Coolest X-Wing Pilot Halloween Costume

X-Wing Pilot Costume

My son decided he wanted to be an X-wing pilot for Halloween, so after looking at multiple Star Wars photos on the internet, here is how I made his costume:

I originally planned on using orange sweatpants and sweatshirt, but when I couldn’t find any in orange I decided to make the jumpsuit. I used McCall’s costume pattern M4951, the jumpsuit part only. (This was the first thing I had ever used a pattern for and it was not a very difficult pattern, the zipper was even fairly simple to sew in.) The orange fabric was only about $2/yd. , and for a boys sz. 7-8 I used less than 3 yds.

To make the white flak vest, I used a cheap white quilted fabric. Used less than ½ a yd. I did not have a pattern, so I took a sheet of printer paper and held it up against my sons chest to make a pattern. The vest is 11? wide at the bottom and 8 1/2″ high. So I basically used the size of the paper and just cut out a curved section at each shoulder/arm. I used this pattern to cut out the front and back of the vest. I sewed white bias tape around the edges. I used 1 ½” white elastic for the straps that go over the shoulders and sewed them to the front and back of the vest (the elastic makes it easier to fit over the head). I used the same elastic to attach the front and back of the vest on the sides under the arms, but instead of sewing it directly to the vest, I used Velcro (sewed one part of the Velcro to the inside of the vest and the other side of the Velcro to the ends of the elastic).

I used 1 ½” gray ribbon to make the straps. Actually, I could not find gray ribbon, so I had to dye white ribbon. I used Velcro to attach the straps to the front and back of the flak vest. The first part of the straps goes from the front of the flak vest between the legs and up to the back of the vest. This is supposed to be loose, so it is several inches below the crotch. I then sewed a 4 ½ to 5″ piece of ribbon to the part of ribbon in the crotch area (the pieces are perpendicular), then made loops for each leg and sewed them to each side. I then made a belt using the ribbon and some plastic belt parts I got at the craft store. I sewed the middle of the belt to the back portion of the front to back strap so that it would stay in the correct position.

I used Styrofoam from the craft store to make the chest box. Mine was 6″x6″ and about 2″ thick, but the size will depend on the person wearing it. I used gray fabric to make a pillow case type covering for the Styrofoam. I found an illustration of the instrument panel part of the chest box on a website, and printed it the correct size on iron-on transfer paper, then ironed it on the fabric. I used black elastic for the straps of the chest box, hand-sewing the neck strap and machine sewing the bottom strap. Then I put the Styrofoam into the gray case and secured the bottom opening using double sided fabric tape and stick pins.

The helmet was really a Speed Racer helmet ($25). I sanded the “M” off the front and drew the details of the helmet on in pencil before painting them on. (Found several great pictures of the helmet online that helped with the graphics). I used craft paint for the helmet and stained glass paint to make the visor yellow.

The boots are black rain boots from Walmart (about $10).

This probably cost me a bit over $60 to make (over half of that was the helmet and boots) and a bit more time than I planned to spend on it, but my son was ecstatic, so it was well worth it.