Cosplay DIY: Harley Quinn Mallet

In March 2016, I started on my very first cosplay project: a Harley Quinn mallet. I was a cosplayer for about two years at the time and never made any props before. A month earlier, my customized Harley Quinn costume had arrived to me in the mail and wanted to make a prop to go with the cosplay that I planned to go as for a convention that was coming up in May of that year. Other than that, I'm going to share with everyone step-by-step instructions on how I constructed my mallet. Whenever I plan my cosplays or work on a project, I don't focus on perfection. All I can do is be proud of the effort and hard work I put into it. With that said, I hope you're ready to learn how to make a Harley Quinn mallet.

Here are the items you'll need for this DIY project:

• Scissors
• Pencils and markers
• A sheet of cardboard
• Newspapers
• Rolling pin
• Elmer's glue or hot glue
• Duct tape
• Broom handle or PVC pipe
• Wooden letters (H and Q)
• Exacto knife
• 2 rolls of Foamies (red and black)

1. Using your exacto knife, carefully cut the ends of the cardboard. You should have a cardboard sheet cut out.
2. Use your rolling pin and roll up the cardboard sheet several times until it's just right and in a roll.
3. Take your rolled up cardboard and using one of the small cut up cardboard pieces, place it on top of the small piece of cardboard. Trace a circle around it. Cut the circle and do the same thing with the other piece of cardboard.You should have two cardboard circles that are cut up (one for each end of the mallet).
4. Grab some duct tape and tape on the outside and inside the rolled cardboard.
5. Find a good place where you want the handle to go through the cardboard by using a marker or pencil. Put your broom handle or PVC pipe through the hole and duct tape the top and bottom. Also, duct tape the handle really well.
6. Cut the duct tape into strips and snip off excess cardboard before taping down one end of the mallet. Wad lots of newspapers in a ball and place them inside of the mallet. Cut more strips of duct tape, grab the other cardboard circle piece, place it on the other end of the mallet, and tape it down.
7. Duct tape the handle really good and tight. It is not the final, final result. There's still a lot more work to do on this mallet.
8. Cut some of the black Foamies so you have enough to wrap around the mallet. Then draw a circle where you want to put the end of the broom or PVC pipe through it. Apply Elmer's glue or hot glue on the black Foamie, put the end of the mallet through the hole, and place the Foamie on the mallet. Make sure it's secured tight. Also, be sure to leave some space on both ends of the mallet, because you'll be using the red Foamies to glue both ends.
9. Grab your wooden letters (H and Q) and trace them onto the red Foamie. You can purchase these wooden letters at Walmart or any crafts store near you. Using your scissors or exacto knife, carefully cut out the letters and set them aside for now. Then, draw and cut out some red and black diamonds for the mallet.
10. 10. Cut some red Foamies out big enough to glue both ends of the mallet. Next, apply glue to both letters and carefully place them on the mallet. Let it dry for a few minutes before gluing on the diamonds. You can customize this mallet however you want to. Let your creativity run wild and let loose.

It took me about a month to complete my mallet and the late nights and weekends working on it really paid off. Cosplay is a true passion of mine and I believe that there's room for everyone to show off their talents to the world. I enjoyed this project so much and for a person who has never made a cosplay prop before, I did fairly well. Was it the best Harley Quinn mallet in all of cosplay? No it wasn't, but at least I had the courage to create something where I can be proud of myself for putting in work to make it stand out. I posted pictures of my finished project on social media and people loved it. Two months later, I went as a genderbent Harley Quinn at the Arkansas Anime Festival with my mallet in hand. It was my first time doing a genderbent cosplay of a female character, but I had a great time that weekend. I hope that these steps will help you create the best Harley Quinn Mallet for your next convention or photoshoot.

First Cosplay Prop Complete