In this post, I show you how to make your own Oogie Boogie Halloween Costume! Like most new moms whose adorable baby just learned to walk, I was super excited for Halloween! As I thought about what my son's first Halloween costume should look like, I had a few guidelines that I felt were crucial.
- Her costume had to be scary but also cute! Although I love adorable costumes, I still had a strong feeling that I wanted this costume to represent the true essence of Halloween.
- It had to be recognizable. I wanted to do something that people would notice right away.
- Didn't want it to be generic (e.g. witch, ghost, zombie)
With these rules I set for myself, I thought, "Wow, I love a challenge!" The Internet was a great place to find inspiration. I started Googling classic Halloween kids movies and one of the first that came up was The Nightmare Before Christmas. That was perfect! I love all Tim Burton movies and this one was definitely one of my favorites. Now that I had chosen my movie, I immediately thought, "Oogie Boogie!"
I really wanted to make a costume that was original and not popular, but that people would immediately recognize. The fun part is, I had no idea how I would make this oogie boogie costume for Halloween. That was on my mind for a few days before I got engaged. The first step was fabric!
I like JoAnn's stuff for coupons and inventory. I took a trip and started looking. Originally, burlap was the only type of fabric that seemed appropriate for Oogie, but I wasn't crazy about putting my 1-year-old in an itchy, itchy sack. I ended up finding flax, which looked similar but felt much softer. I found a shade that looked a little worn so I picked it up and started looking around the store for other items to add to the outfit. I stumbled across some glow in the dark fabric paint and thought YES! Oogie Boogie glow in the dark, this is going to be awesome!
Next, I needed to figure out how my little boy would be able to see through his Oogie Boogie Halloween costume, so I thought Oogie's mouth hole would be the best place for his super cute chubby little face to peek out. I had to make his mouth opening a little stiffer so the face hole would stay in place and not obstruct his view. I used some for thisJumbo-Caterpillar-StielPipe cleaner handle (black, of course). Then I needed someblack feltfor Oogie's eyes.
As for the rest, I decided to go home and improvise. If I need anything else, I probably already have it in my craft box. Here's a list of everything you need to create your own Oogie Boogie Halloween costume for kids:
- Your child's measurements (height, arm span, head circumference)
- Fabric of your choice (I decidedlinoleum)
- ANzipper(Choose a length suitable for your child's height)
- Chenille-Stam
- black thread
- Colorful glow in the dark(I used fabric paint)
- A leafblack felt
- head stuffing
- false errors
- An old cube cut gift box for theOogie Boogie Dice
How to measure your child
Step 1. Cut out your pattern
You will need 2 pieces of fabric of the same height. The height of this fabric should match your child's height plus 8" for Oogie's pointy head. Fold the fabric in half. For the front, draw the outline of the Oogie Boogie on the folded part of the fabric, centered so that when open it, you have a full Oogie Boogie neckline. Be sure to add an extra 1/4 inch seam allowance (see dotted line in sketch below.) Cut this piece first, keeping it folded in half, then place it on top of the second piece of unfinished fabric. You will need 2 separate pieces for the back so you can sew the zipper together. As you draw the shape of your pattern, make sure the arm piece is in the middle of the your child's arm plus an extra 8 inches to allow the fabric to come to a point.*Note: If you are making this costume for an older child, you may need to cut the arms from a separate piece of fabric and attach them to the main body.
Step 2. Sew the zipper
Take the two pieces from the back and attach the zipper in the middle of both pieces. Make sure the zipper is on the correct side of the fabric (unmarked side). If you need help learning how to sew a hidden zipper, check outInvisible Rack Tutorial. After sewing the zipper, finish sewing the back so that it is only one piece.
Step 3. Cut the mouth hole
The mouth hole of the Youroogie Boogie Halloween Costume is obviously cut out in the front. This step is very important before sewing the edges of the costume, otherwise you won't be able to get inside the costume to unbutton and turn the fabric inside out to hide the seams. You want to measure where your child's head will end, so measure 8″ down from the top of the tip. This is where the top of your child's head ends. You can draw a clear circle the size of your child's head, and then cut the mouth hole (a straight line across) down the middle of the face hole.
Step 4. Cut the wrist holes in the front piece.
You will need to open the front and measure the length of your child's arms along the arms of the costume. Cut two slits wide enough to fit each of your child's hands. Don't cut too close to the edge of the pattern.
Step 5. Sew the raw edges
Its trimmed edges...
- the bracelets
- The soles of the feet front and back
- Don't worry about opening your mouth. You will sew with thread.
