The same study says seven out of 10 Americans planned to
celebrate Halloween, and $1 billion was spent on children's costumes
alone. With many families continuing to feel the economic pinch, an
average of 18.9 percent of consumers will make costumes instead of
purchasing them this year. What to do if you're not an expert sewer
or crafter? Here are some DIY ideas from the experts.
Milva Di Lorenzo, Fashion Design faculty for Miami International
University of Art & Design, suggests, "Start by doing research
online -- if you're even a little crafty, there are many unique, fun
costumes you can create with little money and no sewing." She
recommends the following websites:
Kate Campbell, fashion coordinator at The Art Institute of Tampa, a
branch of Miami International University of Art & Design, agrees. She also
advises, "Get your child involved in creating the costume. Look at ideas and
decide on a budget together. This ensures your child is excited about their
costume, especially when their friends tout the ones from the store."
For more inspiration, look at the quick costume ideas below from our
experts.
Robot Costume
Needed: Gray sweat suit, one long aluminum dryer hose, two
rectangular disposable foil pans, baseball cap, foil, colored
markers, ribbon.
1. The foundation is a long-sleeve sweatshirt or undershirt and grey
sweatpants.
2. Cut aluminum dryer hose in four parts. Place one on each leg over
sweatpants for the legs. For arms, use ribbon attached to the hose
with a stapler to connect the other two pieces across the child's
back. Put on like a coat, one arm at a time.
3. Attach the two disposable foil pans with ribbons close to the
corners, making sure there's enough space so it can go over the
child's head like a sandwich sign.
4. Have your child use markers to create "robot" buttons and knobs
on the foil pans.
5. Wrap a baseball cap with foil and use as the robot's hat.
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Butterfly Costume
Needed: long-sleeved T-shirt and leggings in pink or any favorite
color, poster or foam board in matching color, ribbon, tissue paper
in coordinating colors, assorted embellishments, such as beads,
glitter pens, rhinestones, hair band, pipe cleaners, hot glue gun or
other adhesive.
1. The foundation is the T-shirt and leggings.
2. Draw (find an easy stencil online or free-hand it) large wing
shapes on poster or foam board and cut them out.
3. Involve your child in decorating the wings. Make sure you plan
the design before you start gluing.
4. Use ribbon to tie the wings together and to create backpack-style
straps to hold them on the child's shoulders.
5. Use additional poster board to create a belt to go around your
child's waist. Cut tissue paper in triangles and staple to the belt,
overlapping at the top and with pointed ends down, to create a
skirt. Decorate the head band and attach the pipe cleaners.
With a little imagination and patience, you can create unique
Halloween costumes with your child and have fun, too! Finally,
remember to take plenty of pictures!
To learn more about The Art Institutes schools, visit
www.artinstitutes.edu.
[Article copied from ARAContent]
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