Spider Halloween Costume
Debbie ColgroveDateline: 09/30/04
Halloween brings out creativity and breaks the sewing rules. Halloween costumes do not require perfect construction, so have some fun. Here's free directions for creating a fabric spider Halloween costume.
Materials:
- Long black shirt and pants or full length skirt (The costume is easier to wear if the shirt is long enough for all of the arms to be attached to the shirt)
- Black fabric
- polyester stuffing
- 4 pair of gloves
- Fishing line
- Optional: If the costume will be worn to trick or treat on Halloween, please add reflective materials for safety.
Construction: - Measure the person who will be wearing the costume from the arm pit to the wrist and around the arm.
- Add 1" to each measurements for seam allowances.
- Make a pattern using the measurements to create a rectangle.
- Cut out 6 of the pattern in black fabric.
- Sew each piece along the long edge with wrong sides together.
- Turn right side out.
- Turn under 1/2" on each end of the tube.
- Stuff the gloves and hand sew one to the end of each tube (two gloves will remain for your real arms)
- Stuff the tubes.
- Have the person who will be wearing the costume, put on the black pants and shirt. With their arms raised, mark three evenly spaced spots for three arms to be added to each side. (Try to place the "arms" on just the shirt)
- Hand sew the arms to the black shirt (and pants if necessary), sewing the edge in a round shape.
- You will be using fishing line to make the arms move together when the person moves their real arms. Sew and knot the fishing line to the elbow area of the real arm, leave a length of fishing line equal to the distance between the arms on the body of the costume, stitch the fishing line to the top of the stuffed arm. Guide the needle through the stuffed arm, stitch and knot the line again on the bottom side of the stuffed arm. Repeat for all the arms on each side and at the wrist area of each arm.
- Add antennas to a head band as described in Animal Ears or on a cap.
Optional: Add reflective or glow in the dark material around each arm and in a decorative arrangement on the body. Look at Spider Clip Art to spur your imagination for placement of reflective materials.
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