With Rey’s staff, base outfit, tabards and arm wraps complete, it’s time for the finishing touches, or what I call the Four B’s: belts, boots, bracer and butt bag!

Belts and Bracer

I’ll start off by saying that I could have made these myself. But if I did, they’d look like junk and I’d probably be short a few fingers because I don’t know how to cut leather. SO I once again turned to the lovelies in the Rey Cosplay Community on Facebook, where countless talented creators with a passion for Scavenger Gear reside.

For my belts and bracer, I opted to work with one girl who had done a bunch of pieces for other group members, and I was not disappointed in the least. She took my measurements and built these babies to my size – and even combined shipping with my 3D Staff pieces since she lived near the guy who made them!

She also made the holster in case I wanted to go full Resistance Rey later on! (Spoiler Alert, I did.)

These are beautifully crafted and handmade leather, so I had to do a little breaking in if I’m honest. It was stiff at first but after a few wears and just twisting and rolling the leather around in my hands, it’s gotten softer and more pliable – and more weathered.

Boots

I’ve seen SO many talented cosplayers build their own Rebel Legion-approved Jakku Rey boots by modifying existing boots. They’ve saved TONS of money and created some really incredible things.

But much like the belts and bracer, I lack the talent and time to create such masterpieces. So I saved up some cash and sprang for the basically-screen-accurate-yes-they’re-licensed-and-approved Po-Zu Rey (formerly Piper) boots.

To be honest, these were actually a super wise purchase. I picked them up during one of Po-Zu’s insane sales so they were much cheaper than regular price, and I’ve worn them a HELL of a lot outside of cosplaying. They’re quite comfortable and vegan (if that floats your boat) and they’re adorable with skinnies and a long sweater… or casual day Rey 😉

So while I can’t take credit for making them, if you’re on the fence about getting them I can vouch for their comfort and quality!

Bag

While this is the final piece I’ll discuss making, Rey’s butt bag was actually the first piece I made. And I call it a butt bag with only the utmost respect – it genuinely is a bag that sits on her butt by way of the second belt, and is not to be confused with her “scavenger pack” which she’s seen with in the beginning of the film in “Full Scavenger” costume with head wraps and goggles.

She may be a scavenger, but the girl sure owns a crap-ton of BAGS.

I started out with this bag that I’d seen some other girls successfully modify.

All told, it’s actually a pretty decent bag for the money, and requires little modifications that even a novice can do. Like I said – this was the first piece of my first real cosplay “build”, and I feel like it was a great place to start because it boosted my confidence in my skills.

It came with belts that I didn’t end up using, but it essentially had everything I needed, minus the black Alice clip and spare Square rings for the side of the bag, which I was lucky enough to get from another Rey in the Facebook group who had extras.

One day when I was in the throes of a nasty case of bronchitis, I finally decided to start this baby. And while it took me the better part of a day (and a few band-aids), I was so proud when I was done.

Here’s how I did it:

• attached black Alice clip to lower left with khaki thread
• removed random loop on top flap
• replaced D rings with screen accurate square rings
• re-positioned side tabs with new rings and re-sewed them on with space in the middle (secured with hidden hot glue too, shhh!)
• cut up a cardboard box and re-taped it to fit the inside of the bag and keep its shape (see photo above of that in progress)
• weathered with eyeshadow

And that was it! With just a few hours of mindlessly sewing while I sneezed and watched old episodes of Hannibal, I had a perfect Rey butt bag and I was ready to submit to the Rebel Legion!

Or SO I THOUGHT! (cue dramatic music by John Williams and tightly-edited action scenes interspersed with me crying in a bathtub surrounded by RIT dye).

Stay tuned for the harrowing tale of my first rejection and my comeback!