This is the easiest costume to make. It can be made even without a sewing machine, simply by sewing or even gluing the necessary parts. This costume consists of pants or shorts, a T-shirt, a cape and a headdress.
In order to make DIY Indian costume you will have to sacrifice one of the T-shirts and pants or shorts.
It is better to choose a T-shirt in sand, yellow or another warm color. On the sleeves and bottom of the T-shirt, cut off the hem seams, and cut the edges with fringe 3-4 cm long; you can also sew fringe on the side seams of the T-shirt.
Pants or shorts for DIY Indian costume It’s better to choose beige or brown ones too. Long fringe and braid are sewn onto the side seams.
Sew a round or square cape around your neck from linen or other material with a similar texture, cut out a square. It is positioned diagonally so that two corners of the square fall on the front and back of the future Indian, and the remaining two cover the shoulders. A hole for the head is cut in the center of the square. The cape is trimmed with fringe and decorated with feathers, braid, beads and beads.
And of course, DIY Indian costume wouldn't be complete without a feather headdress! Prepare a wide elastic band (so that the headband does not slip off the head) and sew feathers onto it, overlapping one another. Sew patterned braid, tassels, beads… on top. It is better to secure the headdress on the head with ties, because the Velcro gets tangled and pulls the baby’s hair. If you don't have feathers, don't be upset, just cut a wide feather from tissue paper in the center, stick a piece of straw or thin wire and cut it thinly, simulating fluff. You can make a leader's feather cap using the following video:
For shoes, preference should be given to beige or brown moccasins.
Complete your Indian costume with your own accessories: baubles and leather bracelets, a bow and arrow or a tomahawk. And of course, war paint to intimidate the pale-faced!
You may like:
- TURN A BORING T-SHIRT INTO AN EXCLUSIVE OPTION...
- SHE DIDN'T WANT TO PART WITH HER OLD FUR COAT, AND...
- IDEA FOR KNITTING LOVERS. JACKET WITH SPOKES IN TECHNIQUE...
- DIY paper Christmas decorations for...
Each of us in childhood loved to dress up as some fairy-tale hero. Modern children also love to fool around and happily transform into fairy-tale heroes, cowboys or Indians. They are looking forward to the New Year holidays to try on the costume of a pirate, magician, fox or other fairy tale and cartoon characters. Today, stores offer a large selection of fancy dress costumes, but many mothers who like to take a creative approach to their child’s party want to make an original Indian costume with their own hands.
Necessary materials
Making an Indian Costume with your own hands is not particularly difficult for a boy. For this job you will need the following materials:
- Blouse and pants in brown tones;
- Turkey feathers;
- Fringe;
- Colored cardboard and colored paper;
- Braid.
Original outfit for a boy
The basis of such a suit is a jacket and pants. You can use unnecessary items in your wardrobe or sew them using patterns from thematic magazines. Regular straight children's pants will do. and a long sleeve blouse. Color - shades of brown, gray, yellow, olive. You can use a white turtleneck, light or brown jeans or any other clothes. A patterned braid is sewn along the entire sleeve. You can easily buy fringed braid or make it yourself. To do this, you will need to cut a strip of fabric and cut it into small strips.
Exactly the same fringe and braid are sewn onto the panties. You can leave only the fringe without using braid, which simplifies the work. There are many details in an Indian costume for a boy, so try to decorate the outfit you make in an original way. The edges of the sleeves and the bottom of the pants can be cut into fringe. The braid can also be sewn to the knees and elbows.
Next, they begin to create a loincloth and poncho. For the bandage, cut out two large rectangles from light fabric. Sew smaller rectangles of brightly colored fabric onto them. Sew braid and fringe to the smaller rectangles. You can embroider some kind of pattern, we will need to complete as many details as possible. Large rectangles are sewn to a wide belt. Such a belt will allow We should tie a loincloth over our pants.
For the poncho, cut out a large square of fabric and fold it into a triangle. An incision is made on the fold in the middle to put the cape and poncho over the child’s head. We cover the cut with braid. A fringe is sewn along the edge of the poncho by pulling out the threads. Appliques are sewn on the surface of the poncho or embroidery is done.
