How to Make a Yellow-Jacket Bug Costume
If you have basic sewing skills and a little creativity, you can whip up a yellow-jacket bug costume for Halloween or any time of the year. Put a twist on a traditional bumblebee costume and your child will create quite a buzz in her custom-made costume. Use the basic costume idea and continue to modify it for your own uses by adding wings or making it different colors for a whole family of bugs.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Felt fabric in yellow and black
- Scissors or rotary cutting tool
- Fusible interfacing
- Iron and ironing board
- Sewing machine and thread
- Elastic
- Black leggings
- Headband
- Chenille stems
- Pom-poms
- Yellow jacket
Instructions
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1
Measure the person who will wear the costume. Start at the shoulders and measure across from right to left; multiply this by 1.5 and call that measurement A. Measure across the widest part of the hips from right to left; multiply this by 1.5 and call it measurement B. Now measure the height of the person from shoulder to hip, add 6 inches and call that measurement C.
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2
Cut two pieces of yellow felt fabric that are measurement-A wide at the top, B-wide at the bottom and C high. They should resemble rectangles or trapezoids, depending on the proportions of your costume wearer.
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3
Cut strips of black felt that are measurement-B long by 2- to 3-inches high. Cut fusible interfacing to match the length and width of each stripe and attach it to one side, then use it to iron the stripes onto the yellow felt in an even pattern. Make sure the stripes go horizontally across the fabric so they will resemble actual bumblebee stripes.
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4
Pin the two pieces of yellow felt together with the right sides facing. Sew a straight seam across the top, going in from each edge by 4 inches. The seam should be approximately 1/2 inch in from the top edge of the fabric. Leave the center of this top edge unsewn -- this is the neck hole.
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5
Hem the bottom of the yellow fabric. Fold each bottom edge over by 1 inch toward the wrong side and sew a seam; this will create a pocket for the elastic. Sew up the sides from this seam upward, stopping 4 inches before the top edge; leave this top section of each side seam unsewn for the arm holes.
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6
Thread elastic through the hem in the bottom of the costume and sew it together at each short edge to form a circle shape. The elastic itself should be 3/4 of the size of the person's waist. This will gather the bottom hem of the piece together; turn it right-side-out and slide it over the wearer's head.
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7
Pair the costume you have sewn with a pair of black leggings and a yellow jacket over the top, to make the costume both clever and creative. Attach a pair of chenille stems to a headband, sew pom-poms to the tops for antennae, and your little bee is ready to buzz off.
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References
- Photo Credit bumblebee image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
