Things You'll Need:
- Photo or other image of what type of costumes you'd like to make
- Pattern for embroidery and/or the dress itself for women's costumes
- Fabric store
- Costume shop or vintage store
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Step 1
Look to the barrio for help. Spanish-speaking communities celebrate "quinceaneras," coming-of-age parties for girls turning 15. Shops with quinceanera dresses and formal wear for their dates are good places to get costume ideas and advice.
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Step 2
Plan with others. If you'll be performing or otherwise attending a Cinco de Mayo event with others, choose complementary traditional colors for the entire group. In Central American countries, each village has its own unique pattern, not unlike Scottish clans and their plaids.
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Step 3
Visit the vintage store. Sometimes a trip to a second-hand store is all you need to create a festive costume: a colorful zarape (a shawl-like wrap), a sombrero (wide-brimmed hat) and a small guitar create a simple and affordable costume.
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Step 4
Get a pattern if you have basic sewing skills and make your Cinco de Mayo costumes by hand. Traditional clothing throughout the Spanish-speaking world varies greatly in colors and patterns, and use very simple designs, as seen at Mexican Indigenous Textiles Project (see Resources below).
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Step 5
Hire a dressmaker or seamstress to sew together costume pieces that you've collected if you aren't confident in your sewing abilities. Most large western U.S. cities have Mexican neighborhoods where dressmakers abound.










Comments
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