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Roast Turkey Costume
You can create viewer Isabelle Ortley's fun and adorable baby Halloween costumes at home. Although the general process to create Isabelle's original costume follows, no two costumes are exactly alike. In the end, any costume you design will be memorable and guaranteed to be loved by your friends, family, and, of course, baby!
Tools and Materials
Muslin fabric
Pencil
Roast turkey template
Sewing machine
Pins
Needle and thread
Cotton stuffing (acrylic or plastic bags also work)
One 6- to 8-inch piece of Velcro
Acrylic paint (light brown, darker brown, yellows, beige, and orange)
Lace trim
Sponge paintbrush
Old toothbrush
Hot-glue gun
Silk flowers
Fake vegetables
1/2 yard 1-inch-thick foam
1/2 yard pant weight fabric
Roast Turkey Costume How-To
1. For the breast: Trace the roast turkey template. Cut out, creating two heart shapes of equal size. Place finished sides of fabric facing each other. Pin pieces together. Sew all around leaving a 2-inch opening. Turn inside out. Fill with stuffing or plastic bags. Sew the opening closed by hand.
2. Using a sewing machine, sew a straight line from the pointy end of this heart-shaped piece to the point at which the two curves meet, straight down the center. Using a needle and thread, tuck the point under about 1-inch to make this end less pointed. This finishes the main turkey breast, creating an indentation.
3. From a doubled piece of 8-by-8-inch pant-weight fabric, cut out two 8-by-8-inch tabs (see template). Sew the rectangles onto the middle of each side of the breast; these will hold the top of the costume to the base.
4. For the drumsticks: Trace a drumstick shape from the template on a piece of muslin fabric folded in half. Repeat. Cut out and sew together, leaving a 1-inch opening. Turn inside out, stuff, and hand-sew the opening. Hand-sew these drumsticks to the body.
5. Paint the turkey deep brown. Use more than one color to add texture, such as orange, yellow, or beige. Dilute the paint with a little bit of water and apply paint with a sponge or old toothbrush. Flick some paint from the toothbrush to create speckles on the breast. Let dry overnight. Attach lace trim around the skinny end of each drumstick for added realism.
6. For the platter: To create the foam platter base, cut 1-inch-thick foam into an oval shape, about 16 by 24 inches, which will serve as the padding for the baby. With the pant-weight fabric, cut two of the same oval shapes, each about 1 inch larger in size around.
7. Cover the back of one of the pieces of fabric with Fabri-tac glue, leaving one inch around on the fabric with no glue. Apply this piece to the foam. Let dry.
8. With the second oval fabric piece, pin it to the foam-fabric glued piece, right sides facing. Sew all around, leaving 4 to 6 inches open so you can turn out, inside out. Iron the piece to flatten. Hand-sew closed. Paint the plate the color of your choice, or paint a design on it.
9. After all parts of the turkey are complete, measure your baby to determine how to fit the top of the turkey breast to the base. Make sure that the baby's head sits comfortably on the plate. Sew one of the two square tabs to the platter. Sew one piece of Velcro onto the tab with the opposite side of the Velcro running vertically.
10. Finish the costume by decorating the plate with silk flowers, leaves, and fake vegetables, which can be applied with hot glue.
Note: Be sure to use nontoxic paint and glue in this project, as some babies like to chew on the costumes. When placing your baby on a table, be sure that the sides of the table are protected, and always watch that your child does not roll. When using berries and other garnishes, be aware of any choking hazards.
More Halloween Costumes
Lobster Costume
Green Salad and Pie Costumes
Resources
Download the roast turkey template. All other materials can be found at major crafts stores.
Special Thanks
Thanks to viewer Isabelle Ortley who shared her adorable baby costume designs.