2025's Contest Cosplay: Summer!Henry

Part 1: Let's get started! (1/7/25)

The cosplay is a custom design of a potential Heroes Summer alt for Henry from Fire Emblem. I originally designed this a few years ago and when I heard the theme for Anime Fargo 2025, Obligatory Beach Episode, I knew I had to revamp it!

Here's the concept art for a better version of my original design. This is the 'official' design now and I will be basing the costume off of this. I have not decided on the tome's cover desgn as of yet.

So far, I haven't ordered much for supplies yet either. This cosplay doesn't need to be finished until late September, so I have lots of time!

I got a perfect wig for him so I don't need to do much for styling at all. I also ordered some book binding supplies (I need to go to Fargo or Bismarck soon to get more supplies) and swatches of the fabric I'll be using for the towel cape.

I need to dye some white towel-fabric purple because I couldn't find a good enough color match. The most I've dyed in the past was some shoelaces so I'm a bit worried about how that will turn out, but I'll just trust the process. That's another thing I have to go to another city to buy though (there're no craft stores in my hometown sadly).

For the binder, I designed a simple cute pattern (which I might redo a bit) and just need to order the custom fabric from Spoonflower. The shorts, I just need to buy the fabric and some notions (thread, elastic, drawstrings, etc.).

The charm-thing on the hip is going to be interesting. I have an idea of how to make it? Paper Mache maybe? But I have no clue how to attach it to the shorts. That's a problem for Future-Ansehelm.

Part 1.2: Dye-Demo! (2/16/25)

I dyed the towel-cape swatch today! It went really well and the color looks great. I might try making it a tad bit lighter when I do it on the actual fabric, but if it turns out as dark as the demo, I won't mind!

Now I have to figure out how much terry cloth (towel) fabric I need.

Soon I'll get some paper so I can make a prototype Tome... It's going to be a sketchbook for my brother so it's not a waste of supplies!

Part 2: Fabric, Papier Mache, and Anxiety (5/11/25)

I've not been neglecting this project, I swear! I've been working on acquiring supplies and waiting for it to get warm enough to order dye online! It finally IS warm enough so that's going to be ordered soon.

Things I've done and not updated this page on:

1. Printed and taped together pattern for cape
2. Ordered fabric for the cape (black and white terry cloth)
3. Printed, taped together, and cut out pattern for the shorts
4. Ordered fabric for the shorts (lilac swim fabric) along with some of the notions needed for the shorts (thread, elastic)
5. Practiced bookbinding
6. Started papier mache-ing the hip-charm-thing

Here's some WIP photos my brother took for me!

I'm almost done with the papier mache part of the hip-charm. Next I'll pick up some spray paint and some sandpaper.I read online somewhere that you can sand paper your papier mache to help disguise the seams so I'll be doing that before I spray paint it gold.

Part 3: PANIC (8/21/25)

I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!

I have been so so busy and so so tired (grr chronic fatigue my despised). I WILL get this shit done I SWEAR!!

Anyway uh. I have all my supplies, minus the spray paint, but life has been busy busy busy. I have started on the Tome, but instead of making my own book/book cover I'm "cannibalizing" an old Rick Riordan book that's been sitting on my shelf for a decade or so (I read it when it came out though!). I've started with painting it and remembered why I don't paint things, so I'm commissioning my very amazing painter of a sibling to paint the cover for me. I did the white base for them though! They won't be painting it until I can get them example swatches of all the purple fabric so they have a good color palette to work from.

I also used some mod podge glue stuff to fill in the inset title since I didn't want the old title showing at all.

I'm still considering printing out custom book pages and glueing them in. I think I'll print them out when I work on Saturday? If I have time, at least... I don't think I have any cash for printing stuff (I work at a library with public computers lol).

In other news, I will be dyeing the white terry cloth purple this Friday with help from my mom. We're cutting it into strips first, since it will be easier to dye like that an I need it in strips anyway.

I ended up switching out the gold loops on his legs for yellow arm floaties because I thought it'd be SO funny. I also got gold earrings from my sibling and bought a gold septum ring online (all my jewelry is silver or black).

I have all the fabric I need now, including my custom designed pattern for the crop top (previously a binder, I decided I didn't want to put in the effort for a likely uncomfortable binder). The fabric looks sooo good IRL but I don't have a picture of it, so here's the original file for now instead. (it's also in the background of this page!)

hmmmm other things... My mom is crocheting a beach bag for me, since I need to be able to carry around my EpiPens even in cosplay. I bought black flipflops for personal use and figured they'd work for the cosplay too.

I'm still unsure of how I'll make tassels for the cape or how I'll tie it. I'll have to brainstorm on that... my only thought is yarn?

Only somewhat related, but I have found all but 1 (one) item of my non-contest cosplays, so those are almost entirely ready to go! Angel Devil from Chainsaw man, Nico from Nanbaka (last year's contest cosplay and winner of the Novice category), and Tanaka from Haikyuu!! (if I'm too tired to put on Nico lol)