Tuesday, October 6, 2009

trick or tweet! how to make a baby chick costume

Last Halloween I made a little chick costume for my daughter. It was really easy to make and I've had some requests from individuals that want to make one too. So, here is a quick tutorial on making your own chick or little birdie costume.


Little Chick Costume Tutorial


Supplies:
*One or two rolls of 6" wide yellow, white, or blue tulle, depending on what kind of bird you want to make (found in the wedding section at your local craft store)
*Feathers to match your tulle
*Hair clip
*No-roll elastic
*Hot glue gun and glue
*Sewing machine and thread


Okay, let's get started!

1. First, measure your child's waist. Subtract one inch from that number and cut your elastic that length. For example, if my child's waist is 12 inches, then I would cut an 11 inch piece of elastic. Sew the elastic together at the short ends so you have a ring like below.


2. Next, cut your tulle. I used two whole rolls for a toddler sized tutu and only one for a baby (10 month old) size. Measure the length from the waist to where you want your tutu to stop. Double that number and that is how many inches you will need to cut your tulle. For example, I wanted the tutu to be 15 inches long for my toddler daughter so I cut 30 inch pieces. When I made the baby tutu, I only wanted it 8 inches long so I cut the tulle 16 inches long.


3. The easiest way to make the tutu is to put the elastic on your leg like a garter. Then start tying your tulle around the elastic. Make sure you double knot the tulle. Continue tying the tulle around the elastic until you are happy with how full it looks.


4. Now, get out your hot glue gun. Very carefully place hot glue on the double knots of your tulle. This is where you will stick your feathers. You will need to be patient and go slow.


5. Once you have a dot of hot glue on the knot, carefully place your feather on it. You may need to trim the tips of your feathers. A lot of the feathers I used had sharp pointy tips. I just snipped them off before sticking it to the hot glue.


6. When you are done your tutu will look like this. Next, hot glue some feathers to your metal hair clip or hairband and you have half the costume done. Find a matching onesie or shirt and add some orange leggings. Ta-dah! One little chickadee or blue bird or swan or whatever suits your fancy.


If you prefer owls over little birds then you should check out this handmade costume by Lindsey over at Lollapanoplies. Seattle is so lucky to have such a crafty, talented lady. I am in love with this costume.

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26 Comments

26 Responses to “trick or tweet! how to make a baby chick costume”

Southern Living: Preppy Style said...

How Cute! Thanks for the tips!

Gaspegirl said...

how cute is that... and so easy! thanks for sharing!

Mommy2aQT said...

I made a custom ordered chick costume last year as well for a customer. If was a little bit different, but sort of the same concept. I made a bow for the little girl's hair and added feathers to that to make it extra girly. This costume is really cute too!

Martha said...

Wow! It looks so cute! Iam going to try it to make one for my daughter so she can play dress up.

arkie said...

Very cute!

Anne said...

What a sweet little costume!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:

http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-baby-chick-tutu-costume/2009/10/06/

--Anne

Auroras_Garden said...

That is awesome! What a super great idea for a costume! I am bookmarking your blog for sure!

Carrie said...

That's so cute! Would it be okay if I used the photo of the tutu and posted a link to your blog for the directions? I think my readers would love it!

let me know what you think!

Alena Jo said...

Thanks for posting the tutorial for this. I think my 18-month-old will be a chick for Halloween this year! I'll send you a picture...

Mitzi said...

You're awesome! I was planning on making my infant daughter a Tinkerbell Tutu (the whole family is going as Peter Pan characters) and I was NOT looking forward to gathering and sewing the skirt!

I linked back from my site.
http://grahamandmitzi.blogspot.com

LollyChops said...

I wonder if I could make that little skirt for my dogs! Since I don't have any kiddos to dress up the poor baby doggies are it! If I do I'll DEF send you a pic!!!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

That is SO darling! I love how delicate the feathers look. This would be such a fun photo prop. I'll be linking.

Amanda said...

So cute... great job!

Blessings-
Amanda

Nichole said...

That is SO cute!

Anne said...

I love it! I've been looking for a costume for my newborn and I think this is the one. Can we get a photo of the head piece or a suggestion there? :)

Patti said...

Thank you so much for such a wonderful tutorial. My daughter decided she wanted to be a rainbow fairy for Halloween, so I used your tutorial to create her a rainbow tutu and it was just precious. Thanks again for the inspiration and the tutorial, love your blog!! I have posted our finished product if you would like to take a peek, with a link to your blog for the how to.

Anonymous said...

do the feathers fall off or are they pretty secure? hot glue guns are not my friend.

Little Birdie Secrets said...

I have not had a problem with any feathers falling off. She wore this to two parties and trick or treating. Plus, Toddlers are tough on costumes. I pulled it out of the closet this year and the feathers are still on. I really made sure I used a good amount of glue and the feathers were really stuck on there.

Anonymous said...

Cool article you got here. I'd like to read something more concerning that matter.
By the way check the design I've made myself A level escort

Jenn said...

VERY cute tutu costume idea!! LOVE IT!

Thanks for sharing!
Jenn

The Cersey Family said...

Love it! Thank you!

Candace said...

Awesome tutorial! Can't wait to try it!!

Annie said...

Thank you for this great idea! I made a parrot costume for my daughter and got a lot of compliements!

Hannah {Bonne Nouvelle} said...

Thanks for posting this tutorial. It was most helpful in creating my daughter's Halloween costume this year! Here is a link that I linked back to yours! http://shopbonnenouvelle.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinterest-challenge-and-tutorial.html

Anonymous said...

I pinned this idea recently and ended up using the same idea to hot-glue "fish scales" onto my daughter's mermaid tutu. Thanks for the inspiration! I always find something wonderful when I come and have bookmarked many a project. I'm passing on the Versatile Blogger Award: http://karlamcurry.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/the-versatile-blogger-award/.

craftyv said...

This is the best idea for this type of costume using that basic simple technique. This is what costume making is all about. So adaptable it's great.

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