Wednesday, November 11, 2020

DIY Pikachu Plushie

 


This little electric mouse friend is too adorable not to love.  Here's how you can make a Pikachu plushie of your own.  Note that my template is for a girl Pikachu, but you just have to modify the tail piece if you want to make a boy Pikachu.

Materials:

*Yellow felt
*Red felt
*Black felt
*White felt
*Yellow thread
*Black thread
*White thread
*Red thread
*Scissors
*Sewing needle
*Pillow stuffing

Directions:

*Print out two copies of the template given below (you'll need a second one to cut out the tail):



Cut out two copies of Pikachu's body from yellow felt, one copy of her tail from yellow felt, two eyes from black felt, four ear tips (two of either ear tip) from black felt, a nose from black felt, a mouth from red felt, two cheeks from red felt, and two white eye pieces from white felt, as shown below:

*Sew on Pikachu's face to the front piece of Pikachu's body using the appropriate colors of thread, as shown above.

*Sew Pikachu's tail and ear tips to the back of Pikachu's body, as shown above.

*Sew the two halves of Pikachu's body wrong sides together, using a blanket stitch.  I used yellow thread for all but the ear tips, and switched out the yellow for black when going around the ear tips.  Leave an opening for stuffing.

*Stuff and sew closed.

Looking for more Pokemon craft ideas?  Be sure to check out the Pokemon section of my blog, where I have tutorials for plushies, costumes/cosplays, and more.  Plus, check back in next week, when I'll share one more Pokemon plushie with you.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Gastly Pokemon Plushie

 


Love Pokemon?  Or perhaps you're looking for handmade gift ideas for the Pokemon fans in your life.  Either way, Pokemon plushies are an adorable option that many Pokemon fans, perhaps even you, would love.  Today I'll be showing you how to make the ghost type Pokemon Gastly, but if Gastly isn't your favorite, then I have tutorials for Zubat, Snorlax, Meowth, and Magikarp.  Plus, stay tuned for two more Pokemon plushie tutorials coming later this month.  Also, if you love Gastly, be sure to check out the Gastly inspired look I made this summer.

Materials:

*Purple felt

*Black felt

*White felt

*Red felt

*Pillow stuffing

*Red, black, and white thread

*Purple tulle (optional)

Directions:

*I unfortunately didn't make a template for this one; I just kind of eyeballed the pieces.  I have a tutorial on making your own Pokemon plushie template here, though, so if you don't want to wing it, you can follow these steps to make your own template.  You'll want to cut out two large circles from black felt, four eye shapes (two front and two back) from white felt, two pupils from black felt, a mouth from red felt, two little fangs from white felt, and a gas cloud shape from purple felt, and also from the purple tulle if you're using tulle.


*Begin by sewing the pupils to the eyes with black thread.


*Next, it's time to construct the eyes.  Place two eye pieces wrong sides together and sew along the edge using white thread and a blanket stitch.  Leave an opening for stuffing.

*Stuff and sew closed.

*Repeat the process to make the second eye.


*Next, it's time to work on the mouth.  Sew the fangs to the mouth using white thread, and then sew the mouth to the body using red thread.


*Sew one of the black circles (the one without the face) to the gas cloud shape using a running stitch.


*Start sewing the circle with the face over top the plain circle, also using a running stitch.  Leave an opening for stuffing.


*Stuff and sew closed.


*Lastly, it's time to sew on eyes.  I don't really have a good explanation for what I did here.  I just brought the needle through the bottom layer of the eye felt and the top layer of Gastly's felt a bunch of times, until the eyes seemed like they were on securely.

If you love Pokemon and plushies, stay tuned, because I have two more Pokemon plushie tutorials I'll be releasing later this month.  Since I'm going to be posting a bunch of Pokemon plushie tutorials this month, I'm considering waiting until December to do my next Pokemonbounding video.  If you have any Pokemon you'd like to see as either bounds/costumes or as plushies, let me know.  I'm thinking potentially an ice type for December, but I don't have a specific Pokemon in mind.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Halloween Spider Web Nail Art

 


Need a Halloween manicure idea?  Why not try adding a spider web accent nail?  I forgot to take pictures while I was painting this, so I have only a video tutorial this time around, which you'll find below, but feel free to ask me any questions you have about the process.



