Things You'll Need
Tape measure
Sewing pattern for lion
Furry, tan fabric
Furry, orange-gold fabric
Safety pins
Sewing machine or hand sewing supplies
Thread
Mask of Lion King character’s face
Though purchasing a costume may seem an easier process, making your own may save you a lot of money. Consider that most costumes cost an average of $50 for even the kid-sized costumes. Costumes may retail for around $20 during Halloween season, but the Lion King was a popular Halloween costume when the movie first arrived, so a Lion King costume's price would increase greatly due to the lack of demand since then. By purchasing your own material and doing your own assembly, you could potentially save half the price of the costume.
Step 1
Take the measurements of the person or child who will be wearing the finished Lion King costume. Measure the length of the legs, as well as circumference around the stomach, hips, and chest; do this with the tape measure.
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Step 2
Purchase the appropriately sized lion costume pattern. Any lion will work for the pattern; you'll just want to mimic the colors of The Lion King character you are making the costume to resemble. Purchase the fabric at this time. For Simba you will need both a light tan fabric and an orange-gold fabric to match his colors. Purchase two or three yards of each fabric; any leftover pieces can be used for quilts or pillows.
Step 3
Use the pattern and cut the pieces of fabric accordingly. You may wish to use the safety pins to hold the pattern into place over the fabric while you are cutting; work slowly and carefully to prevent damage to the pattern.
Step 4
Remove the safety pins, and then use them to hold the pieces of fabric together where the seams will need to go. Be sure to place the furry sides against one another so that when the costume is turned inside out the seams will be on the inside and the furry sides on the outside.
Step 5
Use a sewing machine to sew along the seams, removing the safety pins as you work to prevent the sewing machine needle from breaking. If you are hand sewing you will also need to move the safety pins out of the way.
Step 6
Turn the costume inside out to place the seams on the inside of the costume; at this time check to make sure the seams are even and do not bunch up the fabric and make it appear sloppy. Have the costume's intended wearer put on the costume. If the seams are uneven or adjustments need to be made to the costume in order to fit the wearer, make notes so that you can take out seams and re-sew.
Step 7
Make your own Simba or other Lion King character mask. This is optional and may be done with cloth, foam rubber, paper or a thin layer of colored silicone in a homemade mold. Use a picture of the character for reference and create a mask within your span of creativity.
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