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Creating Sango 2.0

WARNING: VERY LONG POST AHEAD!

I said I wouldn’t do it. I said I’d only have one version of Sango - her kimono version. But I had an extra pair of black pants and matching black shirt just like what my first Sango has under her kimono, so the base was there. Plus, the first time we see Sango, she’s wearing her slayer uniform. And most of the figures made of her depict her in that outfit. It’s iconic. It had to be done.

I asked several people on Etsy who make doll clothes if they could make Sango’s armor, but was always met with a resounding no due to difficulty. So I knew if I wanted this, I’d have to do it myself.

Talk about breaking out of my comfort zone! I’m one of those people who commissions clothes to be made and pays someone else to do a reroot because I just can’t do either of those things myself. But I was determined to try to make the armor. I already had a spare head, and it was already rerooted into the ponytail style because I was sure this could be pulled off somehow, and making the Hiraikotsu is the easiest weapon of anyone so far thanks to my husband’s Glow Forge, so I knew it had to be done.

The first thing I did was make the arm wraps that we see on her hands. I used the same method as I did the first time - after painting, I strung bias tape through the sleeves and then strung them back through once they wrapped around the doll’s hand.

So, the first step was the armor itself. I began watching YouTube videos and looking up tutorials on the best way to make doll armor. There are several methods out there from EVA cosplay foam to hot glue to layered fabric sewn with fluff inside it.

I finally settled on EVA foam. I’d never used it before, but it was highly recommended by other doll creators. So I did some research, got the thinnest option I could find (2mm I believe), and got to work making a template. Hubby was able to cut the pattern out on his Glow Forge, so yay for not having to worry about perfect line cutting! I designed the pattern in Photoshop, so that helped give it crisp, clean lines.

After the foam was cut, we used hubby’s heat gun to shape the foam to the doll’s body. That worked great! I’d sealed it with Mod Podge before (most cosplay people say to use another product, but considering this was meant for a doll and not a real cosplay event, and I had Mod Podge on hand, that’s what I used), so then it was time to paint.

Getting the right color was a challenge. Sango’s armor is often times depicted as being pink, but my figures all show it as more of a coral/salmon shade. In certain shots, I did see that shade. It looked more pink in the nighttime scenes. I tried a few shades of pink, and even experimented with mixing some together, but the shades just seemed off. It was more of a Barbie pink than a Sango pink. So then I bought some coral acrylic paint. It was a bit dark, so I added some white to the mix, and BOOM! I got the color I wanted! Or so I thought... I continued to second guess myself after looking at the doll’s eyeshadow, because it seems to kind of clash with the armor. I didn’t really want to repaint it because the doll had been rerooted already (this time around, I did the face painting first so I didn’t have to worry about messing up the hair like I did with the kimono version)... but then again, they’d be less noticeable then the armor.

I asked several people what they thought, and shared several source pictures, until someone commented that A) Sango’s name means “coral” and B) this picture (below) that I shared is an official character design which had not been adjusted for gradients and surrounding tones (these would affect the armor’s appearance). Plus, Inuyasha had two phases of animation - the first was the traditional one, and the second was digital. The former required colors to change. Seeing as I wanted to stay true to the original version, I found myself looking at this picture the most for reference:

Even in this shot, the armor looks less pink than the kimono. So then the painting process began. To get the gray outlines of the armor, I just sketched out the design using a ruler and pencil and filled that in with gray. I then sealed the pieces with Mod Podge again.

After all that, I began assembling the armor. I’m a big fan of not making anything permanent because you just never know. Five years from now, I could have better armor than I do now. But if it’s all glued together, I can’t take it apart and just replace it. I’d have to start over.

So my initial idea was to use Velcro to secure the padding. I also used it to secure the red straps to the black suit in places where the padding would cover it.

Well, at that point, I was really second-guessing the foam. The elbow and shoulder pads had lost their shape, and when trying to bend them over their respective parts of the doll, the paint began to crack. Probably because I used Mod Podge and not a higher end item. Then, when trying to position the padding properly, I had to remove the armor from the sticky side of the Velcro a few times, which caused the paint and sealer to come off entirely. But most concerning was that the shoulder pads were too small, seemingly smaller than they’d been before. Perhaps the heat gun and/or paint/sealer caused them to shrink. Same thing with the elbow pads, and I didn’t even look at the others because at this point I was thinking I should try a different method.