All you have to do is make a roach, which is a feather headdress. Indian hats with feathers can be purchased at the store, but if you have a dozen turkey feathers lying around the house, you can easily make one yourself. The feathers should be painted in different colors and glued to the braid, which the child will put on his head. If you don’t have feathers on hand, you can make a roach out of cardboard and paper. You will need to cut a strip of cardboard that is approximately 2cm wide and slightly longer than the circumference of your child's head.
A circle is cut out of the fabric, which is a symbol of the sun, and glued to the central part of the roach. Various geometric shapes are made from colored paper and glued to the base of our hat. It will be necessary to cut out various shapes from paper that resemble oblong leaves, fold them lengthwise and cut the edges with fringe. The completed feathers are glued to our Indian headdress. Next, long strips of colored paper are cut out and glued to the roach, making a paper fringe out of them. Instead of paper strips, you can also use fabric strips.
To complete the look, you can make a bow and arrows or a tomahawk out of plywood or wood, which you simply cut out of paper.
DIY Indian costume for a girl
What girl doesn't love dress up games? You will be surprised, but many girls also love to transform into Indians. To make this costume you will need:
- Headband;
- Feathers;
- Fabric in beige shades;
- Decorative braid;
- Bracelets and women's jewelry.
To make a poncho, cut out two rectangles from fabric, the length of which should be equal to the length of the product (this will be our dress), and the width should be equal to the length of outstretched arms. The pieces are sewn together widthwise, leaving room for the head in the center. To decorate the completed skirt, fringe should be sewn on the bottom and the neck should be decorated with braid. Embroidery is done all over the poncho or ready-made appliqués for fabric with Indian patterns are sewn on.
You can simplify your work somewhat by taking as a basis a wide blouse and a short skirt, which should be decorated with fringe, braid and ribbons. You can also make an original Indian cape, which can be created in the same way as a poncho for boys. The roach headdress can be decorated with various stones and ribbons. Jewelry includes bracelets, stone beads and long earrings.
The Indian woman's costume, made by hand, is completely ready. A couple more touches on the face, and you can safely go to the party! By the way, if you decide to have a party in Indian style, then a good idea is to hang Indian masks and bright panels on the walls.
Attention, TODAY only!
For example, Indian national women's dresses are saris; they will be very comfortable in the summer, as they are designed for the rather hot Indian climate. Natural fabrics will be pleasant to the body in the heat, and a girl in a sari will attract everyone's attention.
Features of the national Indian costume
All national clothing of India, with all its diversity, can be divided into two types - stitched and unstitched. Unstitched clothing is older. It is usually a sheet of fabric that is draped around the body in a special way. According to tradition, it is in unstitched clothes that services and rituals are held.
The oldest example is the dhoti. This is a straight strip of fabric, usually one color, that is draped around the legs. The length of the dhoti depends on the social status of the person: peasants have short dhoti and fit tightly around the hips, while the upper classes wear loose, long dhoti. Everyday dhotis are made of cotton or jute fabric, while festive ones are made of silk decorated with a gold border. Only monks are allowed to wear saffron or red colored dhoti.
Dhotis are worn by both men and women. However, recently women still prefer sarees. And dhoti are replaced by ordinary European trousers. The dhoti was often accompanied by another piece of cloth used as a cape, which covered the upper part of the body. Nowadays, it has been replaced by a sewn shirt - kurta, and the cape is used only as decoration. Kurtas are made from different fabrics, casual and festive. In addition, the kurta is worn not only with a dhoti, but also over a paijama.
The sari is the oldest example of unstitched women's clothing in India. A sari is a piece of fabric, 5 to 9 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. The sari is draped around the body in a special way. The sari is made from various fabrics, colorful and plain, from cotton and silk, from artificial fabrics. The festive sari also has a gold or silver border, and the edge is decorated with designs and embroidery.
The sari is not worn on the naked body, but over an underskirt that matches the color of the sari fabric. The saree is also worn with a short blouse (choli) or a long shirt - kurti. The choli is made from the same fabric as the sari.
Different parts of India have different ways of wearing a saree. For example, the classic version is that the fabric is draped around the hips in the form of a skirt, and the edge of the sari is wrapped around the body once and thrown over the left shoulder. In southern India, one end of the sari is passed between the legs and secured at the back of the belt, and the other end is used to cover the upper torso and head. But saris are worn mainly by married women.
