Sharknado

sharknado costume
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Sharknado requires a sewing machine and hand sewing skills.

Supplies needed:

  • Foam Pool Noodles

  • Quilt

  • Little toys

  • Leggings

  • Turtleneck sweater

  • Blanket

  • Spray paint: textured stone - grey

  • Duct tape

  • Velcro

  • Craft Knife

  • Hot glue gun

  • Craft glue

  • Needle and thread

  • Bodkin or safety pin

  • Yarn

  • Sewing machine

Instructions:

Frame:

1. Cut the foam pool noodles

2. Tape pieces of foam together to make a circle 20” – 22” in diameter

Lining:

1. Pin a light weight blanket to the circle frame 6 inches from the edge (this will be the yoke or top of the costume)

2. Sew the blanket to the circle (hand stitching)

3. Thread yarn through the hem/casing of the blanket with a bodkin or safety pin

4. Pull both yarn end through the hem/casing until it fits around the neck

5. Place the costume on a hanger and pin 5-6 darts from the top to the bottom on the wrong side/inside of the blanket; the darts will give make the costume narrower at the bottom, to give it a tornado shape

6. Sew the darts by machine

7. Sew up the back opening, by machine, half-way from the top

8. Sew Velcro strips to the back opening (to close the costume when wearing)

9. Arm holes: Cut out large ovals near the frame on each side of the blanket

Tornado:

1. Remove the batting from the quilt

2. Tear the batting into 6” – 8” strips

3. Wrap the batting strips around the lining (on a diagonal) until the entire costume is covered

4. Use a hot glue gun to attach the batting to the lining

5. Paint the tornado with textured, stone spray paint in grey

6. Glue mini toys, including sharks, to the costume with a hot glue gun

Headpiece:

1. Shape leftover batting into a circle

2. Glue a plastic shark to the top

3. Use bobby pins to hold in place




Cupcake

cupcake costume
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Cupcake is an easy, no-sew costume!

Supplies needed:

  • Laundry basket                    
  • Pillows                        
  • Sheet                            
  • Tights                            
  • Ribbon                        
  • Vinyl tablecloth                    
  • Headband                        
  • Battery operated Christmas light (and batteries)               
  • Foam insulation tube
  • Long sleeve shirt
  • Craft Knife
  • Spray paint (to match)
  • Craft glue
  • Box cutter
  • Glitter glue
  • Glitter
  • Spray glue
  • Binder clips
  • Wax paper

Instructions:

Cupcake Wrapper:

  • Cut off the bottom of the laundry basket with the box cutter
  • Cut the sheet to fit around the basket; allow enough fabric to cover the top lip and bottom
  • Glue the fabric to the basket; use binder clips to hold it in place until dry

Frosting:

  • Measure the child from shoulder to below the her waist; Cut a circle from the vinyl tablecloth the same length
  • Spread the circle on a flat surface; glue the pillow stuffing to the circle
  • Add glitter to the “frosting”: spray an even coat of spray glue; sprinkle the glitter
  • For the sparkly dots: pour a small amount of glitter glue on wax paper in a circle shape; when glue is dry, cut out circles and glue to “frosting”
  • Shoulder straps: Tie ribbon straps to the basket front to back

Candle Headband:

  • Cut a piece of foam tube 1” longer than the Christmas light
  • Paint tube with matching spray paint
  • When dry, cut 2 slits in the bottom to attach to the headband; glue in place
  • Insert candle inside the tube



Spiderweb

spiderweb costume
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Spiderweb is an easy costume and requires beginner hand sewing skills.

Supplies needed:

  • Hula Hoop
  • Tube Socks -orange
  • Yarn – white
  • Yarn - black
  • Black turtleneck
  • Black skirt
  • Orange sweatshirt
  • Polka dot tights
  • Mini plastic spiders
  • Fiberfill/pillow stuffing
  • Craft glue
  • Needle and orange thread

Instructions:

Web:

  1. Balance the hula hoop on the back of three chairs
  2. Tie 20 pieces of yarn from one side of the hoop to the other; cut off excess yarn
  3. Starting in the center, weave another piece of yarn around and around the long pieces to create a web
  4. Attach little plastic spiders to the web
  5. Tie a piece of yarn at the girl’s neck and at the back of the web to hold in place

Spider legs:

  1. Lightly stuff each tube sock with fiberfill or pillow stuffing
  2. Sew two legs, by hand, to each side of the orange sweatshirt at the side seam, space evenly
  3. To hold legs in place, tie a piece of yarn to the middle and end of each sock, then tie to the elbow and wrist of the sweat shirt; let the excess yarn hang (she is a spider after all)

Front of the shirt:

  1. Lay additional yarn on the front of the sweat shirt in a spider web design
  2. Hold in place with craft glue


Robot

robot costume
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Robot is an easy, no-sew costume!

