Holey Moley- Another Tutorial!

The costume for Mole was quick and easy. I got some nylon ‘velvet’ fabric from the market, and cut out body pieces and a hood.

Sorry, this picture taken at an angle- the sides are parallel, and my fabric is just folded in half. The measurement across the top is about 17” and then I measured 11” down the side, and cut off the triangles to make the armholes.

The Hood piece is double fabric, and I used one of my own hoodies as a pattern. The front edge and top edge are FOLDS.

 

The reason for cutting it double and using folds is that it means you can easily stitch a ¾” channel down the front and thread elastic through, so it fits snugly round the child’s face. But do not make it too tight!

Then I bound the neck edge of the hood with bit of black ribbon.That served three purposes

1- it covered the raw edges

2-it makes it comfortable to wear

3-it saved me the bother of making complicated facings!

Isn’t black velvet incredibly hard to photograph!!

Finished garment. Now I grant you, this has very little ‘hanger appeal’ – but if you dress the child in a long-sleeved black tee-shirt, and leggings, and give her some bright pink gloves [Marigolds, or Poundshop ‘exfoliating’ gloves] and then she puts small round spectacles and a pink nose [spray-paint a Red Nose Day one!] She will look incredible Mole-Like.

And next year you can use the same garment as the basis for Darth Vader!

I finished those ribbon wristbands too!

TIP OF THE DAY- When you are making tunics and other costumes for children, stop and try the neck over your OWN head before you do the final stitching. Children’s heads are not much smaller than those of adults- and if the costume is tight on you, it will probably be uncomfortable for them to put on too. They can sometimes panic if they get stuck halfway with fabric over their faces!