How to Make Rag Doll Halloween Costumes
One of the easiest and most comfortable Halloween costumes has to be the rag doll. It’s right up there with a simple sheet used for a ghost. All the clothing can be found at a local thrift store or two. The rest of the costume can be made by easily obtained accessories, some of which you may already have around the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tattered clothing
- Stringy mop head or yarn
- Elastic bands
- Black face makeup
- Striped socks
Instructions
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Create the top. Find a cute button shirt for either a girl or boy. It can be of any color but works best if it has a collar. Rounded collars make for good rag doll wear. Pull off a few buttons if you really want a raggy look.
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Fashion the bottoms. Girls should wear short, full skirts. Throw a petticoat beneath it for added fullness. Boys should wear knickers or long shorts. If you cannot find the knickers, get a pair of dress pants and cut them right below the knee. It’s fine if you don’t feel like hemming them; they will work well with some strings hanging down. Both genders should wear tall, striped knee socks. For some reason, rag dolls always wear these.
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Hook up the hair. A stringy mop head is the easiest and best way to go for a head full of rag doll hair. Make sure the mop head is new and clean. Dye it if desired. Simply sew or pin the mop head to a headband and affix it on the head. Another hair option is a skein of yarn.
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Add accessories. A poncho, pinafore or apron and ribbons in the hair or tied around wrists make for great rag doll additions for a girl. Guy rag dolls may want to add suspenders and a mushy hat.
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Make up the makeup. Use a black eyeliner pencil to give the cheeks a few freckles. Make them larger than life. Add five lines above and below the eyeballs to give massive eyelashes, also larger than life. If you really want to go whole hog, draw a circle around the wrist with lines through it to appear as if the hands are sewn on. This will smear, so you may want to use marker instead of eyeliner on the arms.
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Tips & Warnings
Another rag doll option is a dress or jumper. Make sure it is short and has a full skirt.
Leave the hair all wild or secure it with a ribbon on each side for pigtails.
If you'd rather sew your own rag doll costume, use existing clothing for examples or get patterns of short, full dresses, button shirts and knickers.
Don't get too tattered with the costume or folks will think you are dressed as a bum. The striped socks definitely keep it in rag doll territory.
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