Wednesday, October 21, 2020

New Halloween Costume Contest Trophies


Normally this post would focus on my Halloween party, and I'd show you a ton of party picture, but this year the party happened virtually, so I don't have any pictures to share.  Originally I had been hoping to have an outdoor, socially distanced event with just close family, but with the weather forecast predicting chilly temps, two days before the event I moved the whole thing to Zoom.  Even though it was virtual, we still had our annual costume contest.  I won "best costume" for my Little Red Riding Hood look, while Jacob won "most creative costume" for his "guy who stuck into Area 51 and stole an alien" look.  Sadly, I do not have pictures, but I'll leave it to your imagination.  Anyway, here's how to make the trophies, plus some tips on holding an online costume contest.

Witch Cat Trophy

Materials:

*Cat figurine
*Jar lid
*Black paint
*Red paint
*Paintbrush
*Hot glue
*Fabric
*Sewing needle
*Thread
*Scissors
*Printed or handwritten trophy label
*Purple cardstock

Directions:

*Glue the cat figurine to the jar lid.

*Paint the cat and lid black.  Let dry.

*Paint the cat's eyes red.

*Cut out a scrap of fabric for the cat's cape.

*Gather the top using a needle and thread.  Tie the string around the cat's neck.

*Construct a mini witch hat from cardstock.  I took a witch hat template and shrunk it down small, then printed it and cut the pieces from cardstock.  I used glue and a little decorative thread to hold the hat together.

*Glue the hat to the cat's head.

*Write or print a label for your trophy and glue it to the jar lid.

Vampire Cat Trophy

Materials:

*Cat figurine
*Jar lid
*Black paint
*Red paint
*White paint
*Paintbrush
*Hot glue
*Fabric
*Sewing needle
*Thread
*Scissors
*Written or printed label

Directions:

*Glue the cat figurine to the jar lid.

*Paint the cat and lid black.  Let dry.

*Paint the cat's eyes red.

*Paint on little white fangs.

*Cut out a scrap of fabric for the cat's cape.

*Gather the top using a needle and thread.  Tie the string around the cat's neck.

*Write or print a label for your trophy and glue it to the jar lid.

Virtual Costume Contest

Holding the costume contest online turned out to be relatively straightforward.  At the start of the party, people took turns explaining their costumes.  I used Google Forms to create a survey where people could vote on the costumes.  I had never used Google Forms before, but I found it pretty intuitive.  In place of a question, I wrote out the costume category, e.g., "Best Costume."  For the options, I added each person's name as well as their costume.  There was also an option to add pictures, so you could ask your party guests to send in a picture of their costume in advance and add those pictures to the form.  That way, if, say, you have two Draculas, your guests would be more easily able to pick out which one they were trying to vote for.  The votes were automatically counted by the form, so it was easy for me to see who was the winner in each category.

As for the trophies, my siblings ended up coming up for a visit the following weekend, so I was able to hand off Jacob's trophy.  However, had they not been able come up, I was planning on sending little "scare packages" with some spooky goodies, including the trophies.

Are you planning on hosting a virtual Halloween celebration?  I'd love to hear how it went, or any tips you have for making your virtual Halloween party a success.

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Halloween Costumes from My Closet: 15 Ideas


One of my favorite aspects of Halloween season is dressing up.  As part of my #31DaysofHalloweenOutfitChallenge, I decided to challenge myself to wear a Halloween costume, cosplay, or bound each day of October.  Since getting to stores isn't safe for a lot of us this year, I figured I'd share some of the looks I came up with which use either items that I think many people are likely to have around the house or which should be DIYable with common household supplies.  Hopefully these can give you some ideas for costumes you can piece together with materials you already own.

A lot of the costumes do include rompers or dresses, because I have those in my closet, but I know not everyone will have these types of items.  However, just because I use an item doesn't mean that's the only way to orchestrate the costume.  Matching a character's color scheme or vibe goes a long way, and there are no rules requiring you to style your look around the gender that these characters had in their source materials.

