So excited to have Kim here again from The Sew Spot! And yep, also sharing a Halloween costume idea! This one is as clever as can be…..and would be perfect for any age, and either gender. All you need is maybe an hour or two — and you’re ready to go! :)
. . . . .
Hi everyone, it’s Kim from The Sew Spot!
There’s just something about handmade costumes that makes them unique, personal, and fascinating. It brings a smile to my face every time I see a cool costume. Making your own costume can be rewarding, too. If you don’t have any costume ideas come dress-up time, this gender neutral yo-yo costume can be put together pretty quickly.
A comfy black t-shirt/long sleeve shirt and black leggings/sweatpants can be worn under the yo-yo costume.
If your yo-yo will be UP and DOWN a lot, choose a bowl that will sit above the waist and it will be possible to sit while wearing the costume.
My son also likes yo-yo’s and wanted to try it. However, if I were actually making the yo-yo costume for him, I’d make the shoulder straps a little longer.
Want to make one too??
The supplies are pretty simple and most can be easily substituted with something else.
Supplies:
The bowls that I used have a 9″ diameter, and fit my 2 year old. A bigger or smaller bowl can be used to fit the size of the person who will be wearing it. Cut the industrial strength velcro into 4 rectangles, and place two on top (to connect the shoulder straps) and one on each side (to connect the elastic).
Cut the length of the elastic long enough to connect the front and back bowls across the side of the body. (Each piece of elastic I used is 1 1/2 inches x 6 1/2 inches.) Cut the shoulder straps long enough to connect the front and back bowls over each shoulder. (The shoulder straps I used are 3/4 inch x 9 inches.) The shoulder straps are made from nylon webbing that can be found in most fabric stores. You may have some in your home that you could recycle from an old purse or belt. I cut the handles, made of nylon webbing, from an old pop-up hamper we no longer use. You could also use ribbon, instead.
Attach velcro to each end of the shoulder straps and elastic. You can stick the industrial strength velcro on, if you don’t want to sew, and it should hold for a while. If you want the velcro to be secure, I’d suggest using sew-on velcro and sew the pieces to the shoulder straps and elastic.
I wanted the side to look like the string was wrapped inside the Yo-Yo. I used a white yarn, but a white cord would also work. Sew one end to the elastic with a zigzag stitch on the side opposite of the velcro.
Wrap the yarn until you are happy with the way it looks.
Push some of the yarn out of the way and lay the end flat against the elastic and sew in place with a zigzag stitch.
The stitching will go over the yarn on the opposite side,
but if you use transparent thread you will hardly notice any of the stitches.
Now that the 2 elastic pieces are complete, it’s time to add yarn to the shoulder straps. Determine how you want the yarn to lay on the shoulder strap. I did a squiggly design and pinned it in place. The costume can also be worn while you decide how you want it to look.
Sew the yarn to the shoulder strap with a zigzag stitch. I used the transparent thread again, but white would work too. You may even be able to glue it instead.
Tie the thread ends on the backside.
Leave some yarn to wrap around the neck and design the yarn path on the opposite shoulder strap. Pin and sew in place. Make a loop and tie a knot on the end.
***You can get creative and make your own design for the yo-yo costume graphics. Remember you’ll want one for the front and back. You can design something on the computer and add card stock to the back. You could use stickers across the front. If you are good at painting, that might work, too.
I made this design on the computer, printed it twice, cut it out, and covered each one with contact paper. (To personalize it for my daughter, I added her birth year.)
With tape, I stuck one design on the front bowl and the other on the back bowl.
To slip the yo-yo costume on, undo one shoulder strap and one side strap .
Now that the costume is complete, she’s ready to enjoy some fun fall festivities,
and then UNWIND with some candy.
If you’re still deciding on the perfect costume, Ashley has plenty of great ideas!
Thanks!
-Kim
You can find more from Kim over on her blog The Sew Spot, Pinterest and Facebook.