Project

Bluebird Halloween Costume

Everyone loves the cheerful bluebird. This costume captures the complexity and beauty of the bird's plumage with simple creases, stitching, and snipping. Moreover, it slips on and off easily and won't restrict a baby's motion. Dressed for trick-or-treating, your fine feathered baby can stretch his wings.

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

For each template, draw a 1-inch grid on pattern paper, and sketch pattern pieces following our background grid.

materials

Costume templates

White long-sleeve snap-bottom shirt

White tights

Blue pilot cap

18-inch square of white felt

Two 18-inch squares of sky blue felt

Two 18-inch squares of blueberry felt

One 36-inch square of medium blue felt

Fabric glue

Velcro

Elastic

Fusible interfacing

Iron

Sewing supplies

steps

Cut two Wing No. 1 pieces from blueberry felt and one from interfacing. Fuse interfacing to one felt piece; sew 8-inch elastic loop to its other side at X. Iron creases in other felt piece at dashed lines. Sandwich interfacing between pieces; glue. Cut slit at shoulder, tuck one edge of slit under other by 2 inches; glue. Cut No. 2 from medium blue and No. 3 from sky blue; crease, and create tucks at slits; glue to No. 1 at shoulder.
Cut Wing No. 4 from sky blue; crease; glue on. Sew 2-inch Velcro to underside along slit and to shoulder of shirt. Repeat for other wing, reversing orientation.
For tail, fold medium-blue felt; place dotted line of pattern on fold; cut out. Unfold; crease, and glue to tights.