For more inspiration, check out my Three Cheap and Easy Halloween Costume Ideas and More Cheap and Easy Halloween Costume Ideas posts, and follow along on Instagram either through my account, @amberscraftaweekblog, or using #31DaysofHalloweenOutfitChallenge.  For even more DIY costume ideas, check out these Meowth, Magikarp, and Vaporeon looks, these Pikachu ears, this paper doll costume, this Astrophysicist Barbie look, this Ricky's Girlfriend (from The 'Burbs) costume, these Dana Scully and Fox Mulder looks, this Yellow Ribbon scary story costume, and these Daphne Blake and Shaggy Rogers looks.

Tiffany Valentine (aka the Bride of Chucky)


Items I used:

*White dress or romper (could be a wedding dress)
*Black faux leather or leather jacket
*Carving knife
*Dark eyeshadow
*Black lipstick
*Fishnets
*Combat boots

Putting the look together:

Looking for a way to re-use your wedding dress?  If you got married in white, then this may be the perfect costume for you.  My wedding dress is blue, so I couldn't use it for this look, but luckily I had a white romper on hand that I thought had the right vibe.  To finish this look, you really just need a (faux) leather jacket and some dark makeup, although the carving knife is a nice touch.

Alice in Wonderland


Items I used:

*Blue dress or romper
*Black bow headband
*Key shaped locket necklace
*Pearl jewelry
*Black shoes

Putting the look together:

Speaking of wedding dresses, here's me repurposing mine for this Alice in Wonderland look.  I have done a ton of Alice bounds (bounds are similar to costumes, but they tend to be more about matching the character's vibe than replicating their look exactly) and would love someday to write a post on all of them.  This is my "fancy Alice" look, but when I wear just the romper without the overskirt, I have a look that's closer to the classic Disney Alice.

With Alice, since there are so many variations on her, you have a lot of leeway.  Pick the items that you think best represent her.  For me, it's the black bow and the blue dress.  If you don't have a black hair bow of your own, here's how you can make one using black ribbon and a headband.  From there, I'd recommend trying to add a few jewelry items or accessories which you feel give off Alice's vibe or have a Wonderland feel.  I have some key shaped jewelry items, a cat pearl ring, white tights, black and white striped knee socks, and a "drink me" vial pendant necklace that I'll alternate using to switch up my Alice look so I'm not always wearing the same thing.  I also have a pinafore apron that I sewed that I'll add for a more classic Alice look, and if you have a plain white apron, that could be a nice addition to your costume.

Frances "Baby" Houseman from Dirty Dancing

Shorts and Bodysuit Look:


Items I used:

*Coral colored bodysuit
*Light wash denim shorts
*Brown belt
*White shoes

Putting the look together:

My key objective here was finding items in the right color palette that resembled the ones Jennifer Grey wears in the film.  I didn't have her iconic white Keds (or any white sneakers), so I opted for a pair of white heels instead.  Since these are regular clothes, and this outfit isn't as recognizable as Baby's pink dress look, be prepared to explain it to people.  Unless perhaps your pals on the Halloween Zoom party are all die hard Dirty Dancing fans.

Pink Dress Look:


Items I used:

*Pink romper and pink tulle skirt (or you could use a pink dress instead)
*Pink heels
*Bobby pins

Putting the look together:

Okay, I've done Baby's pink dress look before on this blog, so maybe this one's cheating.  But I had a flouncy skirt and better heels this time around, so I couldn't help but share.  Got a flouncy pink dress?  Then you're good to go.  If you have long hair, you can always put it in a faux bob to better match Jennifer Grey's hair in the film.  Here's a faux bob tutorial that I've worked from before. 

Cracked Porcelain Doll


Items I used:

*Doll-like dress or romper
*Tights
*Heels
*Bow
*DIY wind up key
*Black liquid eyeliner
*Black eyeliner pencil
*Setting spray
*Pearl jewelry

Putting the look together:

For this cracked doll costume, all you need are clothes that look doll-like to you and some eyeliner to draw on the cracks.  I like to draw the cracks with an eyeliner pencil first, so it's easier to clean up if I mess up, and then go over them with liquid eyeliner to make them darker.  Setting spray is optional, but it can help make the cracks last longer, especially if you have oily skin.

