How to Make a Quick-Change Costume
You’ve seen the art of quick-change costumes played to perfection in magic acts as well as on TV shows such as “Dancing With the Stars.” Performers completely change clothing in a dazzling second from one outfit to another. There's a trick to the quick-change art, however, and it usually involves the clothing’s fastenings. Professional magicians can use as many as 15 different “top secret” fastenings to instantly rip away or change their clothing. However, nothing as elaborate will be necessary if you simply want to create a Halloween outfit that makes use of quick-change technology.
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Things You'll Need
- Cape
- Seam ripper
- Velcro
- Pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Scissors
- Iron (optional)
Instructions
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Purchase or sew a cape to go over your quick-change costume. Capes are convenient cover-ups that can be quickly removed to reveal a magician, gypsy, Dracula, superhero or Little Red Riding Hood.
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Use a seam ripper to take out the seams on the outside of both legs of your costume's pair of slacks. Rip the seam out of only one side of a skirt on a female's costume.
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Pin Velcro in place of the ripped-out seams. Sew the Velcro with a sewing machine down both legs or along one side of a skirt, including the waistbands, so the clothing can be easily ripped off. Snip off any loose threads. You can also use iron-on Velcro that requires no sewing.
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Design your costume with the quick change in mind. Arrange for a big difference in colors of the clothing used, so you can easily differentiate one costume from the next. If you want to change from a businesswoman to a sexy vamp, start with a business suit jacket that can be easily removed and a straight skirt that has Velcro down one side for the quick change. Wear a sexy dress underneath the suit that becomes the quick-change costume.
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Tips & Warnings
Because of the easy-opening factor, Velcro pants and outfits are not only popular for costumes and for magicians, but can also be purchased online for seniors and for those with handicaps. This makes it easy to find ready-made Velcro clothing.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
