Santa Claus is coming to town. And he needs his faux fur-trimmed, big red suit! Here's where your craftiness comes into play. Forget about those pricey store-bought Santa suits. We've got you covered with this easy DIY tutorial.
Don't worry if you're not a Pinterestingly perfect crafter. You can still spread the holiday season cheer with a hand-sewn Santa suit. We'll outline the step-by-step process for you so you can look like jolly ol' St. Nick!
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So put down the Christmas wrapping paper and pick up your scissors—because we're going to help you turn a few yards of red fabric into the snazziest Santa suit you've seen.
Things You'll Need
Red fabric, 4 yards long, 45 inches wide
White fabric, 1 yard
Measuring tape
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread
Pins
Iron
Ironing board
2 yards of bias tape or thin rope
Scrap of black fabric
Cotton balls
Belt
Black boots
Pillows
Make the coat for your Santa suit
To make the Santa suit coat, cut a piece of red fabric 30 inches by 60 inches for the body. Fold in half lengthwise and sew the sides, leaving 12 inches free at the top near the fold. Stitch. Cut two pieces 25 inches wide by 24 inches long for the sleeves.
Fold and stitch together the 25-inch sides. Fold over 1/4 inch on one end of the tube and press with the iron, then fold over another 1/4 inch and press with the iron again. Sew and pin the other end of the tube to the opening in the body of the coat. Repeat for the other sleeve.
Tip
Don’t want to spend your extra holiday cash stash on red fabric? No problem! Reuse the material from a comforter, bed sheets or extra-large red sweats.
Sew the Santa Claus suit pants
This Christmas costume needs more than just a coat. Don't leave Santa Claus bare on the bottom! To sew the Santa suit pants, cut the remaining fabric into two pieces 48 inches long and 45 inches wide. Keep the fabric folded so it is 22 1/2 inches wide, and sew the inseam 30 inches on both pieces.
Fold over the stitched bottom of the tube 1/4 inch and iron twice as you did for the sleeve ends. Repeat with the other leg. Sew the two pieces together in a V-shaped seam. Fold over 1/4 inch around the top of the pants and iron. Fold over 1 1/2 inches to make a "sleeve" for the waist tie. Press and stitch. Thread the bias tape or thin rope through the "sleeve."
Tip
Did your DIY Santa suit pants come out more like capris? No worries here. The black boots that Santa Claus wears will cover his ankles.
Add accents to the Santa Claus costume
Cut a neck hole in the coat. Hem as above. Cut strips of white fabric 5 inches wide and sew together to make one long piece. Fold over 1/4 inch along each side and press with iron. Pin to the bottom of the dress up coat and the bottom of each sleeve and sew. These are Santa's "fur trim cuffs."
Stitch a strip of the white up the center front of the coat. If you have enough white fabric left over, stitch some around the bottom of both pants legs for a spectacular Santa look!
Make a Christmas Santa hat
Don't forget the xmas Santa hat. With the remaining scraps of red fabric, cut two triangles with a minimum 12 inch base and 12 inches high. Sew the sides together. Add a 2-inch strip of white fabric as above for "fur trim." Sew or glue a couple of cotton balls to the tip.
Tip
Cover “Santa’s” real hair color for your family, work or other Christmas party with a hat extension. Add a white wig or glue cotton balls onto the bottom of the hat to create frosty locks for St. Nick.
Dress up in the Santa outfit
Dress father Christmas in his deluxe DIY suit. If your Santa isn't naturally bearded, glue more cotton balls to some string and tie them around his head for a fake beard. And what about that jolly belly? Add a pillow to create some extra xmas padding and hold it in place with a black belt. Finish the Santa look with the pants and a pair of black boots.
That's it! This ode to the man in the big red suit is sure to score you a spot on Santa's nice list this year.