You can add all sorts of embellishments, such as a wind up key (see this tutorial) or ball joint tights.  Or stitched tights if you're going for a doll with a cloth body but porcelain head.  I wore a similar look last year for Halloween, so if you want to see a slight variation on this look, check out this post (the costume is about midway through the post).

Scarecrow


Items I used:

*Plaid shirt
*Tan jumper
*Brown belt
*Brown shoes
*Scarecrow hat
*Scarecrow gloves
*Stitched tights
*Orange eyeshadow
*Gold eyeshadow
*Red lipstick
*Black pencil eyeliner
*Setting spray

Putting the look together:

The scarecrow is a fantastic costume option for many reasons.  The makeup is what makes the look, so as long as you have the right makeup on hand, you have the main tools you'll need.  I, as usual, didn't work from a tutorial and winged it, but if you're looking for a scarecrow makeup video tutorial, this one looks good.

For clothes, you've got a lot of options.  A plaid shirt and denim jeans or overalls are classic, but scarecrows can wear all sorts of clothes.  This look is also great if you live in a cooler climate, since you can bundle up and add layers without it looking awkward.  You can also add fun scarecrow accessories if you'd like, but you don't have to.  Here's my look minus the hat and gloves, and I'd say it still gives off strong scarecrow vibes:


Bonus: Scarecrow and Scared Crow Couples' Costume


Items we used for the crow:

*Black cardstock or construction paper
*Scissors
*Tape
*Black clothes

Putting the look together:

Need a match for a scarecrow costume?  Enter the crow.  Construct a beak shape from black paper and pair it with black clothes and you're good to go.  You could add some elastic to hold it to your head, but Brian ended up taping his to his nose.  It's not the most elaborate costume, and there are nicer ones you can make if you have more time, but it should work in a pinch.

Little Red Riding Hood


Items I used:

*Red cloak
*Red liquid lipstick for scratches
*Dark eyeshadow for scratches
*Plastic axe

Putting the look together:

If you have a red cloak or cape, that's basically all you need for Little Red Riding Hood.  Accessorize with a basket or a fake axe, if you'd like, and use liquid lipstick and a little eyeshadow for some scratches from your confrontation with the wolf (here are seven tutorials for making fake cuts without using special sfx products, including the all makeup one I loosely followed).  But all that's the cherry on top.  If you have the cloak, people will probably recognize you.

Princess Leia


Items I used:

*Bobby pins.  ALL the bobby pins
*White romper
*White leggings
*White shoes

Putting the look together:

Princess Leia's cinnamon bun hairstyle is so iconic that if you pair it with an all white ensemble (or another look she wears in the films), people will know who you are.  Brian was in a virtual meeting at work, and I had to walk past his desk, where his low resolution webcam was, and someone said to Brian something along the lines of, "I see Princess Leia walking around in the background."  So even though I didn't feel like it was the greatest match for Leia, it was super recognizable (and also my most liked look on my @all_of_my_outfits Insta).  Here's the tutorial I tried to follow for the hair.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Blue Dress Look:


Items I used:

*Blue romper or dress
*White long sleeved shirt
*Brown shoes
*Book bag/book
*Book pendant

Putting the look together:

Instead of trying to match characters exactly as they were depicted in film, why not give them a modern upgrade?  For me, the key elements I wanted to incorporate to make this feel Belle-like were the blue and white combo and books.  It's not a replica of Belle's look, but I think it still has strong Belle vibes, especially with all the book elements.

Yellow Dress Look:


Items I used:

*Yellow romper or dress
*Book pendant
*Artificial red roses

Putting the look together:

Here's another modern spin on one of Disney's beloved princesses.  I opted for a yellow romper instead of Belle's classic ballgown, mainly because I don't have a yellow ballgown, or the room in my house to store a ballgown.  With the book pendant and red roses, I think this look still gives off Belle vibes, but a more modern, semiformal Belle style.

