The only thing M wanted to be for Halloween
was a giant squid.
I searched
and
searched some more
for a costume but couldn't find one.
I tried to convince her of
a really cool octopus one
but she looked at me like I was
not quite with it
and said,
"that's nOt a squid. ThAt's an octopus"
M has had a thing for giant squids since she was about 3.
She has read so many books about them, watched documentary's,
and even begged and begged us to take her to
Australia or England
where they have one on display.
I really didn't want to disappoint her
so I made the costume
out of
pink felt,
bubble wrap
and lots and lots of
hOt glue.
(I know its called hot glue but it really can get eXtrEmely hot as evidenced by the lack of skin I have on my finger tips. In fact, I could easily commit some sort of deviant crime and not get caught since I am quite sure I would not leave a finger print! I am thinking it should actually be called "Burn your fingers off hot glue"...just a thought ).
Anyway, here are some pics.
The giant squid attacks Daddy.
The giant squid trick-or-treating at Grandpa's.
Grandpa doesn't give candy but fun Halloween toys.
M thinks this is the best...
she loves to tell people about it.
Here she is at her school's Halloween event where
she won the costume contest.
She was like a movie star....
people kept coming up to her saying that they loved her costume.
Too funny - she loved it!
M told me that is was
the BEST Halloween costume EVER.
That totally made my day
(even with burnt and blistered finger tips).
Hi there - thanks for sharing your pictures of the awesome giant squid costume you made! I am putting one together for my 1st grade son & you have heavily influenced the design.
ReplyDeleteyou saved our halloween! thank you for the design!
ReplyDeleteI am beyond excited to have found your blog. My son desperately wants to be a squid. I am not very crafty, but an hoping to tackle this using your photos as a guide. Do you by any chance remember how much felt you bought? Also, any tips or tricks that you can share will really help a mother out :) Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteHi, thank so much for your comment. I am probably the least crafty person that you could meet so if I could make it then you will have no problems. I so sorry but I can't remember how much felt I bought. Here is a little more detail on how I made it: I drew out a template on a long piece of paper (i just googled squid images for help on how it looks). I then cut out the template and pinned it to the felt and cut around it. I did that twice (one for each side) The head and body are one piece and the legs were all separate. The head is filled with bubble wrap so it will stay upright. The legs were filled with stuffing. I also put a little stuffing behind the eyes to give it a more 3-D look. I put elastic under the long arms so that they could rest on her arms so she could wave them around. I ended up hot gluing everything since it was such a large area to sew (plus, I really can't sew). I placed the costume over her and drew where her face once so that it would be in the right position. Hope that helps.
DeleteHey! First of all, thanks for this amazing post - I have a 5yr old boy who is determined to be a giant squid next week (our "halloween" here in Slovenia, EU, is next tuesday, a day before ash wednesday). Anyway, I started sewing the costume yesterday, and I finished the head part and filled it with bubblewrap, but when I put it on his head, it keeps falling left/right/in front of him :) Have you used anything to somehow fix the head to stay in the upright position?
ReplyDeleteHI there,
DeleteThanks for your kind words. I rolled the bubble wrap like columns and glued them side by side along the inside and all the way around. That way it gives it a little structure and makes it more rigid. Hope that helps.
Happy Halloween!
Thanks, we'll have another sewing session tonight and try to do that!
ReplyDeleteFound you on Pinterest and wanted to say you very well may have saved Halloween! My 6 yr old will be nothing if not a colossal squid. This is awesome - Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI just saw your costume. Could you please tell me the width of the head part and the length of the finished top part? I think you did amazing job! My nephew loves squids and I would like to make him one. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this thread is still monitored, but I would love to know what is between her head and the bubble wrap. How does it stay on her head?
ReplyDeleteThis post was a lifesaver! My 5-year old wanted to be an orange squid, so I used this as a template and it came out wonderfully. The hot glue gun worked better than I would have thought possible. I added a belt piece from the same fabric that wraps around and velcros to keep the front and back from flopping around, and also used packing peanuts to pack the head and tentacles. Once the head was the right shape, I added a fabric panel inside the head to keep it all in place!
ReplyDelete