Supplies needed:

  • Sweat Pants                                                      
  • Kitchen strainer                                              
  • Christmas tree lights - battery operated
  • Batteries                                                            
  • Dryer vent                                                       
  • Card board box                                         
  • Spray paint – metallic silver
  • Duct tape – grey/silver
  • Long sleeve t-shirt
  • Misc. kitchen utensils
  • Plastic tubing
  • Mini battery operated LED light
  • Craft Knife
  • Packing tape
  • Craft glue
  • Wire cutters
  • Punch or small screw driver
  • Small gauge wire

Instructions:

  1. Cut off the bottom of a cardboard box
  2. Cut out a circle (for the neck) at the “top”
  3. Cut flaps on each side for arm holes
  4. Carefully punch holes on the front for the lights; be sure to protect your work surface
  5. Spray paint the entire box with silver paint
  6. After paint is dry, insert lights in holes; hold in place with packing tape; tape battery box to the inside bottom of the box
  7. Push lights through a flat kitchen strainer; hold in place with wire
  8. Cut two holes on the top the same diameter as the tubing; glue tubing in place
  9. Cut two pieces of dryer vent the length of the child’s arm
  10. Poke a hole in top of the round strainer with the screw driver
  11.  Glue the mini LED light in the hold
  12.  Use grey duct tape to close the back of the box after the child puts it on


Werewolf

werewolf costume
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Werewolf requires a sewing machine and advanced sewing skills.

Supplies needed:

  • Fur coat                
  • Shower Scrunchies                    
  • Plastic hangers                    
  • Brown fabric gloves                
  • Brown socks                        
  • Plaid, flannel shirt                    
  • Denim jeans                        
  • Brown fabric (ear lining)    
  • Brown spray paint    
  • Heavy duty wire
  • Hot glue gun
  • Craft glue
  • Needle and thread
  • Sewing Machine
  • Heavy-duty cutter pliers

Instructions:

Headpiece:

  1. Pin two pieces of fur, right sides together: approximately 24” wide x 7” high
  2. Mark a semi-circle on the wrong side (see photo)
  3. Sew, by machine on marked lines; cut off excess fabric
  4. Pin 3 darts: 4” long x ¾” wide; one in the middle of the back and the others 2 ½” from the middle dart; sew by machine
  5. Cut out two ears from fur and lining fabric: 4 ½” high x 4” wide
  6. Pin one fur ear and one lining ear, right sides together; sew sides, leave bottom open
  7. Trim excess fabric; turn right side out
  8. Sew ears to the top of the headpiece, by hand, (at the seam) 3” apart
  9. “Chest Hair”: Add lengths of fur (approx. 5”-6” wide x 10” – 12” long) to the ends of the headpiece to tuck into shirt front

Paws and Feet:

  1. Claws: cut 2” pieces from the rounded ends of plastic hangers
  2. Cut small slits in the ends of glove finger tips and at the toe end of a pair of socks
  3.  Insert plastic “claws” into the slits and hold in place with craft glue
  4.  Cut a piece of fur the size of each glove and sock; glue in place

Tail:

  1. Paint 5 shower scrunchies with brown spray paint
  2. Thread scrunchies on a 24” length of heavy duty wire
  3. Bend each end of wire in a U shape
  4. Hook one end on the back belt-loop; bend wire so tail stays up

Clothes:

  1. Cut triangle sections of fabric from the bottom of the shirt
  2. Cut off the sewn hem from the jeans; tear strips to make the bottom look worn


Inspector Gadget

inspector gadget costume
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Inspector Gadget is a no-sew, easy costume!

Supplies needed:

  • Rubber gloves                                           
  • Curtain rod                                                
  • Kitchen Tongs                                            
  • Misc. gadgets
  • Foam/insulation tubing
  • Hand held mirror
  • Plastic bag
  • Fiberfill/stuffing
  • Knit gloves                          
  • Trench coat
  • Shirt and tie
  • Dress Pants
  • Fedora hat
  • Police badge
  • Spray paint (match hat color)
  • Craft Glue
  • Craft knife

Instructions:

  1. Cut a 4” piece of foam tubing (you can find it at the hardware store)
  2. Paint the tube to match the hat color
  3. Cut a hole in the top of the hat with the craft knife
  4. Insert tube in hole; glue in place
  5. Cut slits  in the top of the tube 1” down to look like a cross:   +
  6. Push tongs into the slits, add glue and hold together with a rubber band until dry
  7. Bend curtain rod near the middle
  8. Cut small holes on each side of the hat the diameter of the rod
  9. Insert rod into holes
  10.  Stuff gloves with fiberfill or pillow stuffing
  11. Tie gloves to tongs
  12. Tie misc. gadgets to the gloves or tongs
  13.  Magnifying glass: Remove the mirror from an hand-held mirror frame
  14.  Glue a plastic bag to the back of the mirror; when dry, cut off excess
  15.  Clip on a police badge or print one up!