Daphne Blake (featuring Shaggy Rogers)


Items I used:

*Purple romper or dress
*Lavender headband
*Purple shoes
*Green scarf
*Lighter purple removable vinyl
*Colorista hair makeup in bronze-auburn
*Magnifying glass

Putting the look together:

I've put together a Daphne Blake look before on this blog (see this post), but this updated look has some details that the previous one didn't, so I figured I'd include it.  First of all, notice that stripe at the bottom of my romper?  That's removable vinyl.  If you need to add details to a costume, but don't want to permanently alter your costume, then removable vinyl is your friend.  To give this romper a little more of a Daphne vibe, I just cut off a few strips of removable vinyl, stuck them to the bottom of the romper, and when I was done, peeled them off.  I wouldn't recommend using it on delicate fabrics necessarily, but I've used it on sequined materials and cotton/polyester without issue.

Instead of hair chalking, I've shifted over to using hair makeup, which is less mess and less hassle.  Unfortunately, Colorista doesn't have a color yet that's a perfect match for Daphne (or other fictional redheads), but if I apply the bronze-auburn very lightly, brushing out most of the color as I go, I can get something that kind of works.

Queen of Hearts


Items I used:

*DIY crown
*Red romper or dress
*Heart belt

Putting the look together:

The Queen of Hearts is another character who has been depicted in many different ways over the years, so you have quite a lot of freedom when it comes to your look.  I opted for lots of red and heart details to convey my Queen of Hearts vibe.  I threw together a quick crown from gold cardstock and added glittery red hearts, but if you don't have cardstock, yellow and red construction paper should work.  Your crown will just be a little flimsier.  Also, I like to cut tiny slits toward the bottom of my crowns so that I can slide bobby pins through to hold them on my head.

Witch


Items I used:

*Black romper
*Velvet bell sleeved top
*Bat belt
*Spellbook necklace
*Buckle booties

I have done so many witchy looks over the years (see, eg., me in 2016 and me in 2017).  In fact, my witch costume was the first costume I featured on my blog, and the hat and cape I sewed for it were some of my first machine sewing projects.  The version I have pictured above isn't the most elaborate witch look I've put together, but it's one of the more accessible ones because you don't have to sew anything.  If you don't already have a witch hat, you can throw one together from cardstock or construction paper and glue it to a headband.  Or you can go without a hat, because plenty of witches don't wear hats.

Cat


Items I used:

*DIY cat ears
*Black clothes
*Red ribbon

Putting the look together

The cat is probably one of the most universal Halloween costumes there is.  It makes sense; cats are adorable, and cat costumes are fairly easy to assemble.  All you need are a set of ears and some clothes in a color scheme that matches your vision for your cat look.  I went with all black, because black cats are awesome.  Don't have a pair of cat ears?  Cut ear shapes out of felt and glue them to a headband.  Seriously, if you're looking for one crafting material to invest in, make it felt.  It is relatively inexpensive and oh so versatile.  But if you don't have any felt on hand, you could use colored paper or painted cardboard in a pinch.  Try adding some ribbon or a choker for a collar.

Prom Queen


Items I used:

*Party dress
*Tiara

Putting the look together:

Some of the best horror movies happen at the prom, so why not throw together your own prom royalty look?  I bought a tiara for this, but you can always throw together a paper crown (see Queen of Hearts above for an example).  I cut out one face of a paper bag and used some ribbon to tie it around my DIY wedding bouquet to make it look more prom and less wedding.  I also bought the sash, but I think with the crown and flowers, people will get prom or pageant vibes even without a sash.

Bonus: Zom(bie Prom) Queen



Items I used:

*Prom Queen outfit (see above)
*Crimson paint for fake blood spatters for sash
*Red food coloring + caramel sauce for fake blood
*Black, purple, and gray eyeshadow for bruising effect
*Brown eyeshadow for contouring

Putting the look together:

The zombie bride has been done to death (pun absolutely intended).  If you're looking for a glam zombie transformation, why not try prom royalty?  Just take your prom look and add some fake blood and makeup to make your face look bruised and sunken in, and you're good to go.  If you have a prom sash you don't mind messing up, you could also splatter some crimson paint on it for fake blood spatter.  Muss up your hair a little and place your crown off center because the living dead aren't too concerned about appearances.  They're just looking for their next meal.

