Easy Homemade Crayon Costume

We have another theme for our halloween costumes this year. Crayons! Seemed appropriate for a family of young children who love to color. I originally saw this idea made from poster board, and was inspired. I was a bit worried, though, that posterboard would not be durable enough for my kids, given how hard they can be on things.

Here's a link to the original poster board version that inspired me:

No Sew Crayon Costume

But, again, I wanted something more durable. I could easily see my kids tearing up the posterboard within a few minutes of putting it on. So I adapted it for felt. The great thing about felt is there is no need to hem your edges -- they won't fray! This is a simple costume to make, with no fancy sewing experience needed.

Time it took me per costume: 1.5 hours (that includes plenty of interruptions from the little ones demanding my attention!)

What you will need for the costume body:

Green felt -- I bought 1 yard of 72" felt, and it was more than enough
Green thread
Black felt
Black thread
Scissors
Measuring tape (not pictured)
Pins

Getting Started
Start by printing out your letters. I did this by:
1. Open a word processor
2. Set font to Arial Black
3. Type CRAYON
4. Highlight the word and reset the size to 115 for the toddler costume (I used font size 150 for the bigger kids).
5. Print

Pin the letters to your fabric.

Cut around each letter. I found that the larger the letters, the easier they were to cut out.

Size Your Fabric Measure around your child's waist, and add 3 inches. That will be the width of your fabric.
Measure from the child's chest down to his knees -- this will be the length of the fabric. Cut to your measurements.

In my toddler's case, I came up with the following measurements:
Width - 24 inches
Height - 13 1/2 inches
I cut a rectangle of the green felt measuring 24x13 1/2 inches.
To get the black oval around the word CRAYON, cut a rectangle several inches shorter than the body fabric, then round the edges with your scissors.

Space your letters evenly on the black oval and pin.

Thread your machine with your green thread. Sew each letter. I found this to be the hardest part, so take your time and go slow. It doesn't have to be perfect -- the thread will blend in with the letters.

Trim all excess threads.

Then thread your machine with your black thread. Pin the black oval to your body fabric, and sew around the edges. Trim threads.

Switch back to your green thread. Put the right sides together, and sew the ends together. Turn right side out.


Cut 2 rectangles out of the black felt for your shoulder straps -- the measurements that worked for me were 14"x3"

I put the costume on the child to pin the shoulder straps on.

I find it easier to have the child step into the costume rather than trying to push it over his head. Then, I placed the shoulder straps on and pinned them in place (try doing this with a one year old! Not easy!). Make sure to leave enough slack in the shoulder straps so that they are easy to slip on and off of the shoulder.

After this, the model went to bed, and I continued sewing.

Sew the shoulder straps in place. The body is done!

What you will need for the costume hat:


Green felt
Green thread
Black ribbon
Plate
Pins
Scissors
Black Marker

If you can find it in the right color, a solid birthday hat will work. But, if not, here is how I made the hat.

Place your plate onto the green felt to use as a pattern. With a black marker, trace around the plate.

You should have a nice circle. Cut it out.

Then cut a big pie size slice out of the side. What you will have left will sort of look like pac man.

Fold the pac man shape into a cone and pin.

Cut two 22" strips of black ribbon. Pin to opposites sides of the inside of the cone.

Sew around the bottom edge. Trim threads. The hat is done.


Finished Costumes

Finished Hats

Pictures of the kids in their costumes will soon follow :)
(All my Halloween pictures were deleted off of my camera :( Ah, the joys of digital)