Homemade Redwood Tree Costume for Kids
Redwood trees are among the tallest in the world and are renowned for their long life and massive trunk sizes. Physically, they are easily recognizable for their cone-shaped foliage located at the top of a long, bare trunk. Creating a redwood tree costume for a kid is fairly easy when broken into two parts: the trunk and the leaves. All of the materials needed can be found at your local craft store.
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric with a bark pattern
- Marker
- Scissors
- Green, long-sleeved t-shirt
- Fake leaves, branches and other foliage
- Felt
- Needle and thread
- Hot glue gun
- Pointy hat
Instructions
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The Trunk
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1
Measure from your child's shoulders to mid-shin. Cut the trunk fabric to match that height. It should be wide enough to wrap around him loosely with an extra 6 inches to spare.
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2
Fold the trunk fabric in half (pattern side in) and lay it on the floor. Lay the green shirt over it at the top end. It will serve as a pattern for the trunk.
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3
Sketch the shape of the shirt onto the fabric, extending the lines along the sides past the end of the shirt and down to the bottom edge of the fabric. These lines should be a half inch larger than the shirt to allow for sewing, with extra room in the sleeves for leaves to pass through.
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4
Cut the fabric following your lines, creating the front and back of the trunk piece.
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5
Sew the two pieces of fabric together, leaving the bottom, neck hole and arm holes open. Turn the trunk rightside-out again to view the finished piece.
The Leaves
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6
Sew or glue fake leaves to the arms of the green shirt. These leaves are available in most craft stores, either individually or in garland-style strings.
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7
Remove the brim from the pointy hat (if it has one), then sew felt where the brim was. It should hang down to chest level. Leave the front open so that your child will be able to see.
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8
Cover the hat and felt with leaves, small branches and other foliage, either sewing or gluing them in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Moss, butterflies, birds and other nature objects can be sewn to the costume for added detail.
To wear the costume, your child should put on the shirt first, followed by the trunk and finally the hat.
References
- Photo Credit three sequoias image by Kenneth Sponsler from Fotolia.com
