 

The necklace is the airbending beads representing airbending masters, since sky bison are the original airbending masters! 

The obi style belt will be the Air Nation colors to bring a pop of color to the mostly neutral toned outfit. 

Its a relatively simple cosplay when you break it down, so i hope i can really focus on details and craftsmanship, to make sure its as high quality as i can make it. 

Next is the Materials:

Since the element is Air, I decided I wanted to use as many natural fibers as possible for the cosplay. Airbenders are light and airy and I imagine their clothing also would be.

The cloak fabrics are wool, thankfully I found some online that arent super thick so I hopefully wont get heat stroke at the con lol. 

The base layer will be linen, and the robes will be cotton. The obi belt will be linen.

Since our local JoAnn closed, I was forced to source fabrics online for everything. 

I found a good fabric store based out of Turkey on etsy that had all the materials I needed for a good price. Its called FabricTurkeyShop if anyone is interested is browsing their selection. 

The necklace medallion is a sort of "puck" of wood that i wood burned in the Air Nation symbol and stained it to be closer to the beads, which are made from Sandalwood. I got those at a local bead store, and more on etsy. 

For the cloak trim, I've decided to do a crochet trim with a wool yarn. I got the yarn online on Amazon. I looked in person at the options available to me and just didnt find any yarn that looked the way i wanted. This looks to be a small business though, so hopefully its a good source. The yarn is a wool/acrylic blend, and looks quite nice when crocheted. The fasteners for the cloak were also from Amazon. 

Shoes are just some suede boots I found online, i have to alter them slightly to accommodate my giant calves lol. 

Wig is just a basic lacefront from amazon. 

Horns will be made with foam clay and attached with magnets. 

The big section: the process broken down by pieces. 

The Cloak

I decided to start with the cloak since its the main piece. 

Cloaks are simple enough, so getting the base cut and sewn was pretty simple. Before attaching the hood, I had to do the brown arrow layer across the entire back of the cape part. 

I measured the length of the neckline down the center back, and the width i wanted the arrows to be with seam allowance. The plan was to fold over the edges and press them to have the cleanest lines possible. It was a little difficult but I managed to get it patterned out with some patience and a steady hand. I had to use pinking shears for the brown, since it wanted to fray real bad. But once the edges were pressed and pinned down it was pretty straight forward. 

the hood I did in 3 pieces, both white sides and the center the arrow. I cut out the hood shape, and the arrow shape and pinned them together like a puzzle. The inner lining is just plain white to hide the seams and keep it nice and clean. The extra layer helps it hold its shape pretty well too. The arrow was pretty difficult to get just right but with trial and error I made it happen. 

Once the arrows were all sewn on, I attached the hood to the cape and was ready to start the trim. I went ahead and attached the fasteners to the cloak as well so it could hang on my dress form easier.

I hemmed the raw edge with an overlock stitch, then with a yarn needle I took the yarn and did a blanket stitch around the edge. Then i could crochet directly into the blanket stitch. I did 2 single stitches in each loop on the blanket stitch, and i did 2 rows. I am still a beginner crocheter so I did my best to keep count and keep it even! One side is a little wavy even after steaming. It doesnt really bother me that much so for now I'm leaving it as is.

(Fun fact: I basically learned to crochet for this project. My friend Evan and a Woobles kit taught me the basics and off i went.)

the plan was to do the same thing along the edge of the hood, and on the brown edges where the arrow is to add a brown yarn trim to keep it consistent with the colors.

And add the brown yarn i did, and over all I think it looks quite nice. I do somewhat think the hood gives more Assassins Creed than I originally wanted so I did end up keeping the arrow part as just a blanket stitch.

And just like that the cloak was finished.

Base Layer/Under Clothes

Alright, base layer! 

While this layer is going to be barely visible i still want it to be well constructed and have intention. 

For the cosplay, its meant to be the color of Appa's tummy/under side. 

The fabric is a night light weight linen. Its breathable which is great for the summer heat. 

Thankfully I have a dress form to make the process much easier. I used a T-Shirt i like as the general base pattern with some added length. I wanted the top to be sort of like what Aang wears on his base layer. One modification i decided on was to make it sleeveless, so i dont die of heat stroke.

I sewed all the edges with an over lock stitch to prevent fraying and to give it a nice clean finished seam. 

