Young Homemade Maleficent Costume - Only If She Could Fly!

My 6-year-old daughter has a cute dark side. She always looks for the “bad guy” in any movies she watches. Don’t get me wrong. She likes princess characters too, but she would remember great details about the villains.

At first, she would like to be Elsa from Frozen this year. (Are you surprised?!?) But then the movie Maleficent came out. When the “Mistress of All Evil” happens to actually be a Hero, Elsa is suddenly no longer cool to her.

But it was not the dark and mad grown-up Maleficent that she wanted to be. She wanted the young fairy one, with the wings – the ones Maleficent herself said in the latest movie that they were “So big that they would drag behind me when I walked.” And so I studied a few screenshots of young Maleficent and Googled for some ideas. Many cos-play enthusiasts have wonderful and tempting ideas for the horns and the wings, but most are not quite time and cost efficient. Weight and comfort were also my main concerns since the whole thing would be worn on a tiny person who hardly likes to wear hair accessories…What!

Only if she could really fly!

Here comes Maleficent!

Pride!

THE Horns

My daughter’s hair is fine and thing, and any hair accessories usually bothers her. The horns needed to be as light and comfortable as possible. Forget the clay. Foam is possible, but it breaks too easily, and I don’t trust my sculpting skill. Papier-mâché takes too long, Wait! Paper? Aha!

Materials
– Cardboard box
– Hot glue gun
– Felt fabric in dark brown
– Scunci headband 37780-W in black

I cut the cardboard box paper into one inch wide strips and shaped them into circular rings of different size and two little cone-shaped pieces for the horn tips. I stacked them up, tilted left or right to make desired curve and fastened them with hot glue gun. The horns were tightly wrapped with felt fabric cut into long strips. Then I attached the horns to a headband with strings. Tucked the knots inside so that they wouldn’t poke her scalp. She decorated the tips with green glitter glue.

The Dress and Accessories

Dress
– Keepsake Calico fabrics in Green Crackle
– Keepsake Calico fabrics in Crackle Brown
– McCall’s pattern # M6019

I had a hard time finding light and silky fabrics in right colors, but I found cotton fabrics in perfect colors and prints. It wouldn’t give the same effect I was hoping for, but that’s okay – I’d just wash it multiple times to make it softer. However, they turned out to work wonders with the pattern I already had on hand. It is an empire waist top with ruffle sleeves and bottom edge. I extended the dress’ length to about knee-length, and double-layered the sleeves and skirt part – with bottom layer longer than top layer. I intentionally left the flounces unhemmed so that they fray after wash.

Necklace and bracelet:
– Black waxed cotton cord
– Gold colored wood beads
I simply thread the beads on the cord and tied them with adjustable knots.

Treasure pouch:
– Brown felt
– Small hole puncher
– Black waxed cotton cord
– 1/4″ Tiffany blue ribbon
– Heart charm
I cut brown felt into about 3″ x 7″ strip and folded them into a pouch. I punched the holes along both sides of the pouch and the flap, and threaded the cord through. I decorated the pouch with the ribbon and the charm and safety-pinned it to the dress.

The Wings

I had a pair of black feather wings which would look cute with the costume, but they weren’t right. The wings needed to be huge. I paid Spirit store a visit and found a pair of black butterfly fairy wings that would make a perfect frame. Since they were adult size, they’re huge for a little person yet very light. As Halloween crept nearer, I almost gave up and let her wear the wings as is. They looked great with the costume, but again, it wasn’t bird wings. And so I just bit the last bullet.

Material
– Adult Black Fairy Wings http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/ht-wings-adult-fairy-black/
– Felt fabric in brown, dark brown, and ivory
– Hot glue gun
I cut ivory felt into four hook shaped pieces for the wing tips, and brown and dark brown felt into many feather-shape pieces. I laid them out on the black wings – both back and front – and went glue-gunning happy. I layered more felt to cushion and cover the inside part of the wing joint where it would press right on her back.

The back of the dress was low enough that she was able to slip the wing straps under her dress shoulders to wear them. The wing straps became invisible that way. Neat!

Going Trick-or-Treat!

The black feather wings became part of my own last-minute costume as I went as her slave raven. Hah!

The reaction varied among age groups. Surprisingly, from most kids her age and younger, “What are you?” I supposed not many of them had watched or were allowed to watch this movie!

From older kids, “Oh my gosh! She’s little Maleficent! Oh my gosh! She’s SOOOO cute! Oh my gosh! Look at those horns! Oh my gosh! Look at those wings! Oh my gosh! I want that costume! Oh my gosh! etc… Oh my gosh!…”

From parents, “That’s really, really cool costume! Maleficent, right? Where did you get it? What? You made it? Shut up! You crazy mom! Well really, you’re awesome and talented, but crazy!”

But the best reaction I got was from my own daughter. I mostly made this costume either at night after she went to bed or while she was at school on my day off, so she wasn’t aware of what I was up to – especially the wings which she thought I wouldn’t be able to make. Absolutely no word can compare with her dance of joy, her happy smile, her twinkled eyes and lastly her long squeezy hugs and a thousand kisses.

The Damage… NOT!

I really lucked out with this costume. Columbus Day Sales is the best time to shop at Jo-Ann. The cotton and felt fabrics were 40-50% off which came down to around $3 a yard. I already had the pattern, but I also got it from the same sales four years ago for 99 cents. The beads were about $2 – also 50% off, The wings were $15. Total was about $30!