I hope this post gave you some ideas for your future costumes.  If you end up using any of them, I'd love to see what you come up with.  Tag me with #31DaysofHalloweenOutfitChallenge or @amberscraftaweekblog on Instagram, add pictures to my Amber's Craft a Week blog Facebook page, or shoot me an email at hathaway.amber@gmail.com.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Monday, October 12, 2020

DIY Misdreavus (Pokemon) Necklace: Pokemonbounding Ep 6


     It's October, which means spooky season is in full swing.  For this month's Pokemonbounding project, I thought it would be fitting to go with a ghost type Pokemon and opted for one of my favorites: Misdreavus.  I've also done looks for the ghost type Pokemon Gastly, as well as Meowth, Magikarp, Vaporeon, and a Pikachu Fan Trainer Costume, so if you're looking for Halloween costume inspiration and love Pokemon, be sure to check these posts out.
     This is a great last minute costume idea, especially if you already have some wooden beads on hand, or a pink costume jewelry necklace.  I have both a video tutorial and a written tutorial for the necklace in this look.  I've included the video tutorial below, and keep reading for the written tutorial, as well as some more pictures of the completed look.


Misdreavus Necklace

Materials:

*One 20 mm wooden bead
*About twenty 16 mm wooden beads (you may need more or fewer, depending on the neck size of the person you're making it for and how tight the person would like it to be)
*Pink acrylic paint (if your beads aren't already pink)
*Paintbrush (if your beads aren't already pink)
*Elastic cording
*Scissors
*Clear nail polish (optional)

Directions:

*If your beads are not already pink, paint them pink.  Let dry.

*Cut off a length of elastic.  I like having plenty of extra elastic at the ends for tying, so I cut off a segment that was large enough to wrap around my head and then some, but the amount you cut off will depend on how tight you want the necklace to be and how comfortable you are tying elastic.

*Slide your largest wooden bead onto the center of the elastic.

*Add about 10 smaller wooden beads on either side.  You could also use a few different smaller sizes to get a more tapered look, closer to the "necklace" Misdreavus has, but that will require more beads.

*Knot the ends of the elastic together.  If the elastic you're using is slippery, to keep the knot from coming undone, you can cover the knot with a little clear nail polish.

Putting the Look Together

Materials/items:

*Misdreavus necklace (see above)
*Navy blue clothes
*Colorista Hair Makeup in raspberry, or other pink temporary hair color
*Navy blue eyeshadow
*Pink lipstick

Tips:

*For the strongest Misdreavus vibes, pick flowy navy blue clothes, if possible, since Misdreavus is a ghost type Pokemon.  A flowy navy blue dress or maxi romper could be an excellent choice.

*If you want to dye the tips of your hair for this look, make sure to pick a dye suitable for your hair color.  I personally like the Colorista Hair Makeup for brown or black hair because it shows up vibrantly in my hair.  However, if you have really light hair, make sure to get hair color for blonde hair, as the temporary colors for dark hair may stain your hair.

*If you're a dark blonde (the tips of my hair could be considered dark blonde, so that's the color I'm talking about here), the hair colors made specifically for blonde hair may not show up well one you since they're usually designed more for platinum blonde hair.  You probably can get away with using the temporary colors for dark hair.  However, I'd recommend testing it on a few strands on the under layer of your hair where it's not very visible to make sure it washes out before you go ahead and color your tips.

Misdreavus Look





     That's it for my Misdreavus look.  I'm not sure which Pokemon I want to bound as next, but I'm thinking maybe an ice type here soon, since we're moving into winter.  (Maybe I'll save that one for December, though).  If you have any Pokemon you'd like to see me bound as, feel free to suggest one.
     Happy spooky season, everyone!  I hope you have a safe and fun October.  Stay tuned for more Halloween fun, and more Pokemon projects.

Thursday, October 8, 2020

DIY Alice in Wonderland Paper Doll Costume


     Looking for a relatively inexpensive yet cute costume idea?  Why not try making a paper doll costume?  I opted for an Alice in Wonderland look. but you can use these techniques to make your own custom design too.  Add some cartoon makeup if you'd like to give your face a paper doll vibe (I just winged it, but there are tons of tutorials out there on how to do cartoon makeup.  Here's one that looks pretty good, and certainly more skillful than my attempt).