You can just sew a regular stitch to keep the fabric from fraying. For the openings of the dolls I sewed a mold to decorate. Do what you want!
Step 6. Sew your Oogie Boogie Halloween Costume
Match the front of your Oogie Boogie Halloween costume to the back and snap them together. This must be left behind. Your zipper is inside the suit. Once sewn, flip it over and you won't see any stitches. *DO NOT sew the soles of the feet. Your child's feet will come out through this opening.
Step 7. Turn your costume inside out
After sewing the front and back, your costume is almost complete! Turn it inside out so all the seams are on the inside and your zipper is right side up and functional! You can use pointed scissors to slide the fabric inside out at the ends of the arms and head.
Step 8. Sew the mouth hole
get onewrist pinand take a very long piece of black thread. Thread the needle, adjust the ends of the thread and double knot the end. (Just like threading a needle for hand sewing.) Take a piece of black chenille stem and measure it to be the size of your mouth hole. It should be a big circle the size of your mouth opening. Twist the ends together to complete the circle. Place your circle in the opening of the mouth. Wrap the fabric around the chenille stem and sew with thread to secure. After sewing the chenille stem, you can shape the mouth to look more like oogie boogies.
Step 9. Cut and Glue the Eyes for the Oogie Boogie Halloween Costume
You can cut the shape of Oogie Boogie's eyes out of black felt. Get creative – I looked at a few different pictures of him online to create different eye shapes. I used hot glue to glue. Then I wrapped some scraps of linen around the eyebrows and glued them on top.
Step 10. Pass the top bead to Oogie's spider:
I used a few pieces of string for this. Take the wrist pin and thread a piece of string around the top of the head. You can double knot it to prevent it from slipping. I added some hot glue to keep it in place. Then you can tie a fake spider at the end.
Step 11. Sew pleats for Oogie's neck and belly.
Take a look at her Oogie Boogie Halloween costume and tuck in some pleats under the neckline to create that pleated effect. Sew them together with a simple stitch to keep them in place. For the tummy, you can turn the costume inside out and tuck the bottom seam between the legs. Sew them together and turn the costume inside out to create this effect. I also added some wrinkles on her cheeks to give her the photo effect. Step 12. Fill in Oogie Boogie's head:get somethingpolyreleneand put it on Oogie's head. Just enough to shape it. You can slide a piece of chenille in the polyester padding all the way to the top of the head so that you can tuck in the top of the head. Cut a round circle from the excess fabric and hot glue it to the head to hold the poly liner in place. Be sure to glue enough so that your child's head fits inside the costume and his face ends up in the mouth hole. It should go above Oogie Boogie's eyes, depending on where you pasted them.
Step 13. Light up your Oogie Boogie Halloween costume!
Get your glow-in-the-dark fabric paint! I would do this part on a tarp in a garage or outside so you don't have it everywhere. You can use any kind of glow in the dark color you like. I used fabric paint and thinned it a little to spread better. I painted with a wide brush and splashed with the concentrated paint for a nice effect. You can use a black light to load the color and see the glow in the dark effect. *Try not to smudge the black parts of the eyes!
Step 14. Add Decorations
I used a pieceRebholzkohleto lightly shade all the Oogie Boogie wrinkles (belly wrinkles, armpits, nape creases, under eyes) and make them three-dimensional. Apply charcoal between creases and blend with your fingers to add a three-dimensional effect. I then used black acrylic paint to paint dots on the suit's seams and painted an opening on the side for the bugs to come out.
You can paint your own bugs on your Oogie Boogie Halloween costume with acrylic paint or hot glue some fake ones on top. I did both. As an added precaution, I used clear fishing line to sew the plastic bugs to the costume so they wouldn't fall out. You can also use a few extra pieces of jute yarn to glue the costume here and there to make it look like your stitches are coming undone.
Step 15: Oogie Boogie Data (Optional)
2 impressionOogie Boogie Diceand cut them. Then draw your shape onto a gift box. Cut them on the inside of the track line so they are slightly smaller than the printed pieces. Using a ruler and a knife or scissors, mark all sections of the cut out box pieces where they need to be folded. Glue it to a cube, then wrap the print around the cardboard cube. I used pipe cleaners to create the snake sticking out of the buckets and some felt for the head. I glued red beads for her eyes and made white cord around her mouth and made little arms out of white cord. So I put one of the buckets in the holes and hurt her body.
Stay tuned for more photos and updates. This post is being written and edited! Please share this link!