Get ready for some trick or treating this Halloween! Your little ones are going to love this creepy crawly spider outfit, perfect for girls or boys. You could even try stripy tights for a colorful costume or make the body from fake fur for a really hairy spider.
You will need:
* 46x26in ( I I 6x65cm) fabric for the body and matching thread
* 74in ( 186cm) black elastic ¼in (5mm) wide
* Safety pin
* Four pairs of black wool adult tights
* Fiberfill (stuffing)
* 24x l 6in (60x40cm) black felt
* Embroidery floss
* I 16in (290cm) black ribbon ¼in (5mm) wide
* Black cotton jersey fabric and matching thread
* Small patch of Velcro
* Fabric glue
* Black tights or leggings and black long-sleeved top (to complete costume)
1. To make the body, use two 23x26in (58x65cm) fabric rectangles. The armholes should be 2in (5cm) from the top and 8in (20cm) long. Measure 2in (5cm) down from each top corner on both squares of fabric and cut a snip ¼in (2cm) long. Measure 8in (20cm) down from each snip and make another of the same length. These indicate the armholes.
With right sides together, pin and stitch the two fabric squares together at the sides above and below the top and bottom snips, using ¾in (2cm) seams. Press the seams open. Turn right side out. Turn under the ¾in (2cm) seam allowances of the armholes. Pin and stitch in place parallel to each armhole opening, and across the top and bottom of each armhole twice, in order to reinforce them. Press.
At the top and bottom edges, turn under ¾in (2cm). Pin and stitch in place to create channels, leaving a small opening for the elastic. Cut two pieces of elastic about 22in (55cm) long and thread through the top and bottom channels using a safety pin attached to one end of the elastic. Remove the safety pin, sew the ends of each piece of elastic together, and stitch the opening of each channel closed.
2. To make the legs, cut the legs off the tights so that they are about 22in (55cm) long. Stuff them with fiberfill (stuffing), making sure that there are no lumps and bumps.
3. Using pattern piece 10, cue two oval shapes from black felt for the back. Cut two 15in (38cm) lengths of black elastic and tie the ends of each in a knot. Pin these two loops onto one of the felt pieces so that about 2in (5cm) of each piece of elastic is in the position indicated on the pattern piece. Machine stitch this portion of each piece in place.
4. Lay this back piece, elastic-side down, on the work surface and pin four of the legs on top, along one side; stitch. Pin the remaining four legs along the other side of the felt and again machine stitch in place. This can be rather unwieldy, so make sure that you have plenty of space around your sewing machine!
5. Pin the other back piece on top and push fiberfill (stuffing) between the layers to pad it slightly. Using embroidery floss, sew running stitch all the way around through all the layers.
6. Lay the spider flat on the work surface, with the legs evenly spaced. Hand sew a 22in (55cm) ribbon to the back of each of the four legs on one side of the spider, sewing it securely near the end of each leg. Turn both ends of the ribbon under and hand sew for a neat finish. Repeat for the other four legs with a second ribbon.
7. Cut two 30in (75cm) lengths of ribbon and tie one around the top leg on each side of the spider with a firm knot. These will be used to tie the legs to the child's wrists.
8. To make the hat, use pattern piece 3 to cut two pieces from black jersey. With right sides together, pin and stitch them together along the outward-curving edge with a ¾in (1cm) seam.
9. Turn under ½in (1cm) along the raw edges, pin, and machine stitch in place. Turn under the ends of the straps by the same amount and sew the two pieces of a Velcro patch to them, to the underside of one strap and to the top of the other. Turn the hat right side out. Measure and cut two pieces of black felt 3in (7 .5cm) square. Apply glue to one side of each and roll them up, holding them in place until the glue dries. (You can wrap rubber bands around them while they are drying if you wish.) Hand sew them onto the top of the hat equidistant from the central seam and about 2in (5cm) from the front edge.
Check out our sewing techniques blogs, for instructions for how to sew basic machine and hand stitches.
For more kids fancy dress projects, check out Sewing Dress-Up by Emma Hardy.