i made this costume for reagan this year…it was really simple, in fact, if you are a expert seamstress, it was totally cheating…
wanna know the secret…here’s how:
1. purchase any pre-made upper bodied halloween costume with a round belly.(try to get one on clearance after halloween and save it for next year.) this is a brown two piece monkey costume i purchased at old navy on sale. i simply got rid of the legs and am just using the upper portion of the costume. remove any unwanted parts by simply cutting them off. in this case i cut off the monkey’s arms, nose, ears, and tail. it will be covered up with feathers so it does not matter what you remove.
2. purchase 8-12 strands of boa in the desired color. in this case we chose blue, because we wanted her to be a blue jay. be sure to choose a variety of styles if you are interested in having some parts of the costume look like the tummy or tail of a bird.
3. hand stitch the boa on using a loose running stitch in rows. the thicker boa you buy the farther apart the rows can be. for example, on the front and sides of the costume, my rows are about 4-5 inches apart because i was using a really fluffy boa, but on the tail i was using a much smaller sized boa, so they were only about 1-2 inch apart.
4. using thick kids craft felt cut and sew on a beek to the hood of the costume.
5. find leggings, tights or pants that are orange or yellow and a matching under shirt.
it is that simple. i am totally still learning to sew, so this will have to work for now…
next year i think i may attempt a flamingo costume???
ideas anyone?
