This is an overview of how I made my 5th Anniversary Symphony Miku Cosplay – including the materials and techniques used and improvements made to the cosplay based on feedback I have received. Please enjoy and happy crafting!
The Bodice
The bodice of this cosplay started from the Princess Dress pattern from Dr.Cos.
I made a mockup of the dress and sketched out where I wanted each of the scallops for the base garment. Once I was happy with the layout, I made a full mockup of the garment from scrap fabric from another project. Once I was happy with the mockup, I traced out the pieces onto paper to use as my final pattern and made the bodice from a nice white bridal satin.
In version 1, I added a thin line of seed beads to the bottom edge of the garment as a finishing detail to add some contrast between the bottom hem of the shirt and the skirt layered underneath. I did not do this for version 2 as it was not super visible the first time and didn’t seem worth it to me to repeat.
Version 2
For version 2 of this cosplay, I made another mock up and played around with my pattern. Adding and removing seam allowance, removing fabric from above the bust area to improve the fit of the garment, and changing the seam lines altogether to improve the fit of the shirt. I finalized a pattern that I was happy with and remade the shirt from the same bridal satin and this time made the liner out of a white poly-cotton (I ran out and had to cut up version 1 to finish it. RIP version 1, immortalized forever in version 2). I added 1/4″ of seam allowance to give myself 1/2″ total and used this to create streamlined boning channels on the seams of the garment for extra support and structure.
I also added an elastic waist stay to the garment to help with keeping it in place and positioned with my body and the outer dress as I moved around.
The Skirt
The skirt for this cosplay was made using this Pleated Mini Skirt pattern from Coraline Street
I made a mockup of the skirt to practice making pleats. I followed their tutorial and made the skirt according to the pattern using the same white bridal satin as the bodice.
The Socks
The socks for the first version of this cosplay were kind of a disaster so rather than tell you that whole process, here are some things I learned…
- Gluing stuff to tights is very difficult
- Get a wax-nib pencil for lots of rhinestone work. They are sososo worth the investment and they are relatively inexpensive.
- Get a rhinestone tray or 3D print yourself some – only pour out what you need in the immediate, and close your bag after pouring. Accidentally tipping over and dumping the entire bag of rhinestones you left open while you are con crunching will make you cry.
- Gluing rhinestones with anything other than a flexible adhesive to something that stretches will not work and you will 100% lose some rhinestones in the process.
- Non-flexible adhesives include rhinestone adhesive, tacky glue, and fabri-tac. Just because they are intended for fabric does not mean they will work.
- The best adhesives for attaching rhinestones to fabric that I have found are E6000 and B7000
Version 2
I completely remade the socks and tights and garters for this cosplay in version 2. I used this pattern for my tights (which is the best dang tights/stockings/thigh high pattern I have ever used) and made them from scratch out of spandex fabrics rather than a pair of pre-existing tights and knit fabric.
I used a walking foot for my sewing machine when making these – that foot is a game changer when it comes to working with slippery fabrics and I highly recommend getting one if you are going to be sewing with a lot of spandex. I used a shot glass as a stencil for even scallops on the left sock and went very slowly when sewing them to make sure they were clean. I used a quilt basting spray which helped immensely with positioning fabric for project, and made it so I didn’t have to work around clips or pins.
The Accessories
The base materials of the accessories are a gold sparkle spandex/knit fabric and fusible interfacing.
For the bracelets, armband, necklace, and garters – I took measurements of whatever body part the accessory was meant to attach to and cut the pieces of fabric and interfacing accordingly. I used press snaps for areas that needed the accessory to open/close.
For the necklace bow, I cut a 1/4″ strip of infusible interfacing fused it to the gold fabric. I cut it into smaller pieces and shaped it into a bow and used E6000 to hold the pieces together and finalize the shape. I used some jump rings, an earring finding, and a lobster clasp to attach the bow and make it removable for travel/storage.
For the ankle pieces, I 3D modeled and printed the cog pieces using Fusion 360. They were printed with PLA+.
I then created a template for the base gold piece, stabilized a chunk of the gold fabric with fusible interfacing, then traced my template shape onto the back. I cut 4 pieces total – 2 for each anklet. I used E6000 to attach the 2 pieces, with the interfacing sides facing each other. I attached a piece of ribbon across the inside of the anklet pieces so that I could tie them around my ankles for wear.
I painted the cog pieces gold and attached them to the cloth pieces using E6000 and added rhinestones around the edges.
