How to Make Homemade Masquerade Ball Costumes
Masquerade balls first became popular in Venice, Italy, in the 15th Century before spreading across mainland Europe. The lavish parties required the guests to dress in opulent outfits and wear extravagant masks. Making your own unique mask is fun, and it means that no one else will have an outfit quite like yours -- plus you can be as bold and daring as you please. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Evening gown or smart suit
- Dress shoes
- Strong white card
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
- 1 foot strong elastic
- Red sequins
- Gold glitter
- 4 red feathers
- 10-foot by 6-foot gold material
- 2-foot by 1-inch red ribbon
- Needle
Instructions
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Draw the outline of a basic mask on the card. The mask should be large enough to cover your upper face. A common shape is similar to a cat's eyes and wings up in the corners. Cut out the mask. Draw two oval-shaped holes for your eyes to see through. Cut these out.
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2
Glue a red sequin at the edge of the mask. Glue one directly next to it, and repeat until you have covered the edge of the entire mask with sequins. Spread glue over the rest of the mask and sprinkle gold glitter over it. Leave it to dry.
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3
Turn the mask over. Glue three feathers to the back of the right-hand side of the mask, so the feathers stick out the top. Turn the mask back over and leave to dry.
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4
Cut a small hole near the center of the left-hand edge of the mask. Repeat on the right. Thread one end of the elastic through the left hole and tie it in a secure knot. Pull the other side of the elastic through the right hole and tie it in a knot. You can shorten the elastic to fit your own head during this step.
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5
Place the front of the 10-foot by 6-foot gold material over your head, so 5 feet falls down your left side and 5 feet down your right. Holding the material around the back of your neck, gather it so you have a loose hood and cape. Take the cape away from your body, but keep hold of it around where your neck was and cut a line of 1-inch slits here.
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6
Thread the red ribbon in and out of these 1-inch slits using the needle. Once you reach the end, pull the ribbon so that the neck is gathered tightly and you have the same length of ribbon on either side. This is your cape.
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Glue a line of sequins around the neckline of your dress. Then glue several more in a scattered fashion on the two inches below the neckline -- keep adding until you are happy with the look. If you are wearing a suit, sew sequins onto the lapels of your jacket instead. Glue the fourth feather onto the lapel of your jacket or front of your dress.
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8
Put on your dress or suit and shoes, and then pull your mask over your head. Fasten your cape around your neck by tying the red ribbon in a bow.
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Tips & Warnings
You can change the shape, colors, feathers, and sequins to make the mask look however you please. Be inventive!
Make the mask even more elegant by gluing it to a decorated stick instead of elastic. You use the stick to hold the mask in front of your face. You could make a stick out of a long pencil or piece of cane.
Place newspaper underneath the mask when you are covering it in glue and glitter to avoid making a mess.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit mask image by Lovrencg from Fotolia.com
