Halloween costumes

Vest

1. Adjust the vest patterns: Measure the child from the shoulder (at the neck) to the waist. Add 2 inches, and adjust the front and back patterns vertically to this measurement on the adjustment lines if necessary. Measure around the child’s chest, divide this number by 2, and adjust the back; divide it in half, and add this amount to the front width at the adjustment line. Straighten out the shoulder lines. Don’t adjust the neck or armholes until you cut the pattern and sew it.

2. Use the adjusted pattern to cut one back piece from the green felt. Cut out 4 front pieces: 2 green and 2 purple. Pin the green front pieces on top of the purple front pieces, making sure you have a left and a right side. Pin the back to the front at the shoulder seams, right sides together (that is, green fronts facing green back). Sew shoulder seams together. Remove the pins and try on the child. Adjust where necessary along the shoulder seam (make neck hole a little larger? Cut down width at arm?). See how the vest armholes will fit and mark where they should be cut a little larger if necessary. Remove the vest from the child and make the adjustments. Resew the shoulder seams if necessary. Pin and sew the side seams. Remove the pins.

3. Place the vest on the child and mark with pins where the front overlaps. Remove from the child and attach the Velcro in the following way: On the child’s right side of the vest, lift up the green pinned layer, and pin a 4-inch strip of Velcro on the purple felt layer, facing inside. On the other front side, pin the opposite Velcro on the green layer, facing outside. Sew these in place. Hot glue the 2 layers of front felt together where necessary.

4. With the fabric glue, squeeze out decorative swirling lines on one outer side of the vest front. Sprinkle with the green glitter and let dry. Repeat for the other side and let dry. Turn the vest over and make little dots with the glue, keeping decorations 1/2 inch away from the shoulder seams and top of neck. Sprinkle with glitter and let dry.

5. Attach Velcro to the vest: Cut a 2-inch strip of loop (fuzzy) Velcro and pin it at neck center back. Measure across the shoulders and cut 2 more strips loop (rough) Velcro about 1/2 inch shorter than the shoulders are wide, and attach one to back of each shoulder, about 1/4 inch from the seam.

Wings
1. Measure the child from the top of the spine at the neck to the wrist. Adjust the wing pattern so that the center back to the wrist is 2 inches longer than this measurement (for ease of movement). Make the pattern longer top to bottom, if desired.

2. Using this pattern and pinking shears, cut out a double layer of pink organza, aligning the fold with the fold mark on the pattern. Then cut out a double layer of burgundy crinoline, again aligning the folds. Sew the 2 pieces together across the top. Cut a purple felt strip, 1 inch wide by the length of the top, and pin it to the crinoline layer of the top wing. Sew together. Remove the pins.

3. Wrap the elastic around the child’s wrist loosely enough to feel comfortable but not so loose as to fall off. Pin the ends where they meet and remove from the wrist. Sew as pinned and make a second one exactly the same. Attach one to each end of the felt strip at the top of the wings with a few stitches.

4. To attach the wings, take the 2-inch strip of hook (rough) Velcro that matches the Velcro at the vest center back and sew it onto the center of the felt strip on the wing. Put the vest on the child. Attach the Velcro loop strips that match the vest shoulders. Slip on the elastics at the wrists. At the child’s shoulders, pin the wings to the vest. Remove the wings and vest, and pin the loop Velcro to the wings. Sew the Velcro in place. Remove the pins.

Headdress
1. Beginning in the center, sew the remaining artificial flowers onto the ribbon about 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently place the ribbon around the child’s head and twist to close it into a circle. Twist the dangling ends into ringlets that can droop down. Cut off ends if they are too long.

2. Make little dots on the ribbon with fabric glue and sprinkle with silver glitter. Let dry.

 

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