Materials:

*1-2 sheets of blue poster paper.  I was able to get away with just one, but it was a tight fit.  A good rule of thumb would be that if you are making the costume for someone who wears about size 12-14 kids clothes, then you can probably get away with just one sheet, but if you're making it for someone who wears larger sizes or is tall, then you probably will need two sheets.
*1-2 sheets of white poster paper.  Since the pinafore apron is narrower and shorter than the dress, you probably have a little more leeway here, but I'd still pick up an extra sheet of poster paper if you're unsure.
*Red cardstock, poster paper, or construction paper
*Black marker
*Scissors
*Pencil
*Glue
*Black or blue ribbon
*Duct tape
*Dress or romper with little stretch
*Ruler
*Black poster paper
*Headband
*Form fitting clothes, ideally ones close to your skin tone, to wear underneath.

Directions:

*Take a dress or romper that fits you or your intended recipient well and isn't stretchy.  Lay it down on the sheet or sheets of poster paper you're using to create the dress.  If you're making this in two pieces, I'd recommend lining things up so the top of the dress lies on one sheet of poster paper and the skirt or shorts portion lies on the other.

*Trace around the dress, leaving about an inch or so extra space along all sides.  One tricky part of making this is that if you don't want what you're wearing underneath to show through the costume, you'll need the dress to be wide enough to hide it.  This is why initially you want to add a lot of extra room.

*Cut out the dress shape.  Put on the clothes you'll be wearing underneath the paper doll costume, ideally something form fitting like a cami and shorts or leggings, and hold the dress up in front of you.  See if there are places along the dress that need to be trimmed or taken in, keeping in mind that anything you take away can't be added back.  If the dress is in two pieces, you can tape the two pieces together with some duct tape along the back.  We'll reinforce the waist seam later, but for now you just need it to hold together.

*Make adjustments to the dress as needed.  Here's what my dress looked like after alterations:


*Once you're happy with the shape of the dress, it's time to start working on the pinafore apron.  I made the apron by tracing the shape of the dress onto the white poster paper and using a ruler to draw an apron shape inside the dress shape.  That way, I knew the apron should fit the dress perfectly.  I've included a picture of what I did below.  Note that I had to turn up the contrast a ton so that the pencil lines would be visible.  This works best if you can make the apron as a singular piece (it adds more stability at the waist and will hide the waist seam, so even if you had to make the dress in two pieces, I'd recommend making the apron as one continuous piece if possible.


*Glue the apron to the dress.


*Optional: Cut out a red heart shape from your red paper of choice and glue it to the apron.


*Use a black marker to define the edges of the pieces and make the dress look more cartoony.


*Next it's time to make the tabs.  Sketch out six tab shapes on the leftover poster paper using a pencil.  Follow the pencil line with a black marker, making dashed lines like you will often see on paper dolls.

*Glue one tab to either shoulder and tabs to either side of the waist.  Set aside two for the bow.


*Draw a bow shape onto black poster paper and cut it out.

*Use a black marker to add an outline and details.  The details may not show up super well, depending on how dark the black of the poster paper is.

*Glue tabs to either side of the bow.


*Next it's time to figure out how to fasten the dress on you.  I've seen some people attach Velcro to the dress and also to the clothes they will be wearing, so the dress just sticks on.  However, since I didn't want to mess up the clothes I'd be wearing under by permanently affixing Velcro to them, I decided to use ties instead.  Cut off two lengths of black ribbon which are long enough to tie comfortably around your waist.

*Turn the dress over and glue the ends of the ribbons to the waist area.  Let dry.


*Glue two to the shoulders as well.  Let dry.

*Once dry, reinforce the ribbon with a little duct tape.


*If you cut the dress from two different sheets of poster paper, you may want to reinforce the waist.  You can cut off strips of excess poster paper and glue them across the waist seam in the back, or perhaps use some thin cardboard, like what you might get from a cereal box.

Tip: One tricky piece to this costume is that since it's 2D and we're 3D, it's easy for the costume to shift and show what you're wearing underneath.  Wearing tight fitting clothes will help minimize the impact, and wearing clothes close to your skin tone will make it less noticeable.  I was wearing a pale pink romper under my costume for the photos.  Here's a picture of me turned slightly to the side, so you can see behind the costume.  Since the romper is so close to my skin tone, I feel like it's less noticeable than if I'd worn a high contrast color, like hot pink or neon green.