The Outer Dress
The outer dress for this cosplay was the most difficult piece of the process to make.
To make the bottom of the dress very structured but even and sturdy, I started with 4 splatter guard utensils that I purchased from my local dollar store. I cut them in half and figured out what shape I needed, then attached them all with Thibra thermoplastic strips.
I used 3/8″ polyester boning for the strips that are attached to the peaks. These were attached to the base frame using Aleene’s The Ultimate adhesive and the top of the boning was stitched to a piece of 1.5″ nylon webbing that will later serve as the chest band base for the dress.
To make the dress panels, I looked at paper templates for a gramophone party favor and a theater gramophone prop to get the general shape for the individual sections. I did a bit of sketching to plan for and get dimensions I would need to start my pattern process. Once I had a rough idea of sizing, I sketched out my first pattern shape onto paper and cut it into a template.
I used the template to cut pieces of scrap organza to create a mockup. Then I was able to make adjustments for size and shape to the template. I did the mockup-reshape-repeat until I got a shape I was happy with then made a 50% mockup to see how they would lay with the boning then cut a final template from there.
Once the final template was complete, I cut an iridescent bridal organza to create the petals for the dress. I folded and ironed the fold each section of organza as I laid out the template to ensure a crisp edge to line up the edge of the template to. Ironing also helps keep the shape as close to 1:1 with the template at possible and prevents any misshapen sections as you’re cutting.
I hemmed each section of organza using white thread and fishing line to make sure that it was strong and would not fray apart due to tension when it was attached to the dress frame later.
This video was a massive help when I was making this – this was my first time hemming organza.
Version 2
For version 2, I sealed the edges of my appliques better to the dress to prevent curling and peeling and touched up the coloration on some of them. The gold lame I chose seems to fade if it is touched or rubbed repeatedly – such as when carrying the costume around to pack it.
I added additional boning to the underside to clean up the inner seams of the garment and make the finishing more complete.
The Wig
The wig for this costume took a lot of time to style – I opted to go with a helmet wig and detachable ponytails to help keep them untangled and easy to travel with.
I started with 2 of these wigs from Map of Beauty on Amazon and crimped both of them completely. I used a seam ripper to remove wefts from one and kept the netting for a later project. For the second wig, I left the front area where the main bangs would be long and cut the rest of the wefts off – leaving about 1/2 an inch to an inch of hair on the wig netting. I used this wig netting as the base for my helmet wig and covered it with a layer of clear glue and let it dry.
For the ponytails, I used 2 lengths of 3/4″ PVC pipe and a few strips of Thibra thermoplastic. I constructed the base cross from the thermoplastic, then measured out the positions for each ponytail and attached the structures to the wig base with hot glue. I added a layer of quilt batting to the wig base and airbrushed it green to match my wefts.
Next I started to layer the wefts on. This was my first time doing a twin ponytail wig, so there was a bit of a learning curve. I ended up starting close to the ponytail posts and worked my way out from there to try and keep it somewhat symmetrical.
Once the base of the wig was mostly in place, I sealed up the hair around the posts to prevent it from getting messed up as the ponytails were put on and taken off and moved around.
Changes and Improvements
After competing at Kitsune Kon 2025, I reached out and received some amazing feedback from the judges. They were extremely kind and constructive with their critiques and I appreciate them taking the time to give me honest feedback and pointers. Here is a TLDR of their feedback…
- Some of the appliques were starting to curl up at the edges – was recommended to seal them up a bit better with some additional glue or modpodge
- The inside finish of the outer dress was a tad messy. Sealing up some of the edges of the fabric on the outer dress may have helped with this
- Bodice hems were a bit bunchy (either due to tensioning, the fabric choice, or the seam choice)
- French seams were not the best option for this style of garment or fabric choice
- Front of the bodice “bubbled out” a little bit – too much fabric right above the bust, which caused some fitting issues (likely due to transference of the garment from dress-form to a real person)
- The glue on the tall sock/leggings was slightly visible (but only up close)
In the realm of direction to go for improving and growing my skills, they offered the following guidance…
- Was recommended to check out tailors ham for pressing curved seams
- Was recommended to line satin garments with a cotton, canvas, or other similarly structured fabric. Satin is not stiff enough to support itself (oops!)
- Was recommended to look into adding boning to the garment in the future to help with structure and support with the outer dress
Awards and Acolades
1st Place Masters – Kitsune Kon 2025 (competing in version 1)
“Beading Award” – Youmacon 2025 (competing in version 2)