Last year for Halloween, Owen changed what he wanted to be for Halloween about a million and one times. This year, he’s been sure from the beginning and hasn’t budged. He wants to be…
Frankenstein.
The great thing is he doesn’t really have specific preconceived notions on what Frankenstein should look like, so whatever I come up with, he loves. :)
I saw this hat from the Children’s Place and thought it would be perfect to make for Owen. His school doesn’t allow any make-up or masks. Without the make-up I was afraid everyone would think Owen just look liked a hobo or something, so I had to come up with something else.
The hat is perfect for keeping him warm, and they should know exactly who he’s supposed to be…
Don’t you think? :)
I just made this up as I went, so it’s far from perfect, but here’s what I did.
I made up several paper patterns for the circumference of the hat. I tried them on Owen and tweaked them until I liked how it looked. The hat is about 1/2 an inch longer than the circumference of his head.
I cut the pattern out whole so I could try it on Owen’s face/head, but folded it in half and cut it on the fold to keep things even. This only takes less than 1/4 yard of fleece. Very cheap! I bought 1/3 yard and it was too much.
Then I added some hair.
I didn’t get it quite right the first time, so I added some more pieces here and there. I ended up liking how the layers added dimension as well.
I pinned the smaller pieces on and sewed them down.
Then I zig-zag stitched the top hair piece to the circumference of the hat. I really should have lengthened my stitch or fixed my tension because I got some puckering, but…it’s for a costume. So moving on! :)
Using the circumference measurement, I calculated the hat top using this equation:
circumference = diameter x 3.14 {pi}
Once I knew the {approx. – doesn’t have to be super exact} diameter I was able to come up with the correct circle size for the hat top.
Then I sewed the ends of the hat circumference piece together.
Pinned on the hat top.
Sewed all the way around and snipped a few slits just before the seam so it wouldn’t pucker too much when I turned it right side out.
Phew…almost done.
I added a chin strap with a button and hemmed the raw edges under….which is totally optional.
Then I hand embroidered some scars and stitches on the hat. Paint would have done fine, but I just liked the idea of being able to rip the thread out if I didn’t like how it turned out.
Now it was time for bolts. I thought about hand stitching some bolts together because they would be too small to stitch by machine, and then stuffing them with poly fill, etc…for about 2 seconds. Just long enough to decide it was finally time for some hot glue. :)
I rolled up some light grey felt like so.
Cut three circles out and glued them together.
Then assembled my bolts.
So easy. :) And SO quick.
I had to cut the bolts way down so they wouldn’t be too floppy, even smaller than you see here.
Then I glued them on.
Done!
And we’ve got one happy Frankenstein.
UUUUGGGHHH.
His costume isn’t completely done yet though. I’ve got some clothes I need to rip up and some other ideas. I’ll just have to see if the stores carry the supplies I need. Sometimes that’s my biggest barrier!
Hope you’re having fun
getting ready for Halloween!
Delia – You ROCKED it. THat looks awesome! Wow. Way to go. And you can tell he definitely loves it. Woo-hoo!
Cheri
What a neat hat! Comfy, warm and totally getting the job done. That's awesome!
So cute. I love love your blog. Pinned you on my pinterest. :) Now, to fix my sewing machine and get to work on your super fun crafts. :)
This is too cool! You are too amazing :)Absolutely love this idea!
This is the cutest thing ever! Glad I came across this. I might make my own in the future for my boys.
This is perfect!
looks great! People will definitely know who he is!
That's so awesome! Great job!!!
Simply awesome! Love it.
That is so AWESOME!! Very cool. What a lucky boy he is to have a Mom like you!
This is AMAZING!
This so very clever. One day when I have a child I will make them cool costume stuff like this! :)
I used to make my children's costumes from scratch, too. Great instructions! But my favorites are the expressions on Frankenstein's face. Iwrite a blog, too. Check it out sometime:
http://theabcsofdoubletrouble.blogspot.com/
Awesome Delia! His expressions are great!
This is just awesome!
Wow, you are amazing! I love it (if can say that of frankenstein hat). So cool!
This looks brilliant! .. Would love to make that – Wonder who i’d get to wear it!… Maybe the cat!
Very cool! And I just have to mention your son has the most beautiful eyes.
oh my you are the coolest mom ever.
Hi! I came over from “blog of note”, congrats on that! Your blog is amazing and you are super creative. What a fun idea for Halloween. He will be the hit of the party. Have a great weekend!
i like halloen……
http://collectionofwomensclothes.blogspot.com/
This looks so great, I love it! And of course, his brilliant Frankestein expressions. Glad I came across your awesome blog.
