How to Make Cowboys & Indians Costumes
The dynamic of Cowboys and Indians plays a central part in American history. The simple archetypes of each have been portrayed in many movies and continue to excite imaginations across America. Themed parties are often centered around cowboys and Indians as are many costumes during Halloween. Most costume stores sell such costumes, but you may want to save money by making your own costume from items you already have at home.
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Things You'll Need
- Cowboy Costume:
- Boot-cut jeans
- Plaid shirt
- Vest
- Handkerchief
- Cowboy Boots
- Leather belt
- Holster
- Fake Gun
- Rope
- Cowboy Hat
- Indian Costume:
- Colored feathers
- Colored cloth scraps
- Pony beads
- String
- Scissors
- Glue gun
- Hole punch
- Khaki shirt
- Khaki pants
Instructions
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Cowboy Costume
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1
Put on the jeans and plaid shirt. Fold the handkerchief in half, so the opposite corners meet. Tie the handkerchief around your neck with the triangular portion in front.
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2
Put a vest on over the shirt. Any sort of dressy vest will work well for this costume.
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3
String a belt through a holster, then through your belt loops, or let it hang below your waistline. Place a fake gun into the holster. You can even use a water gun if you have one on hand.
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4
Slip on a pair of cowboy boots. If you do not have cowboy boots, you can wear any sort of black or brown boots that you may have at home.
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5
Drape a rope over your shoulders for an authentic look. Top off the costume with a cowboy hat.
Indian Costume
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6
Lay out the khaki pants on a smooth surface. Flatten the pants so the outside of each leg is creased.
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7
Glue the end of a feather to the outside of the bottom right pant-leg. Glue another feather two to three inches above the first feather, and another feather the same distance above the second feather. Continue gluing feathers up the pant-leg until there are feathers going all the way up the leg.
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8
Cut two rectangles out of fabric long enough so they cover the front of the shirt, from the shoulders to the bottom of the shirt. Each rectangle should be about six inches wide.
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9
Glue the rectangles to the front of the shirt next to each other with a three- to six-inch gap in between. Repeat the process of cutting fabric and gluing it for the back of the shirt.
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10
Cut 10 pieces of string, each a foot long. Tie a knot in the end of each piece of string. Slide beads on to each piece of string, leaving three inches of empty string at the top of each piece.
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11
Use a hole puncher to punch holes along the neckline of the shirt, a half inch from the neckline and three to five inches apart. Make 10 holes, enough for each string of beads.
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12
Tie the empty end of each string of beads around each punched hole so the beads hang down the neckline.
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1
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
