R U CHICKEN???

Belle is:) Literally and figuratively! She was terrified of this costume and wouldn't go near it for weeks. On the BIG day, I was convinced that we would never get it on her. Our back-up plan was to carry the costume around on a hanger and make her wear a sign that said, "I'm too chicken for my costume!" Thankfully, we distracted her enough to get it over her head and once she was in it, she loved it:)

Quick Halloween Costume Tutorial - THE CHICKEN!

You will need:

1 super large hooded sweatshirt...ours hangs past Belle's knees

several feather boas - the number will depend on the size of your sweatshirt and how closely you stitch them on...we used 6

thread

needle

an outside space to work...trust me on this one!

patience

tights

dye (if, like me, you can't find yellow or orange tights)

shoes

yellow felt (the stiff kind)

red felt optional (also the stiff stuff)

1/4 elastic

To make the chicken:

Optional Comb - Cut a comb for the top of the head from red felt. Stitch it to the top of the hood. It doesn't matter that the bottom edge is visible...it won't be soon:) Our comb doesn't even really show, so you may want to make this pretty large if you want it to show out from under the feathers...or skip it altogether.

GO OUTSIDE (or in your garage)! Stitch the end of one boa to the bottom edge of your sweatshirt. Snake the boa up and down the sweatshirt, tacking it in place as you go. There' s no easy way to do this. You will itch, you may sneeze and you will be covered in feathers. The floor will be covered in feathers; the chair will be covered in feathers; your toes will be covered in feathers. If you are inside your house, your husband will NOT be happy! Keep stitching anyway. Be sure you are snaking up and down, NOT around the sweatshirt. Otherwise, all your little tacking stitches will tear out when the shirt stretches. When the sweatshirt is covered, use the same method to cover the hood.

To make the legs/feet:

If you couldn't find yellow or orange tights, then you will need to dye some. Follow the package directions to do this. THEY WILL BLEED IN THE WASH! No matter what the package says, you will find yellow spots on your favorite dress, the cutest pajamas in your house, and that adorable little skirt you made for going to the pumpkin patch.

For the feet - we magically had a pair of yellow fake Crocs (Thanks, Neeny!) already in our house. I used stiff yellow felt to cut out feet. I attached a piece of elastic to the edges of each foot so that it would slip over Belle's shoes.

The matching baby costume was a simple onesie with "egg" appliqued to the front. She got her own yellow tights too:) At just 6 weeks old, this was as close to a costume as she needed! But isn't she the cutest...I miss my BABY!