If we talk about tailored women's clothing, then one such example would be a set of a wide skirt (lehenga), choli, cape (dupatta). This set is called lehenga-choli.
Another option is pants and a shirt, which are sometimes complemented by a cape-scarf. The female version of the set is called shalwar kameez and consists of a simple or embroidered shirt, trousers (shalwar), the style of which varies greatly, and a cape (dupatta). This is the clothing of Sikh women, unmarried girls, schoolgirls and students.
The men's version of the set is called kurta-pajama. It consists of a simple or festive shirt (kurta) and pants (pajama). The set can also be complemented with a light scarf. Pants are usually quite wide. But in big cities, traditional trousers are gradually being replaced by European trousers.
Another common option for men's clothing is the lungi. A lungi is a loose loincloth made from a single piece of cloth or dhoti, but not passed between the legs. Lungi can be colored or plain; they are made from cotton, although synthetic and silk are also available. Lungis are worn both in villages and cities.
How to sew a saree
It would seem that what to sew there is a piece of fabric and nothing more. In essence, this is true, if we omit the nuances. But the nuances are, after all, important. For example, it is important to consider the length and width of the required cut (approximately 115 centimeters in width and from 5 to 9 meters in length). Just cutting out the required piece is not enough. Be sure to trim the edges to prevent the fabric from fraying. And don’t forget that one end of the sari, which is thrown over the shoulder, should be decorated with embroidery or a beautiful braid. But you can’t wear just a sari. I still need to sew the petticoat and blouse.
It is better to choose a light fabric for a sari, such as chiffon, satin or silk, as such fabrics easily take on different shapes. The fabric can be either plain or colored (just remember that you can’t wear jewelry or fancy shoes with a plain sari). Thick fabrics are not suitable, as they do not fit well, do not take the desired shape and look rather rough. Make sure you have enough fabric and the correct width. No seam is allowed on the saree.
In principle, everything about creating a sari is down to banal. Lay out the fabric, turn back about half a centimeter along the edge, iron, turn back again. Secure the flap with pins and sew the folds with a sewing machine on all four sides.
Decorate the bottom and top of the fabric rectangle with a beautiful braid (border). On the side that 
will be right, sew on a beautiful border or embroider this edge with shiny threads, sequins, beads or bugles. Cut any loose threads and iron the fabric.
Petticoat
It is quite easy to sew a petticoat under a sari. Its pattern is the same as that of a regular half-sun skirt. Only the length of the underskirt should be 5 centimeters shorter than the folded sari, so that the edge does not show. A cord is sewn along the top of the skirt so that the skirt can be tied. As a material for the petticoat, it is better to choose cotton fabric that is similar in shade to the sari.
Blouses (choli) for saris
But you will have to tinker a little with the choli, since they should more or less fit your figure. Choli blouses are made from non-stretch materials, have a narrow armhole and tight-fitting sleeves. But the choli, at the same time, does not hinder movement, you can raise your arms in them, and the lower cut does not ride up.
Regular Choli Blouse
Measurements: chest, waist, product length, shoulder, sleeve without shoulder, arm circumference. See the diagram in the article, comments below.
Construction:
Draw lines from 0 on material folded in 4 layers (folded 2-0 and 5-0)
Front detail:
1-0=1/8 chest plus 6.5 cm (2 ½ in.)
2-0=full length
3-0=1/12 chest plus 1 cm (1/4 inch) or as desired.
4-0=1/8 chest or as desired.
Decorate the neck 4-3
5-0=shoulder plus 1cm(1/4dm)
Draw straight lines down from 5 and 6
7-5=2cm (3/4dm) Connect 3-7
8-6=2.5 cm (1dm)
9-1=1/4 chest plus 4cm (1 ½ inch)
Make an armhole 7-8-9
Derive straight lines from 9 and 10
11-10=2cm (3/4 dm). Connect 9-11
12-11=1.5 cm (1/2 dm)
13-2=2cm (3/4 dm)
Decorate the bottom 13-12
14-13=1/12 chest plus 1cm(1/4dm)
segments 15-9 and 16-1=5cm (2dm) each
Darts: Take 3cm (1 ¼ inch) into the dart at 14, 1.5cm (1/2 inch) at 15 and 1 cm (1/4 inch) at 16 as shown.
