# My DIY Costumes 2011-2013



## JesterLex (Jul 22, 2014)

A little bashful to show my work since I've been checking out some of the amazing projects in this particular sub-forum. But, hey, willing to share if it might help others! None of these are particularly creepy or gory, but are truly in the Halloween spirit! Most of these took me at least three months to make.

*2011
*I bought tickets to the Ghoulewill ball, here in Austin. Since it was for the benefit of Goodwill, I decided to source the majority of my materials from there. It is also my first time making a dress, making my own patterns, and my second time using my sewing machine. I'm really pleased with how it came out.

I made the pattern off an existing dress that I had, by laying wrapping paper under the dress, and using a pin to poke holes through the seam lines, and then using a ruler and sharpie to connect the dots and adding in seam allowance. This worked beautifully, I was able to make a pattern without destroying the original garment.

The dress was made from an old wedding dress from goodwill, a bedspread, and a huge crinoline.

To style the hair, I bought a curly clip on bun and teased it big and fluffy. To create the height, I bought a cheap dollar store wig that matched my natural hair color, fishnets, and two bath poofs. I pinned the poofs on the top center of the wig. I then ratted the wig and hosed it with hairspray until I had a giant mound of hair. I then smoothed it into the high beehive I wanted. I then put the fishnet over it so I had something to pin my own hair to. I placed the bump on top of my head, and used the fishnet as a base to pin it to my own hair. I then pulled my hair up and over the bump, and pinned like crazy to the top of the bump. Smother hair in hairspray, pin on curly bun was pinned to the back of my hair and the nape of my neck, and then I sprayed all my hair white using temp hair spray.










*2012 - Kali Ma

*Went a completely different route this year. I saw a picture of Heidi Klum wearing a spectacular Kali Ma costume and thought, "I can totally do that!"

The morph suit was store bought, I merely chopped off the hood. I made the Sari, found the shoes at goodwill. The arm was a backpack and belted rig, using bamboo rods for support of the arms, covered with noodles, and bubble wrap, and rubber gloves. This was then covered with sewn lycra in the same color as my body suit, and decorated with fun foam, jewelry and cheap weapons from the Dollar Tree that were smeared with blood. The severed head is a male stryofoam head that I paper mached over and painted. I sawed the neck to be jagged and used wadded paper towels and hot glue dripples to resemble blood and flesh. He has wire running through him with is hidden by the hair so that I wouldn't actually have to hold it by the wig.

The crown is a Dollar tree knight helmet, 3 varying size funnels, two Dollar Tree shields, jewels, and stiffened painted lace. To prime the plastic, I coated it huge amounts of elmers glue, allowing the paint to stick rather well. Then all of it was adhered together with brads and E-6000.

This was one of my most well received costumes, I couldn't walk anywhere downtown without getting stuck for 10-15 minutes for pictures. Which was fine until I was ambushed by some drunks, who grabbed the faux arms and pulled as hard as they could, breaking two. Sadly I did not get pictures before this happened.










*2013- Mermaid being kidnapped by Pirate

*I saw a video on YouTube, that merely showed the costume, but not how to do it, and was instantly intrigued.









After a bit of digging, I found an instructable. This one suggested using a Styrofoam cooler to be your treasure chest. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find one. So, I just did my own thing with what I already had.

I got a box at work and duct taped the ends together. I then cut out a half circle big enough for my torso to fit halfway into the box. I then reinforced the sides of the box near the circle with more cardboard, and obscene amounts of duct tape. To support the box, I then added wooden dowels as pillars inside for extra support. I looked two belts through the circle so that they could be belted from the back. I then covered the box in shelf paper with a wood grain pattern. I painted on lines to make it look like planks, and weathered it with a dark brown wash. I trimmed it with black fun foam, and thumbtacks to create a nail head trim. I covered the top of the box with wadded bubble wrap (also free from work trash!) to create a mounded look for my treasure, then covered that in gold glitter fun foam.

I then cut up and attached via duct tape, two old noodles in the shape of the fin. I measured them to be the length of my thigh, and then my calf and whole foot extended. I covered this with more bubble wrap and duct tape until the correct shape was had, and it was in proportion to my body. I ran another belt through the top of the tail, so that it would fasten to my body in three places. On top of the bubble wrap I applied sheets of green fun foam with hot glue and even sewing. 








I then took some clay and sculpted a large fin, and two smaller side fins. I cast those in a one piece mold out of plaster of paris, and made pulls out of mask latex. I backed these pieces with thick cardboard so they wouldn't be too floppy and attached them to the tail.

