Cosplay Tutorial: Nora Valkyrie of RWBY Build

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Has it REALLY been a month since I last spoke to all of you? -checks her calendar- Eeek! It has! Well, let’s get the energy going in this column shall we?

RWBY by Roosterteeth is a burgeoning U.S. based anime that has cosplayers in a tizzy! Their lovely costume designs, fun character development and strong plot line have “triggered” costumers the world wide. So, naturally, I had to write a cosplay tutorial for all of you on a costume from this series.

Who did I choose? Why NORA VALKYRIE of course! Nora is stupendous and, seeing as to how I am a bubbly person, she just fit the cosplay bill for me. Let’s get started!

Materials, Supplies and Tools


To make Nora I used…

  • A sewing machine
  • Needles/Thread
  • 2″ thick Elastic & 1/2″ thick elastic
  • A belt buckle
  • 3-4 yards of pink, 4 way stretch polyester blend lycra
  • 1-2 yards of white cotton
  • 1-2 yards of white, 4 way stretch cotton blend lycra
  • Children’s tights in Pink
  • White Boots (lace up)
  • Industrial Strength Double Sided Velcro
  • A Navy Blue Zipper with Silver Teeth
  • Measuring Tape
  • Fabric Markers/Chalk
  • Stretch Denim in Navy Blue
  • 4 Way Stretch Red Spandex
  • American Textile Medium
  • Pink Acrylic Paint
  • 2 Large Grommets
  • Plain White Costume Gloves
  • Liquid RIT dye in Pink
  • Pink Shoe Laces
  • A Greta Classic Arda Wig in Pumpkin
  • Sewing Pins
  • A yard stick/ruler
  • A hammer


  • Reference Images


    Every Cosplay is only as good as their reference images. Thankfully, Roosterteeth has a GREAT habit of posting a turn around for cosplayers to use. Below is one such example…

    You can find more images of characters by visiting: http://rwby.wikia.com/wiki/RWBY_Wiki

    Cosplay Build Summary Video


    Writing out EVERY step of this build will take SO MUCH TIME so I decided to create a build video for all of you. Also, for those are wondering WHY I needed a hammer…well, I don’t have a Grommet tool so I use a hammer to put my grommets into my costumes 🙂 Ok, on to the video!

    THAT TRICKY SHIRT!!!!!


    Many of you will probably watch the above video and go “Ok, I get it…” then move on to making Nora. Some of you will try and hit the dreaded wall of two things…

  • Nora’s Heart Cut Out in her shirt
  • Nora’s Hammer Symbol on the back of her jacket
  • These are SO tricky. So, to help out, I made a little video for her heart symbol below…

    AND I wrote an article HERE showing how to paint clothing and still leave it machine washable.

    A Little More Help


    For those who are STILL a little confused let me help you out by showing you another INSTRUCTABLE I made with all those pesky steps I mentioned above. They are tedious however, they should help you get through this cosplay build in no time!

    Magnhild – AKA Hammer of Doom!


    Interested in tackling Nora’s hammer? I’ve made two versions of this costume and in THIS tutorial I touched upon how I made my hammer.

    In Conclusion…


    Don’t let this costume scare you. Sure, it can be daunting but many of the elements can be simplified, bought and/or created from scratch. We at FGN believe in you!

    Happy crafting!

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    5 Comments

    1. Keira Nightfall October 11, 2017 Reply
      • Samantha Kitts October 12, 2017 Reply
        • Keira Nightfall October 12, 2017 Reply
    2. Charlette Lilie August 29, 2018 Reply
      • Samantha Kitts September 5, 2018 Reply

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