If necessary, make a small dart at 6.
Back detail:
17-0=6.5 cm (2 ½ in.) or as desired. Make the neckline 17-3. Make the armhole 7-18-9 as shown.
Take 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) into the dart at 14 along line 11-2
Leave 2 cm (3/4 inch) at 11-9 (w.) and 12-9 (p.) for allowances
Plain sleeve
This is a simple sleeve without any volume, folds or gathers either at the shoulder or in its lower part, which is simply hemmed.
Instructions:
Fold along the 2-0 line.
1-0 = 1/8 chest plus 6.5 cm (2 ½ in.)
2-0 = sleeve length plus 1 cm (1/4 inch)
3-2 = same as 1-0. Connect 3-1
4-1= 1/8 chest
5-0= 2.5 cm (1 inm) Connect 4-5
6 half distance 4-5
7-6=2 cm (3/4dm)
Design the rear part 4-7-5-0 as shown
Draw a line at right angles from 4 to 8.
8-4= 5 cm (2 dm) for women and 4 cm (1 ½ dm) for children's clothing.
Connect 8-5. Take 1 cm (1/4 inch) above point 4 and shape the front piece 4-8-9-0 as shown.
10-2= half sleeve circumference plus 1.5 cm (1/2 dm)
Connect and arrange 4-10
Leave 3 cm (1 ¼ inch) for hems at 10-2
This blouse is most often used with a saree. This pattern is suitable for figures with a fairly large bust. 4 darts allow for a better fit. To do this, measure the distance from point 19 to the top of the chest and determine it at point 28, after adding 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) to the seam.
The fasteners can be placed on the front or back. Because The width of the front part is greater than the back one, the side seam is strictly in the middle, close to hand. The sleeve seam should be joined at a point 1.5 cm deep from point 16.
Construction:
Back detail:
Draw a straight line from 0, add 2-0
1-0=1/8 chest plus 5cm(2dm)
2-0=full length minus 1.5cm(1/2dm)
Derive straight lines from 1 and 2.
3-0=1/8 chest or as desired
4-0=1/12 breast or as desired
Decorate the neck 4-3
5-0= shoulder plus 1cm(1/4dm)
Draw straight lines down from 5 and 6
7-5=1.5cm (1/2dm) Connect 3-7
8-1=1/4 breast
make an armhole 7-8
Bring down straight lines from 8 and 9
10-9=2cm (3/4dm)
Connect 8-10
11-2=1/12 chest plus 1.5 cm (1/2 inch)
Draw straight lines up from 11 to 12
12 – 4 cm (1 ½ inm) below the chest line 1-8
Take 2 cm (3/4 inch) into the dart at 11-12
Front detail:
Draw lines from 13-14-15 (continue corresponding lines of back piece as shown)
16-14=1/4 chest plus 4cm (1 ½ inm)
Draw a straight line from 16 to 17
18-13=1.5cm(1/2dm)
Arrange 18-14 as shown
19-18= same as 3-0 on the back piece
20-18=1/8 chest or as desired. Make a neckline 20-19
For back fastening, mark point 20 on line 13-14
21-18=same as 5-0 back piece
Draw lines down from 21 to 22
23-21=1.5cm (1/2dm). Connect 19-23
24-22=about 2.5 cm (1 inch)
Create an armhole 23-24-16
25-17 and 26-15=4cm (1 ½ inch) each. Connect 26-25
27-24=1/12 chest plus 2cm (3/4dm)
28-29 - on one line of 27
28-27=1/8 chest minus 4cm (1 ½ inch) or length from shoulder to chest plus 1.5 cm (1/2 inch)
Take 4cm (1 ½ inch) into the dart at 29.
Take from 1.5 to 2 cm (1/2-3/4 dm) into the dart at 30
31-16=1/8 chest or 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) more
32-31=1.5cm (1/2dm)
33-31 = 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) from 31 and 1 cm (1/4 inch) behind the line 16-17 inward.
Make a 33-28-32 dart as shown
34-26=1/4 waist plus 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) plus dart width at 29. Connect 33-34
If necessary, make a dart at 24
Leave 2 to 2.5 cm (3/4-1 inch) behind lines 8-10 and 16-34 for allowances
How to wear a saree
As already mentioned, you will need a petticoat (underskirt), choli and, in fact, a sari to completely transform into an Indian girl.