Then I hand cut out 200+ scalloped strips of green fun foam, and hotglued them overlapping onto the tail. I then took an old black sleeveless dress, cut off the bottom, and hand stitched and hot glued alternately, strips of fun foam to make the bodice. I coated all of the fun foam with 4 coats of modpodge to seal it. Then painted it with acrylics. I then added fake coins, gems, tiaras and even a golden skull to make the treasure chest look more convincing. I bought a huge bag of mardis gras beads at savers for $1.00 and used those to fill in a lot of space, any gaps between treasure, you only saw glittery fun foam. The whole assemply was incredibly light, and aside from size, easy to walk in.

Now for the pirate, whom I named Man-Pack. Man-Pack terrified my dog. I first bought on old turtle neck from goodwill, dressed my fiancee in it, and made a duct tape form of his upper body and arms. I cut that off and placed it over a goodwill backpack ($3.00) stuffed with an old pillow. I then took another Styrofoam man head and paper mached it, and painted it with acrylics to resemble a knockoff Jack Sparrow. Decorated him with a strip of leather as an eye patch, and put last years wig on it, dreaded it a bit, and tied it in a pony tail. I put two dowels in the bottom of the wig head, and put those on each side of the pillow deep into the backpack, and then zipped the backpack around the neck, and duct taped the whole shebang closed and up around the neck, leaving the back pack straps free. I covered the straps with flesh colored fabric and dressed Man-Pack in a men's white night shirt, vest, and red bath robe all from good will. With a little hotglued ribbon, buttons and trim, the bath robe was transformed into a pirate coat for half the price. The coat served to hide the belts, and where my body began and ended. Once again, incredibly light, and VERY sturdy. I used noodles with a cut in the middle to bend for arms, on one I used a Dollar Tree severed hand, on the other I put a Pirate Hook. These both looped into the straps on either side of the chest once on, giving the illusion that he is holding the chest.








The only premade items I used were Man-Pack's Pirate hat, hook, I bought boot covers for the huge lift shoes I got at Goodwill, my wig, and the foam lily pad I got on clearance at Big Lots for $2.00. Excellent mermaid hat. I also bought some decorative neeting to use as a shawl for modesty's sake.

People went nuts for this one again at the Halloween Shenanigans at Sixth Street. I felt like a Disney attraction with lines forming to take my picture. I ended up on several websites including Austin360. Man-Pack held up swimmingly and is in excellent shape, even though a drunk man yelled, "THAT DUDE AINT REAL" and punched him as hard as he could, nearly dropping me to the ground, as he was strapped to my body.

The chest on the other hand, began to buckle on the sides where the original openings were. The tail held up remarkably well though, so I can always just make a new chest, and find a way to build it stronger, instead of cheaper. ;P

If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer. I read the rules and regulations, and I'm sorry if I missed anything and didn't format the post right, please let me know and I'll correct it since this is my first real post.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Oh my gosh!! Lex! Those costumes are amazing!! I can't believe the amount of detail you created in each one. WOW! Simply amazing to behold, you are very talented.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Holy smokes, girl, you can create some costumes!!! My fav is the pirate/mermaid. Absolutely stunning that you created that all with a concept and figuring it out how to make it all come together. I can see that you were probably the talk of the town by everyone, and giving them a photo-op too. 

My only suggestion? Have a friend watch your back from the butthead drunks who wreck your costume. 

Great job!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Yowza! Your talent is incredible!!!! All those details that make it above and beyond! Can't wait to see what you come up with this year.


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## Acid PopTart (Oct 29, 2007)

You have NOTHING to be bashful about, stunning work all around doll! I love your DIY or DIE attitude, your reuse/recycle mindset and doing it on the cheap (as you can) budget! Kali is my favourite because I adore Hindu gods & goddesses and I know the Heidi Klum costume you speak of.


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## JesterLex (Jul 22, 2014)

Thank you all so much !  

And no costume this year, but at least I have a jump start on next years!

I'm practicing making my first mask by making a ninja turtle head, so that I have some practice before attempting Chtulhu, next years project!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

You look absolutely fabulous, dahling!


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

The costumes are awesome! I love the pirate one! Great job!!!


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## drevilstein (Sep 17, 2013)

very impressive, fabulous work!


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## mrv6434 (May 28, 2009)

That is very awesome! Also thank you for explaining.


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## CAMILWAMMY (Jul 23, 2019)

These are fantastic!! Very well made and great ideas


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