So many of my things have been made with bias tape and cardstock. So I thought, why not print my pattern out on cardstock, stack and glue several layers together to make it thicker, and then wrap it with bias tape fabric (it doesn’t fray like fat quarters)? That way, if I made a mistake, it would be an easy fix. Sure, the lines may not be quite as straight and clean as the EVA foam being cut with the Glow Forge (I don’t have a Cricut), but I can round out the edges with sandpaper or a nail file. So I got to work doing that, printing out various size options for each armor piece in draft form and holding them all up next to the doll to see which ones would fit the best. After making a decision, I put multiples of each on one file, printed it out on a piece of cardstock paper, and began cutting and gluing them all together.

Once the cardstock was dry, I sanded down any rough edges to make them as uniform as possible, then wrapped and glued bias tape (somehow I found some that was almost 4″ wide, but haven’t been able to find any more since) around the pieces. When that was done, I painted the fabric in the coral shade I’d chosen, then used the same method as I’d used with the foam for the gray edges. I was super happy with how it looked!

Please pardon my mess of a table in the progress photos LOL:

It was then time to apply the armor to the black pants and shirt. I used velcro with a sticky back to accomplish that, and it worked great. I used the thinnest velcro I could find to reduce bulk, and in this case, it was perfect. But then came the shoulder and elbow pads, plus all the red wraps that hold all the pieces in place. My velcro is circular, but it was wider than even the shoulder pads, which made it visible. That’s no good. Plus, I was using velcro to help hold all the red wraps in place as well, which created more bulk. So I had to rethink that.

I tried to sew snap buttons and hooks and eyes on the red bias tape wrap, but the bulk was still there and it was much more difficult than just sticking velcro in place. So then I tried something else - I cut the velcro into smaller pieces, then used one piece of it to stick the red bias tape to the shirt in the appropriate place, which allowed one velcro side to be facing up while the sticky part held the bias tape against the shirt. I put the opposite side of the velcro (also cut into a smaller shape) on the underside of the elbow/shoulder pads, then stuck it in place. And that did it! The bulk was gone... for the most part.

All the armor pieces were a great size, and I was able to secure them without permanently gluing them. But they weren’t conformed to the shape of the doll’s body. I’d noticed while gluing the layers together the pieces could be shaped pretty easily. But with the fabric on them, I couldn’t do that again. So I took a chance and used my husband’s heat gun on these armor pieces. I started with a small piece first in the event the method failed so it would be easy to remake. But alas, it worked perfectly! The heat gun allowed me to bend and shape the armor pieces against the doll’s body just like I did with the EVA foam, and the shape is still holding! Plus, shaping it around the various joints reduces the bulk. I was so happy this method worked! I have a feeling I’ll be using the heat gun quite a bit in the future!

I then took a wider piece of red bias tape in the same shade and wrapped it around the waist to be the sash that holds her sword (it’s technically a wakizashi, which is a shorter/smaller katana). I didn’t tie it in a bow/knot because that made it too thick and it didn’t look right. So for now it stays like this!

Next up was the boots. There are several tall Barbie boots available, bust most of them are high heeled, and that’s not what Sango wears. Who can slay demons in heels? LOL I’d set aside a pair of Barbie boots a while back, but I wasn’t a big fan of them. They were one of the farmer sets, so they had the mud traction bottoms and a weird buckle/texture on the side:

I thought once I painted them, they’d grow on me. But before I could do that, I found a post showcasing this fashion pack on Instagram, and my jaw dropped open. I knew I had to get this pack JUST for the boots:

Absolute perfection! There are buckles on the sides, but when they arrived, I tried them on the doll and was able to put the buckles on the inside, not the outside, of the foot, so you can’t even notice them. And they slid right on the feet/legs over the pants! It was meant to be!

With the boots in place, it was time to begin shaping the knee pads. I’d already cut them out, but I couldn’t put them in place until I had the boots. So the boots got painted black, then I put the knee pads above them. I wanted them to simply wrap around the leg and secure with velcro in the back. I had to trim them down a bit since the wrap was a bit too long, but I was still stuck with how to fasten the ends without overlapping them, which would cause bulk. So I wound up taking a scrap piece of fabric and sticking it between the two ends, and the ends are held to that piece with velcro. It doesn’t look the cleanest, but it’s on the back side, so I can live with it!

The red straps on the bottoms of the boots were next. That was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be - I just took some small strips of the same red bias tape I’d used for the armor, sewed the ends together with elastic, and slipped them right over the boots. DONE! The elastic is on the bottom and not visible, at least not to me.