1. The saree is laid from right to left. A knot is tied on the right side with the ends of the sari and secured at the waist. At the same time, you need to adjust the length of the sari so that it overlaps the petticoat. The knot is tightened tightly, since it is this knot that holds all the meters of sari fabric. Hide the knot behind the edge of the skirt.
2. Wrap the long end of the sari around the figure counter-clockwise. Throw the end of the sari over your shoulder (at the back it should be approximately just below the buttocks). If necessary, this end can be used to cover your head.
3. Drape the loose fabric in folds. The depth of the folds is approximately 10-15 centimeters. Depending on the height and build of the girl, the depth and number of folds on the sari may vary. Traditionally, eight folds are made. Each subsequent fold should protrude slightly beyond the previous one so as not to overlap each other.
4. The formed folds are tucked in the center of the figure into the waistband of the underskirt. To be secure, you can secure the fabric from the inside with a large pin, but if the skirt fits fairly tightly to the body, this will not be necessary.
5. The loose fabric formed on the right side should be folded into a loose fold, which will then be covered with the upper part of the sari. The upper part must be removed from the shoulder. At shoulder level, make about five folds, going from right to left. Move each subsequent fold slightly lower than the previous one. The saree is folded over the shoulder and secured with a pin from the inside of the choli blouse. If desired, secure the saree with pins and above the chest if you are afraid that it will fall.
That, it seems, is all you need to know and be able to do in order to wear traditional Indian clothes. We considered only the women's version of the suit, since, firstly, with a men's suit there is no such hassle in dressing, and secondly, girls can more often afford to wear a sari than men can afford to wear a traditional Indian suit. But if it’s interesting, you can write another article. Good luck!
This whole handicraft story began with the fact that one boy, ten years old, asked his mother to provide him with a carnival costume for the school New Year's party. And this boy wanted to try on the colorful image of a North American Indian. Mom, of course, offered him many other options, different and good, - from a musketeer and an epic hero to a knight in armor and Aladdin in a turban. But in the end we still had to deal with the Indian.
Why did I bother creating an Indian costume with my own hands, rather than buying it in a store? Firstly, because in the stores of the small town in which we live, it is very difficult to find ready-made costumes for children over 6-7 years old. Secondly, because I completely forgot about the opportunity to order this outfit in the online store. And when I remembered, there were no suitable sizes for my child anymore. And thirdly, I just had a desire to do some handicrafts.
I had to make the costume in a hurry - on the eve of the matinee. Therefore, everything was done in haste. I don't have a sewing machine. But, in the end, real Indians didn’t have sewing machines either. For a real Indian, there is always nothing wrong everywhere, as they say in one song, and they are not upset because of such trifles.
How to make an Indian costume for a boy if you don't have a sewing machine
It consists of only two elements - an improvised poncho and a headband. These are the things I did with my own hands. And, it seems to me, they are quite enough to create a bright “Indian” image. And under the poncho the child wore regular jeans and a turtleneck. By the way, I tried to buy a turtleneck so that it would match the color of the fabric from which the poncho was made. But, probably, any light-colored sweatshirt with a “neck” and long sleeves would be suitable.
When creating the costume the following were used:
First, a headband with “feathers” was born. A piece of red calico fabric was cut 1 m long and 0.4 m wide. I folded it several times along the length so that I got a wide strip that completely covered the child’s forehead. I sewed pendants with fur “tails” onto the headband by hand, and secured homemade “feathers” with tape, masking their lower edges in the folds of the fabric.
The feathers, as you can see in the photo, are made from cocktail straws and crepe paper. I cut the tubes lengthwise with small nail scissors. From crepe paper of different colors, I cut out rectangles approximately 20-22 cm long and about 5 cm wide. I rounded the edges so that the paper blanks became more like bird feathers and made numerous cuts along the entire perimeter.
Crepe paper itself is incredibly thin and breaks at the slightest touch. Applying any kind of glue to it is a disastrous task, so I decided to attach it to the frames of cocktail tubes using double-sided tape. The strips of tape should be very narrow - I cut them into “noodles” 2-3 mm wide and pressed them to the inside of the tubes with a toothpick. Then, also carefully, using toothpicks, she “planted” paper blanks on this tape. At the same time, my “feathers” were slightly wrinkled, but they acquired a more believable and natural appearance.