Next was the collar, very simple. Cut out the V shape and sewed it together, then flipped it out and ironed it flat before attaching. I plan on starching it to keep it stiff! 

After finishing and hemming all my edges I focused on alterations to make it fit to my body shape. And thats it! 

Came out great!! Moving on to the pants next. 

The pants were pants. I used a pair I liked the fit of as the pattern and went to town. I did add some pockets which I dont really do normally! I may end up shortening them i haven't decided yet. They will be tucked into the boots

The Kimono/Robe

So this piece gave me some turmoil at first, because it was looking very unintentionally Star Wars. The base is just a linen robe, i used some pieces in already had as a pattern and altered it as needed. Foe the sleeves i used a basic yukata/Kimono sleeve pattern to get the desired style. 

So at first i was nervous it wasnt looking right and I got upset that I wasnt going to look the way i was imagining. But my supportive awesome friends came in clutch again and gave me the idea to add a simple border/design to the robe to make it more monk/air bender-y. I busted out the cricut and procreate and got to work. The borders are just Air Nation symbols, and i did a vector (lol) of some official Appa art to add him to the design! I went with a light blue to add another pop of color and to represent the sky. Honestly im down with any excuse to use the cricut. Trying to get my money's worth after all these years lol. That extra detail really does wonders tho.

Next is the belt! 

I looked at a few different patterns online until I decided on one that was good shape. I didnt use a specific pattern I just kinda went for it. 

I wanted the belt to have some ridgedness so the inner layer is craft foam. I cut it to the desired shape and sewed the pieces together. Tip: If you have craft foam that's thin enough, you can actually run it through a sewing machine! 

Once I got the shape I wanted done for the base I pinned and cut it out with pinking shears. Then i sewed the shape, flipped it inside out and put it over the foam like a sock. Minor adjustments in sizing after that, and once it was looking good i sewed it together on the back! Last thing to do is to make and add the waist tie. My friend suggested using a cord/rope for the tie and it really elevates the look. I just hand sewed it in place at certain points and voila! 

The necklace 

So, as stated i got sandalwood beads, and the original plan was to use a sanded down piece of wood to keep it natural, and wood burn the symbol into it. It looked really good but in the process of staining it the wood got too swollen and cracked :( such a bummer. My fault, thats what I get for soaking wood in tea for too long.  Here's what the original looked like:

I pivoted and went with some craft discs wood glued together so they were more suited for being painted and stained. I sandwiched loops in the right spots to make beading it easier. I wood burned the symbol again and instead of tea dying again i just mixed the paint color I wanted and watered it down to give the pendant a nice wash for the color. I think I did good job matching the color of the beads.  Then just modge podge for the top cost. Easy enough! (Side note it smells so good cause of the sandalwood beads lol)

The Horns

So I wanted to avoid stabbing holes in my hood, but also keep the horns securely in place. It seems magnets are the way to go. So there's magnets underneath in the wig and on the bottoms of the horns. This makes it easy for me to put them on and off depending on if i want the hood up or down. 

The base of the horns are sculpted with tin foil for basic shape, with foam clay on top. Then its just a basic paint job. I mixed acrylic paints to get the colors, and dud a gradient to give them depth. I used Mod Podge for a nice glossy sealer/top coat! I got a basic leather cord for the reins. 

I used magnets to affix the horns to my head, there will be a base clipped onto the wig and the horns can be worn with the hood up or down. (I'm sorry my wig head is terrifying. I've had her for since I was 15 years old. Her name is Martha)

BOOTS

The boots had to contain my massive calves lol

So i widened the back to make them adjustable. I got to use this cool tool I've had for 10 years for the first time and love how they look! 

Everything else is just little details. Makeup for the airbending arrows and nose. And just like that...its done! 

Conclusion 

I am very proud of this cosplay. It was a journey to get here but I am really happy with all the time and work I put into it. It was such a challenging cosplay in the best ways, I got to use so many different methods of crafting to bring my design to life. It may be my favorite cosplay I've made so far to be honest! From the crochet trim to the magnets in the horns to the grommets in the boots. I am proud of my work. 

I definitely have things i need to update and adjust, and I want to add more details to it in the future... but if you're reading this, version 1 is complete! Thank you for reading and I hope you like my cosplay. If you want live updates when I'm making cosplays, you can follow my instagram! @ellenor_fish

I'll see you in the next one! ♡

-E