The making of Beedle!
The backpack prop for my Beedle cosplay had been a big hit across my social accounts and I have gotten a lot of questions about how I made it. So here we go!
I started off by making an EVA foam shell in the approximate shape I wanted the finished backpack to be. If you look inside you can see the pvc braces I installed to support the straps of the backpack. I flattened the ends of the pipe and riveted them through the foam with large washers on both sides of the foam. I also added rings inside made from air piping to help spread the weight and help the backpack keep its shape while being carried.
I covered the body of the backpack with inch and a half thick upholstery foam and used an electric knife to carve it into a more desired shape. I also worked on creating the “horns” of the beetle backpack. It was around this time I decided the top should be removable. And that the seam would be covered by a decorative fabric detail once everything was finished.
I used a few different thicknesses of upholstery foam to cover and carve to create the rest of the shapes for the backpack. To make the flaps and the extra horns on the back of the backpack I use just upholstery foam.
Once I was happy with the shape I started covering everything with fabric.
After covering the main body I stated draping all the detail fabrics, and placing hook and loop to hold the purple role in place.
I tacked down the fabric around the seam between the removable top and the body of the backpack to hide the gap and painted the detail onto the blue draping fabric. I also added in the D rings that would hold all the accessories and the fabric band to cover them. Each D ring is bent around a piece of pvc and has a strip of webbing around it through the foam layers and glued to the inside of the bag for extra support. I added the connections for the canopy and the sigh pole.
With the canopy structure done I started making the table that would hide up underneath and pull down. I wasn’t able to find the right green on green checker pattern but I really liked the alternative I found. I used foamboard for the table and covered it in wood grain shelf paper. Magnets hold it to the underside of the canopy.
I use eva to make the body of the basket and braded up some macramé cord to create the bindings. The apples, chilies and foliage were all purchased from the floral section of the craft store. All the other accessories were made from upholstery foam and covered in fabric.
The sigh was made using wonder under to make the triangle shapes and I painted the face on with craft acrylics and puffy paint.
Last I added in all the little details like the flags across the back and buckles. And adding the padding and fabric to the straps.
I still had to paint the reverse side of the sign and the pole when these were taken but that is it for the build! I love how it came out.
I also made a mast to go with the costume because 2020 XD
