How to Make a Christmas Toy Solider Costume

Create a quick and easy toy soldier costume with regular clothes and some craft store finds.

If you need a quick costume for your child's winter play or have a child who is wild about the toy soldiers in "The Nutcracker," gather your craft supplies and old clothes to whip up this Christmas toy soldier costume. Find any supplies you do not already own at your local craft store. After your toy soldier costume is used for a special occasion, it makes the perfect addition to your child's dress-up box for play throughout the year.

Things You'll Need

• Red long-sleeve T-shirt
• White pants
• Black boots or shoes
• Large buttons or "frog" closures
• Gold braid trim
• Gold fringe
• Red ribbon
• Black baseball hat
• Black poster board
• Black heavy cardboard circle
• Sewing notions
• Hot glue gun and glue

Instructions

1. Arrange the six buttons or frog closures in two parallel vertical rows on the front of the shirt, centered evenly from each side of the shirt. Mark their placement with chalk or a pencil.

2. Sew the buttons onto the shirt on the spots your marked. You can also use hot glue to attach the buttons if you are short of time, but sewed buttons will hold better than glued.

3. Tie the end of a piece of gold braid around one button and loop it across the chest of the shirt to the button directly across. Tie the other end to this button, but let the braid hang down in the middle instead of pulling it tight.

4. Tie the gold braid across the chest for the other two button pairs.

5. Glue two pieces of gold fringe to a line of gold braid the length of the shirt's collar to just past the shoulder seam. The fringe should hang down on either side of the braid.

6. Glue or sew the braid and fringe onto the seam connecting the front and back of the shirt with the braid facing up and one piece of fringe hanging on either side of the shirt.

7. Glue another braid and fringe shoulder epaulet onto the other shirt shoulder.

8. Cut two pieces of ribbon the length of the outer seam of your pants plus 2 inches.

9. Glue the ribbon, right side out, down the outer seam of your pants, tucking the cut edges under the hem of your pants and the waistband for a clean finish.

10. Cut a cardboard circle approximately the circumference of your head plus 1 inch.

11. Glue one edge of the poster board around the circle, black side out and slightly overlapping the edges, to create a cylinder. Let dry completely.

12. Pin the poster board cylinder to your black baseball hat, leaving the brim exposed to create your toy soldier hat. You can pull the bottom edges together to taper the cylinder if necessary to fit your hat. You can also glue the poster board to your hat if desired.

13. Wrap a piece of red ribbon around the brim of the hat and glue or tape into place.

14. Wear your black boots or shoes.

15. Paint two large red circles and a black mustache on your face if desired.

References

• Costumzee: How to Make a Toy Soldier Costume