THE INSPIRATION
A Halloween “Mother of Death” costume with mechanical wings.
I designed and created the Mother of Death costume - a feminine twist on the Angel of Death, complete with mechanical wings that open and close.
MAKING THE HEADPIECE
To make the floral headpiece, I clipped circular floral wire and secured it to a headband. Then, I attached chicken wire to the circular frame, and attached fake flowers to the chicken wire using floral wire.
BUILDING THE WING FRAMES
I sketched a preliminary design in Illustrator, and then created a cardboard mock-up. After adjusting the lengths of the cardboard piece, I used them as a pattern for cutting aluminum bars which I used for the final wings framework. I used a drill press to drill holes into the bars and fastened them together with nuts, bolts and washers.
The wings mechanism opens via a Linear Actuator powered by a 12V battery. I bought the actuator and wiring kit and soldered the wires together.
FEATHERS AND CLOTHING
I made decorative wrist cuffs by gluing hand-painted flowers and skulls to a fur wrist wrap and sewing clips to the fabric. I also hand-sewed strips of feathers to a piece of fabric to create a layered, feathered look. I completed the wings with some lace materials draped under neath the feathers.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
After 8 months of hard work, I was finally ready to transform into the Mother of Death and partake in Halloween festivities. I attended Henri David the Ball and was very impressed with all the costumes!
