How to Make Your Own Costumes- Aliens

















    THE ALIEN

    MATERIALS:
    2 sweatshirts in different colors; scissors; 2 squares of red felt; craft glue
    or low-temperature glue gun; sweatpants; 2 pairs rubber dishwashing gloves; 1
    bag fiberfill; 6 to 8 safety pins; straight pins; needle and thread; bathing cap
    (smooth finish); assorted-color markers; 4 colored scouring pads; 4 Ping-Pong
    balls; 4 pipe cleaners; 1 large cereal box; 1 can each orange and green spray
    paint; 1 sheet each red and yellow construction paper; 2 cardboard paper-towel
    tubes; 15" of 9-gauge wire.

    TO MAKE BODY:
    1. Remove sleeves from one of the sweatshirts, cutting along armhole seam.

    2. Make a front and back yoke from the remaining body of the sweatshirt by
    cutting down from each shoulder into a V, ending at the center of the
    waistband. Do not cut the fabric at the shoulder seams, so the yoke can be
    slipped over the head.

    3. Use the remaining sweatshirt fabric (from the cutaway sides) to make two
    long bean-shaped patches for the pants.

    4. Cut lots of squiggle shapes from red felt. Glue them to the front and back
    of the yoke and the patches. Glue patches to pants knees.

    5. Stuff one pair of gloves with fiberfill.

    6. Push ends of stuffed gloves into cuffs of cut arms. Secure with safety pins.

    7. Stuff cut arms ¾ full with fiberfill.

    8. Attach arms to sweatshirt by laying shirt front side up on a flat surface. Pin
    top edges of each cut arm to each sweatshirt-sleeve seam, starting about 2"
    below the shoulder and following the seams to armpits. Once it is pinned in
    place, sew to secure.

    9. When dressed, put on second pair of rubber gloves.

    TO MAKE HEADPIECE:
    1. Place bathing cap on child's head to determine where to draw mouth.

    2. Remove cap, lay it flat, and draw on the mouth with markers.

    3. Use glue gun to attach two scouring pads, one over each ear.

    4. Draw eyeballs on 2 Ping-Pong balls using markers.

    5. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each ball. Push a pipe cleaner through
    both holes. Secure at top with a knot.

    6. Put the bottom of each pipe cleaner into a scouring pad.

    TO MAKE TREAT BAG:
    1. Cut top off empty cereal box. Remove paper inside.

    2. Spray entire box with orange paint.

    3. Spray both paper-towel tubes with green paint.

    4. Follow directions for costume to make eyeballs from Ping-Pong balls and pipe
    cleaners.

    5. Glue two scouring pads to front of box. Insert the "eyeballs."

    6. Cut mouth shape from red paper and glue to scouring pads. Cut a free-form
    shape from yellow paper and glue to front.

    7. Cut paper-towel tubes in half horizontally.

    8. Cut two holes in sides of box and two holes at front corners of box just
    large enough to fit paper-towel tubes through tightly.

    9. Drizzle glue inside box to secure tubes.

    10. Bend wire into a half circle. Poke two holes in the sides of box and insert
    ends of wire to make a handle. Fold the ends upward inside to secure.