Nonon Jakuzure Cosplay Tutorial Part 2: The Hat and Other Accessories

Hello again! This is the second part of my Nonon Jakuzure cosplay tutorial/build. I described how I made the dress in my last post, so check it out here if you want, or looking for help on her dress!!

Now, for the big cahoona, or the hat. What I thought was going to be hardest part of the costume ended up being one of the easiest. I hadn’t a clue what to do at first: props are pretty terrifying. It’s funny, because I always thought of myself as being crafty, but making props is a different league. Something about it is just so intimidating. My first thought was always using a preexisting hat as a base. Originally, I considered using a shako and embellishing the heck out of it, but the cheap ones from Amazon looked pitiful; no better than a party hat, and hats from band uniform suppliers were MUCH more than I was willing to spend. None were ridiculously tall like Nonon’s anyway -for a reason. I never did marching band, but I can imagine the causalities out on the football field due to a hat that size. Internet research ended up being the key to my hat’s success, so I managed to pull something together. And that was mainly due to this wonderful tutorial by Mad Chaser, so it is only appropriate I link you to her blog. She is an excellent cosplayer! c:

My hat was made during Crunch Time, so I sadly did not get many pictures of the construction process. But, it was fairly straight forward. The cylindrical part’s base is made out of plastic canvas. This stuff is awesome: Durable and sturdy, but still flexible enough to bend in a circular shape, and very inexpensive also! A sheet at Michael’s is less than a dollar, if I remember correctly. I trimmed it down to size, and then hand stitched the pieces all together. After that, with giant ugly stitches, the canvas was tacked down onto the baseball cap I was using for a base. Next was cutting a space into the cylinder for the skull’s “shelf”, and then creating and stitching that in. This required some tricky hand sewing, and the stitches must be extra strong to support the weight. Then, the hat finally gets its roof!: A simple circle works for the top of the base! 

Canvas base

The next step is covering the canvas with thick quilt batting. Now, I wish I had gotten pictures of this step, because my ugly handstitching was absolutely hysterical. There was no need to be precise, so mine were the most hideous, uneven things possible. Really, they are an embarrassment. However, gluing the remaining blue fabric is the next step, and no one has to be any wiser about the darks secrets lurking underneath!

Hat with bating on it!

Even though I loved messing around with Play-Doh growing up, I am pretty terrible at actually making anything out of clay. Any attempt at trying to mold something together usually ends up in an unrecognizable blob. I’ve gotten better over at time thankfully, so my hat’s skull ended up looking not half bad. It was molded out of paper clay, left to harden for a few days, and then sanded down and painted. Though I’ve improved and I think my skull is pretty darn adorable, I think it’s kind of... dinky. Or something about it is off. It could be the size-it’s not especially large, and it definitely could have used more sanding. Admittedly, I did make it like the week or two before the con so I didn’t give it my best effort. It DOES have a fun trick to it: It moves! I have to credit my buddy Ayrton for giving me this idea. When I walk, it swivels back and forth, just like Nonon’s does! And it was a surprisingly simple process! I speared the skull with a skinny metal skewer near the top. I was able to hide it in the canvas of the hat. The skull is suspended slightly in the shelf, and it rocks back and forth! This was not hard at all, and it is a very fun detail that’s a definite hit at conventions! I regret not having any pictures of this, but you'll have to take my word for it!

The funnest part about the hat was embellishing it. I am a huge sucker for all the little nuances and details, so this was a total treat after struggling with the hand sewing. The plume is made out of practically a bird’s worth of feathers that are glued on, and the little pink... things (I’m not sure what you call these). Originally, they were little wooden knobs that received a couple coats of hot pink paint. The white piping around it was glued on bias tape (lots of tacky glue is used in this hat. None on the dress itself!!), and the decorative touches were made out of craft foam.

Almost done!!

 Craft foam, in my experience has always been a double edged sword. Sure, it is inexpensive, and easy to work with, but it is NOT particularly sturdy. Perhaps it’s because I don’t gesso it enough, but there is always a whole artery system of veiny creases after a few wears. The wings are so beat up and bent at this point that they’re in need of total replacing. I might try EVA foam as an alternate, this time around. I found these adorable and tiny sparkly heart buttons, and they were too perfect not to use. Strangely enough, the hardest part of this was actually figuring out the chin strap-if you can actually describe it as that. It hangs down below her face, not really “worn” at all. I originally made one out of craft foam, but it ended up being cast aside. My current plan is to just make another decorative one out of white vinyl.

The completed hat!! It definitely needs to be cleaned up...
...and something needs to be done about the brim shape.

Wrist cuffs were also easy as pie: Slapped out a pattern, each fabric was two layers of fabric with interfacing in between, stitched all together, added the snaps, and decorative buttons. There’s no real need for extra detail.

Out of every aspect of this costume, the biggest treat of all is actually the baton. Not the dress, nor the silly hat or gogo boots, but the drum major’s baton. Why is such a basic prop so fun? Because the base of it is the bulb of a turkey baster. 

I know. It’s so stupid. Unbelievably stupid. But it’s also perfect and hilarious! And  Nonon’s baton DOES resemble a turkey baster, so I am willing to defend this. Honestly, it made for a super easy project. There was no need to struggle over a lump of clay, trying to mold the shape I wanted. All what was needed was to stick a dowel in the middle of it, and glue it shut to the bulb. After that, a few coats of spray paint and Modge Podge made it nice and fluorescent. My dad actually drilled a hole in the middle of the dowel for me, so I tied some ribbons around it for her flourish. 

Finished baton!

Nonon is definitely now one of my most beloved cosplays. She’s an absolute blast to wear. So much blood, sweat, and tears (and love!) went into this costume, but the joy I get from it was totally worth it. A part of that happiness also comes from the pride I have in my work. This was a very difficult costume: easily the most challenging I’ve made to date. But I sat down and made my dream come true! I actually accomplished this crazy outfit, and it looks pretty nice! And that’s something to be very satisfied about. I have a few cosplays that are sadly collecting dust now. But, corners were cut, and I was just unpleased with my final result with them. Nonon is different. I anticipate rewearing her multiple times, and showing off my love for the character and craft! And that really comes from sitting down, and honing in on her without cosplay centered distractions. I started her a few months ahead of the convention, and I was able to approach her with a stress free attitude. No rushing, no half jobs. And that is going to be the new rule for any future cosplays. Not only did Nonon challenge my skills and what I am currently capable of, but my approach to cosplay shifted in a positive fashion.

(I found this on Zerochan originally!)

Wow, if you actually stuck around to the end, then you deserve a ribbon or something. This ended up being extremely long, but I wanted to be super detailed with it. Finding resources on how to make Nonon was a challenge in itself. So, I hope if you’re struggling for help, then my writeup could at least help you a little!

Good luck with your costume, and of course, have fun most importantly of all!

Cheers,

 Sarah