This Caterpillar Costume was a last minute addition to our insect theme this year when my youngest sister decided she was going out with us. I whipped this one out in about an hour or so with the leftover materials I had from making several other costumes. This one cost me nothing but time, and she loved it!
Materials Needed:
Body
* Cardboard or Corrugated Plastic cut into circles
* Knee-High Nylons (two pairs)
* Stuffing Material (old pillows work best)
* Zip ties
* Pipe Cleaners
* Glitter (Glue with glitter in it or use a glue stick and loose glitter, colors vary)
* Spray Paint (Color of your choice, OPTIONAL)
Head:
* Headband (Stretchy or plastic)
* Pipe Cleaners
To begin, measure the height of the person wearing the costume. This will determine how many circles you will need for the body. Draw circles about the width of the person wearing the costume’s back (or any size you prefer) on the cardboard, with the next to last circle being about half the size of the one before it, and the last being half the size of the one before it. The length of the caterpillar will be about to the back of the person’s knees.
Make sure the circles overlap just a bit, as it adds strength, and makes it easier later to bend it if you want an ‘Inch Worm’.
Cut out the ‘body’. Take the knee-high nylons and slide one over one end of the body. Use your stuffing, and fill until slightly puffed out. When completely stuffed to your liking, twist the open end of the nylon, tuck in, and secure it around the body section with a zip tie.
Repeat the process of stuffing the caterpillar at the other end. Once this is done, slip the second set of nylons over the first (this hides the stuffing you used).
Take a zip tie and secure around each section of the body. If you want an ‘Inch Worm’, bend the body back and forth (the bends won’t stay tight, they will stretch). If you want them to stay, use zip-ties at the top corners (where they can be hidden.)
You can either spray paint the nylons, use spray adhesive and glitter, however you wish to decorate your caterpillar. You can also add pipe cleaners to make legs up and down the length of the body.
The very top section of the body will be in the middle of the person’s back. You can secure it to the person’s clothing with self-stick Velcro, or you can use a strip of material to for straps that loop over the shoulders, under the armpits and tie at the back. Twist pipe cleaners onto the headband for the antenna.
Clothing worn with the Caterpillar costume is dependent on the colors you choose to decorate with.
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