Then I began with the wraps on the knee pads, which cover the top of the wrapped part and meet in front of the knee in a bow. I used embroidery floss to pull that off - I glued the floss to the tops of the knee pad wraps, then tied a bow in the front. When I was completely done, only then did I trim the ends of the bows in case they came undone and I still needed to retie them. I also covered them in fabric Mod Podge to give them the proper shape and keep them from becoming loose on their own.

You’d think the armor would be done right about now, right? Nope. There was still a collar to make, a button/bead to put on it, and the yellow design.

First was the collar. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull that off considering the shirt itself had no collar. And no way was I going to attempt to sew one. So then I looked at my black bias tape, which is the same size as the red I was using. I held it around the neck and formed the shape, and it didn’t look bad! So I then took one of my tiny paintbrushes and painted the edge red (the closest shade I could find to match the red bias tape), then wrapped it around the doll accordingly and secured it with velcro. The back piece is tucked under the red crisscross bias tape, so it will help keep the collar in place but is still hidden.

The collar should technically be taller, but I’m afraid that will mess up the effect on the front of the shirt considering it’s supposed to be secured with that button. This is why I want nothing permanent - maybe I’ll think of something in the future for that, and it’ll be a simple fix. If not, hey, I’m still happy with it!

I wasn’t sure how to do the button that’s meant to hold the armor together, but I took a chance with a bead I’d found that looked close to the shape, and I think it turned out great!

Then came the ultimate challenge... that yellow design. I can’t draw, and no way was I going to do so on that shirt. If I messed that up, there was no way to fix it. So I looked up pictures of it, thinking maybe there was a printable version of it for cosplay or something. Well, that proved insanely difficult - no two designs were alike. So I’d have to do what I did with Kagome’s books - use patterns taken from the show and make it myself.

Of course, different shots show the design differently. Sometimes it’s bigger than others. Then trying to find just a straight, forward-facing shot of it in its entirety, in decent quality, is no picnic. So finally I found a picture of the Toynami figure facing forward. I cropped the yellow design in Photoshop, created a large file, copied and pasted that design in there, and began using various tools to trace over the pattern. Why did I do that? Because if I’d just used the copy/pasted image, the quality would be terrible. It was so blurry it was a challenge even to trace. I had to refer to other pictures as I went just to make sure I had the shape right.

But finally I was finished. Then I did the same thing with it as I did for the armor - I printed it out in a variety of sizes and held it onto the doll to determine the best option. But how to put it on the outfit? I decided sticker paper would be the best option. And I actually found some clear sticker paper, so that would be perfect!

Or so I thought... unfortunately, because the sticker paper was clear, the printed design was way too dark once it was actually on the shirt. Putting it on a light color was fine, but a dark color? Nope. So I had to get a second batch of sticker paper, this time with a white background. I put a black box behind each design in Photoshop and printed it on the sticker paper. The black box allowed me to cut as close as I could to the design with an Xacto-knife, but didn’t require me to get so close that I cut something off. The final result was great! Not perfect, and closeup you can see the imperfections, but I’ll take it!

For the last phase, it was time to put the head back on the body (I didn’t want to risk messing the hair up while I was trying to make the armor). I used an extra piece of the red bias tape for her hair wrap - coincidentally, it was a discarded attempt for one of the elbow pads that had snap buttons sewn on it. It fit around the ponytail perfectly!

At last the armor was finished! That was definitely the most complicated outfit I’d ever done. But I’m very proud of myself for doing it all by myself (except the black pants and shirt) from scratch. Hopefully I don’t get the idea to make more complicated pieces like this LOL!

Back of the armor:

And that’s just the armor... there’s still her weapons and mask to do!

The Hiraikotsu was easy. I used the same method as before - hubby printed out Hiraikotsu, I sanded the black burnt edges down, painted it, and then wrapped it with bias tape I’d painted in the desired color. I then used the same bows as before, cut them down, painted them, and glued them to the bias tape. Then I made tassels out of embroidery floss and glued them onto the bows (one had a red bead attached). This time, however, no black strap is needed, since we only see that when Sango is wearing her kimono and walking with the weapon as opposed to carrying/wielding it. This also resulted in the bows being placed differently. With the black strap, the bead is on the bottom. With her armor, it’s on the top. But not having the black strap did make it a little easier.

However, there was still the question of how the doll can hold the weapon. Sango holds Hiraikotsu at the bow under the beaded bow. But if I ever want it to lay flat, it wouldn’t be able to because it would be sticking out. Plus, getting the doll’s hand around the bias tape AND the bow, with a tassel in the way, definitely sounded difficult. So I had to think of something else.

