Calling all costume crafters - help needed!

[alisoncooks]

DD & I are making a Bakugou costume (My Hero Academia). We've got everything covered (at least idea-wise) but one piece of the outfit. 

How would you make the neck thing? (SEE PHOTO)

I'm looking for out-of-the-box ideas. Super-cheap, repurposed items appreciated. (For example, we used a cheese ball container to make the grenade gauntlets...)

[KathyBC]

seriously not a crafter, but styrofoam packing maybe?

[Sneezyone]

I'd go with cardboard covered by those silver amazon pouches. From experience, you cannot spray paint styrofoam. It melts

[alisoncooks]

13 minutes ago, Iron Jenny Flint said:

I asked my DD, who is our family costume and craft go to person.  She recommended using the inside of a cereal box or thin cardboard box. She said it would make it easier to bend to the shape you would like and paint it with silver paint and use a hole puncher or three hole punch for the holes, or paint black circles.

That's an idea. I was thinking cardboard would be too stiff to curve around the neck...but a cereal box might work. (If only we ate cereal, haha. Maybe it's time to buy some Lucky Charms!) 😛

And I've used duct tape for the "metal"/gray components on the gauntlets, so I might could wrap the neck thing with that for the same look... hmmm....

[Sneezyone]

If you’re going to cover it in duct tape you could get some floral foam from the craft store too, hot glue it together with twigs for stability, cut the desired shape,  and wrap it in duct tape.

[BusyMom5]

My first thought was foam, the soft kind used for cushions.  You can cut it just to fit on her neck, even cuff around it z bit.

[alisoncooks]

We did think of craft or floral foam but those are surprisingly pricey. 

[alisoncooks]

I (jokingly) told DD that we could get one of those u-shaped, neck/travel pillows and just cap the ends with cardboard. I'm still not totally discounting that (because then we'd get a pillow out of it afterwards). 😄

Edited October 6, 2020 by alisoncooks

[Sherry in OH]

If you want to go the cardboard route, rather than taping or painting cereal boxes, purchase a sheet of silver-colored poster board. 

Personally, however, I think I'd go the sewing route.  If I had grey fabric on hand, I'd use that.  Otherwise, I'd buy a few squares grey craft felt and one black, then sew a horseshoe shaped pillow and stuff it.   I have a pool noodle in the garage, so I might try that as stuffing, otherwise I'd use rags or the stuffing from an old pillow.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I agree with Sherry.  I would get gray felt and make a horseshoe pillow.  Black felt circles on the ends.

[Beth S]

This etsy pattern https://www.etsy.com/listing/591149084/bnha-katsuki-bakugou-hero-cosplay?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-craft_supplies_and_tools-other&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAjwq_D7BRADEiwAVMDdHhVXc4TzdUeGm1S6bRXGdWsoYyVy8h03SilkNW9ZIZ7DVJoHwnvAERoC6-QQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_2063557831_76452863935_367965824823_pla-295462056907_c__591149084_270660374&utm_custom2=2063557831&gclid=CjwKCAjwq_D7BRADEiwAVMDdHhVXc4TzdUeGm1S6bRXGdWsoYyVy8h03SilkNW9ZIZ7DVJoHwnvAERoC6-QQAvD_BwE

suggests using EVA foam (used for exercise mats).  I've now fallen down the Rabbit Hole of cosplay costumes!  What fun!

[alisoncooks]

Yep, etsy has several pattern-sellers. I'm not sure I want to go the EVA foam route (can get fairly cost-prohibitive when needing a lot...plus whether or not special glue and heat-sealing is required). But I may buy a pattern -- a different seller has a neck piece and knee guard pattern combo that we like.