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Description
Your outer-space loving child will have a blast creating and wearing this Solar System costume. From the glow-in-the-dark stars, to the dangling comet, to the yellow sun hat, this costume delighted our son. Our astronaut insisted on accuracy, so in addition to the nine traditional planets, we also included the planetoids of Santa, Quaoar, Sedna and Eris. He gathered oohs, ahhs, and plenty of candy!
Materials
You will need:
2 pool noodles
yellow duct tape
glue gun and glue sticks
craft knife
96- by 23-inch piece of blue or black lightweight cotton fabric, washed and dried
2 1/2 yards of 1-inch non-roll waistband elastic
2 (9 by 12-inch) sheets of white felt
1 sheet of glow-in-the-dark foam
yellow, orange, green, and blue acrylic paint
baseball cap
2-3 large safety pins
milk jug
tin foil
2-inch styrofoam ball
12 inches orange ribbon
12 inches yellow ribbon
glow-in-the-dark star stickers
nylon thread
Your child will wear:
-a navy or black sweatshirt, decorated with glow-in-the-dark star stickers
-dark jeans or pants
2 pool noodles
yellow duct tape
glue gun and glue sticks
craft knife
96- by 23-inch piece of blue or black lightweight cotton fabric, washed and dried
2 1/2 yards of 1-inch non-roll waistband elastic
2 (9 by 12-inch) sheets of white felt
1 sheet of glow-in-the-dark foam
yellow, orange, green, and blue acrylic paint
baseball cap
2-3 large safety pins
milk jug
tin foil
2-inch styrofoam ball
12 inches orange ribbon
12 inches yellow ribbon
glow-in-the-dark star stickers
nylon thread
Your child will wear:
-a navy or black sweatshirt, decorated with glow-in-the-dark star stickers
-dark jeans or pants
Instructions
Sun Hat:
With a craft knife, trim the bottom and the handle off the milk jug. Fit it over the hat and secure it with yellow duct tape. Cover everything except a 2x2 inch area on the back with duct tape.
Solar System:
1. Attach two pool noodles end to end with duct tape and trim to 89". Discard the leftover noodle segment.*
2. Center and glue the taped-together noodle on one edge of the blue or black fabric.
3. Roll the noodle into the fabric and run a glue line to seal it in a pocket. Then enclose the elastic in a pocket along the opposite edge as shown, pinning the elastic's ends to hold it in place.
4. When the glue is dry, bring the two ends of the noodle together and tape securely. Cover this joint with the unglued fabric ends and glue them in place.
5. Unpin the elastic and gather the fabric to create an opening that fits snugly around your child's chest. Overlap the elastic's ends by 2 inches, secure them with hot glue, then trim.
*If you sew, take the fabric now and sew a 1-1/4 inch casing for the elastic. Otherwise, follow the steps for gluing the casing outlined in Step 3.
Attach the edge of the Solar System to the back of the Sun Hat with two to three large safety pins.
Comet
1. Cover the Styrofoam ball with foil.
2. Stack the yellow and orange ribbon and hot glue them onto the comet. Thread the nylon thread through a needle, and make a loop around the Solar System's edge. Loop it around the comet, tie a knot, and secure the thread with hot glue, so that the comet dangles from the Solar System.
Planets:
Cut felt circles of varying sizes, one for each planet or planetoid you wish to include. Cut a ring shaped like a narrow letter C to go around Saturn. Using the acrylic paint, paint each piece of felt to resemble a planet, as desired.
Attach planets to the solar system with a glue gun.
Stars: Trace 10-15 large, medium, and small stars onto the glow in the dark foam. Cut them out, and attach them to the solar system with a glue gun.
Sweatshirt:
Decorate the sweatshirt with the glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Tips for Taking a Great Photo:
- Avoid clutter. Keep the background simple -- your costume is the star!
- Daytime, natural light is best. If your area is bright enough, try taking the photo without the flash.
- Upload a horizontal photo. If you crop the image on your computer, make sure you keep a landscape 4:3 aspect ratio.
- For best results, make your image 1200x900 (or "save for web").
- With a digital camera, you can take as many photos as possible and choose the best one. Have fun!