I settled for taking a spare piece of bias tape, painting it, and wrapping it around the bias tape already on Hiraikotsu, securing it behind it with velcro. Then, I pinched that piece to allow it to fit inside the doll’s hand. So now it looks like she’s holding the weapon, but the bow is still flat against it.

If I had another bow, I’d probably add one to that spare piece. Maybe when more Christmas stuff comes out at Hobby Lobby, I’ll pick up some more.

Next was the sword. You wouldn’t believe how many swords I ordered trying to find the right one. First, it had to have a sheath. Second, it had to be the right size. And third, it couldn’t be so heavy that it would A) pull the waist sash down and not be supported by it, or B) be unable to be held by the doll. I ordered SO many swords... and a vast majority of them, despite being advertised as 1/6 scale, were way too big. One of them was actually taller than she is! Others were also a bit too long, but more than that, they were too heavy. I was thinking I may have to wind up making a sword somehow out of more cardboard or something.

But then I remembered - I had Katana’s sword from DC Super Hero Girls. I’d ordered her specifically for her hands - to be given to Kagome LOL. I knew it would work because it was the right size and it wasn’t heavy - it was designed for those hands. But it didn’t have a sheath, and the guard is a rectangle instead of a circle. But then I did some digging and almost fell over when I found an actual Katana doll with a sword that had a sheath! Plus lots of other ninja weapons, and who can say no to that. It was a 2016 Comic Con exclusive doll, but I found one secondhand on eBay with all her accessories for a significantly cheaper price. So I grabbed that and was determined to make it work, even with the rectangular sword guard.

I didn’t use that actual sword - it had a more realistic metal look to the blade, and the gold diamonds were painted. The first sword I had has a blade that looks more like the Inuyasha doll’s Tetsusaiga blade (and that’s the doll I made all these to go with), plus it was all a solid color on the top to allow for easier painting.

Sango’s sword doesn’t have the diamond pattern etching, but it’ll have to do. Once painted, you can’t really see it. I painted the handle of the sword, and used my Kotobukiya figure as reference for the purple pattern wrap around it. For the guard, my original plan was to make two identical sword pieces out of cardstock, put holes in the center, slide one over the blade and one over the handle, and sandwich the original guard between them. I couldn’t remove the original, and I didn’t want to try to Dremel/shape it because that probably would have resulted in the whole thing breaking. The sandwich method didn’t work, but when I slid the cardboard guard onto the blade and hooked it to the original guard, I thought it looked pretty good! At the right angle, you can’t even tell the rectangle is still there. VICTORY!

For the sheath, I painted it a solid red color to start, and considered attaching purple craft foam to the bottom and using two small heart hole punches for the design. The wrapping created too much bulk and I couldn’t get the shape right. So I decided to paint it by hand. Then I painted the same red color onto a blank spot on the white sticker paper I’d used before, cut out the hearts with the hole punches, and stuck them to the sword. YES!

And that was the end of the sword!

Finally, the mask. I knew what I wanted to do with that - I have several Barbie masks from various fashion and accessory packs, and I’d tried one on the doll head, and it fit great! Since this doll has ears that actually stick out more than Barbie’s, the hooks hold it in place nicely.

(Wow, that mask looks huge on that Barbie - it looks better on the anime head LOL)

So then it was time to paint it. I used the same gray as I used on the armor, and used a red that was as close to the armor’s red bias tape as possible for the strap. The really fun part was painting the little details... I’d printed out some pictures of the mask (the exhibition one since it was the highest quality image), but I couldn’t just stick that onto the mask with sticker paper because it jus didn’t fit or look right. So I did it all by hand... I sketched out my design with a pencil first (actually works great on acrylic paint, even if you use an eraser!), then used another one of my tiny brushes to go over the design in a darker gray. For the final touch, I cut out tiny flower shapes out of cardstock, painted them to match the mask, and then took a needle and thread and strung red thread through them to make the tassels of the mask, and give the flowers kind of a 3D effect as shown in the anime:

My tassels may be a bit thin, but I didn’t want to string too much through and risk tearing the paper (it’s only one layer). I wasn’t even sure if it would work to be honest, but it did! Yay!!!

(The imperfections are much more noticeable in such a zoomed in photo lol)

And that is IT! That is the entire process of Sango the demon slayer in her armor. Definitely the most intense and challenging project I’ve done to date, but I’m very pleased with the overall result.