How to Sew a Baby's Indian Costume

Dress your baby in a comfortable homemade Indian costume.

Sew a simple Indian costume for a baby who is too young to walk using fabric with a faux suede or leather appearance. You can use real suede or leather if you choose but it will be more expensive and you should be able to find realistic looking fake fabrics at nearly any fabric store. Avoid using any materials that feel very stiff as the seams of the costume could poke or irritate the baby during wear.

Things You'll Need

• 1.5 yards fabric
• One piece infant bodysuit
• Scissors
• Soft knit cap
• Feather
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Purchase approximately 1.5 yards of fabric. Fabric that stretches slightly will be more comfortable for your baby to wear and make dressing him in the costume easier.

2. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, and place one of the baby's one piece bodysuits on top of the fabric. Trace around the bodysuit leaving a two inch border between your tracing and the bodysuit to allow for seam allowances.

3. Extend the bottom of the shape you created on the fabric by at least one foot to cover the baby's legs.

4. Cut the shape out of the folded fabric. Sew the two pieces of fabric together along the sides and top, leaving the neck hole and arm holes open, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Do not sew the bottom of the garment together. Turn the costume inside out and it is ready to slip over your baby's head.

5. Cut leftover fabric into strips and snip vertical lines into the strip with scissors to create fringe. Hand sew the fringe onto the costume.

6. Attach a feather to the front of a soft knit cap with fabric glue to complete your costume.

Tips & Warnings

• Sew beads or feathers to the outside of the costume for decoration.

• The costume should fit loosely on the baby so that she can wear regular clothing underneath the costume for added warmth and comfort.

References

• Sleeping Baby: How to Sew a Baby Sleep Sack