Ninja-ing my way through life
Holy moly! That has to be the most awesome thing I have ever seen. Hands down. He looks like he absolutely loves it too!
Cool I love your idea and is very Vacano the DIFRES, you give us the ejmplo that does not take much money in to Create a fun costumes is more is much better than they sell in stores.
ideas rentables de negocios
So cool! It is a great idea!
I am new to your blog and am blown away with how creative you are! This is such an adorable hat. Enjoy your Halloween.
Very beautifully done..
You have a wonderful blog here! Looks like you had fun and he did too!
oh he is so sweet. you're really creative. :D Frankenstein…lol
Thanks for this blog, Im going to rock Dutch halloween with this hat! :)
Thanks so much for the tutorial!!! My son has a dress up day at daycare so I whipped one up for him. Your tutorial was soooo easy to follow and my one turned out really cool. Thanks! Do you have a facebook page? I would love to show you a pic.
Just added it to my blog:
http://binglebomnz.blogspot.com/2011/10/frankenstein-hat.html
This saved me this morning! That's right Halloween morning my vampire decided he wanted to be Frankenstein. Luckily for him I remembered your awesome hat and had one made in time for school! Thank you!
Wow this is brilliant! Nice job
ahh! i can't believe i didnt see this before Halloween! lol. my little cousin wanted to be frankinstien for halloween. he couldnt find the costume in stores. so im defenently going to try to make this for next halloween for him or just try to make it for me.lol. THANk yOu!
Oh Delia, thank you thank you thank you! I woke up this morning and checked my SewSet page first thing while drinking my coffee. Saw this looking straight out at me and nearly jumped out my seat with laughter. I love this!!! So awesome.
I featured it today as one of my favorite top patterns – Gah, so stinking cute.
Thanks again for the good wake up laugh!
–
I have just about finished this for my 5 year old! Just need to do the hand stitching for the scars. I love how easy your tutorial is! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Thank you so much for this tutorial! my 13 year old is being Frankenstein, and we are having our two year old be his monster. I was struggling with finding a cute costume or tutorial, but your hat is perfect!
I love this! Made it for my 2-year-old grandson yesterday in about an hour. Thanks for the instructions!
Thanks , I’ve just been searching for info about this subject
for a long time and yours is the best I have found out till now.
But, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you sure concerning
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This is SO COOL!! I think I’m going to make one for my husband. Thank you for sharing!! : D
Thanks! You are so welcome. Happy sewing!
You really make it seem so easy along with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be really something which I feel I might
by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and extremely extensive for me.
I’m looking ahead in your next put up, I will attempt to get the cling of
it!
Hi Delia! I love all of your tutorials – – so detailed and creative! I tried this one out to make my 4-year old a Frankenstein hat for Halloween this year, it didn’t turn out quite as cute as yours, but he still loved it :-)
I posted pictures of the hat and the process I followed to make it on the blog I just started: http://www.californiaimperfection.com. I sort of re-created your tutorial but with some different steps, and I sewed mine by hand instead of machine, and used a hot glue gun and a lot of guestimating! Anyhow, thank you for the inspiration for such a fun project, I’ve linked back to your tutorial as well.
Thanks again!
~ Amy
Awesome! It turned out great Amy! Thanks for sharing it with me.
Delia
Thanks for the instructions! I am trying to figure out how to post a picture. We made this for my son, and it looks great! The blood and stitches are a little rougher than yours because we let him help sew that part himself, and I also added a Ziploc bag with stuffing in the top of the hat to poof it up a bit. See if you can view it here:
https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12118767_10154415902695620_8873389270260998065_n.jpg?oh=078e2656da127ac870c27386f0a2bdca&oe=56922A66
I love the changes you made and that you let him sew some of the stitches! So awesome! Thanks for sharing pics with me!
This is a better one of the Frankenstein costume. We never would have been able to do this without you!
https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t31.0-8/11059857_10154415902625620_7290629418764394944_o.jpg
gosh, my 6 year old daughter has been set on being Frankenstein for months! I’m sitting here exploring google trying to find something that isn’t just a cheap costume that costs a million dollars and this is SO PERFECT!! Shame I can’t sew to save my life. :(
I’m so glad this tutorial is what you’ve been looking for. If you don’t sew, you can certainly try hot gluing it together instead. It won’t last much longer than a night, but for Halloween, that is all you really need. Good luck!