Being Drest (and How to Make Borawyn)

When I first wrote The Mad Wolf’s Daughterseveral people told me that they could envision kids going trick-or-treating as my wee lass, and that certainly made me smile. How incredible it would be to see a crowd of kids with dirt on their faces, tattered sleeves, and a mighty sword at their sides!

Yet…that sword. It’s hard to find good toy swords, and Borawyn, Drest’s beloved sword, has a unique pommel that I’ve not seen on any replica swords (it’s based on a pommel at the British Museum). And swords are expensive.

I’ve always been big on homemade costumes, the more intricate the better, and so I figured I’d design a Borawyn for any of my readers who might like to be Drest this Halloween. It took me about 90 minutes (including correcting a mistake, and waiting for glue and paint to dry), but I’m rather pleased with the result. It’s a bit of a floppy sword if your cardboard isn’t tough, but it will be a decent one to hang by a belt at the hip (the right hip, please, since Drest is left-handed). I shared the instructions, with photos included, on Twitter, where I have the most audience, so here’s that thread for a step-by-step, kid-friendly means to create a Borawyn of your own (click anywhere on the link below to get to the thread):

3 Responses to “Being Drest (and How to Make Borawyn)”

    • Diane

      You’re so kind! Sadly, the market for these two hasn’t been good enough for my publisher to want a third Drest book, but rest assured there are many more books (albeit it set in different worlds with different characters) up my sleeve! The next (Secret of the Shadow Beasts) is coming out June 14, 2022!

      Reply

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