I made only three different colored feathers and decided that this was quite enough. At first, the plan was to glue the headdress in the form of a “crown,” but then I realized that I did not have enough strength or time for this. Therefore, I decided to be content with little.
The “legs” of the feathers on the headband were secured with tape. The fastening turned out to be quite reliable - to be honest, I didn’t even hope for such strength. The child at the matinee ran, jumped and “had a blast” as best he could, but not a single feather fell from his head.
Pendants for headdresses are key rings for mobile phones. They have textile loops about 5 cm long. I threaded black ribbons (each 20 cm long) into these loops, bending them in half and securing them from the “wrong side” of the headband.
And now a few words about how it was “born”. Surely now some diligent needlewomen will criticize me to smithereens for my barbaric methods. But I repeat once again: I made the costume in the complete absence of a sewing machine, and I was running out of time.
The basis of the poncho was a square piece of calico. In its center I cut out a diamond-shaped hole for the head, focusing on the size of my child. I hand-sewed the edges of this hole with orange thread.
From the remains of red calico, I cut 4 strips 15 cm wide and 80 cm long and gave them a “fringed” look. On the surface of the poncho, decorative red stripes with fringe were secured with adhesive tape (gossamer): it needs to be laid between two layers of fabric and the area ironed with a not too hot iron.
Black denim scraps made 12 squares, which I also used as decorative elements. I swept them around the perimeter with black threads and sewed them along the red stripes, placing them at the same distance from each other. Under the center front square, I secured the ends of the black and brown ribbons, pulling their free ends down - I got another simple decoration.
The most labor-intensive process was processing the bottom edges of the poncho. I decided to decorate them with imitation fringe made from acrylic yarn. I made many slits 0.7-0.8 cm wide along the entire perimeter of the poncho.
I threaded acrylic threads folded in three times into the slot, tied them with double knots and trimmed the ends, departing from the knot by approximately 8-10 cm.
And this is what happened in the end. The child was very pleased, and therefore I dare to think that, in principle, I coped with the task.
The American Indian culture is loved by many people, which is why traditional Indian costumes are quite popular. Luckily, this costume is easy to make yourself, and you don't need to know how to sew. If you are not interested in Indians, but in Indian culture, then you can also make national costumes of South Asians. If you have the necessary materials on hand, all of the costumes mentioned can be constructed very quickly. Remember that when wearing a costume of a person from another culture, you must behave appropriately. Misbehavior in national costume may hurt the feelings of other people.
Steps
Making a Native American Indian Tunic
-
Cut a neck slit on a russet or tan colored pillowcase. Take scissors and cut a half-moon shape on the folded edge of the pillowcase. The slot should be large enough for your head to fit through.
- To avoid cutting the pillow by eye, lay it out on a flat surface and mark the cut line with a pencil. The slot should be located strictly in the center of the folded edge of the pillowcase.
- For a child, the width of the neck opening should be about 15 cm, and its height at the deepest part should be 7.5 cm. To determine the size of the neck opening for an adult or teenager, it would be better to measure the width of that person's neck.
- To make the contours of the semicircular slot even, you can take a round object, for example, a plate, and draw a line along it.
- Check that the head fits into the neck slot on the pillowcase. If it is too small, enlarge the slot a little and check the size again.
- If you want to save time, use a tan or brown T-shirt instead of a pillowcase. This way you won't have to spend time making the neckline and armholes, but you will need to cut off the sleeves before continuing.
-
Cut out the armholes. Make two more half-moon slits on the sides of the pillowcase close to the folded top edge (with the neckline notch). The armholes should be large enough to fit your arms through.
- The armholes should be located symmetrically opposite each other at a distance of about 2.5-5 cm from the top side of the pillowcase.
- For a child, the armhole opening should be about 7.5 cm long and 1.3 cm deep. To determine the armhole size for an adult or teenager, measure the widest part of the arm.
- Try on the pillowcase to make sure your arms fit freely into the armholes. If the armholes are small, increase them.
-
Make a fringe. Cut fringe around the perimeter of both armholes using cuts about 4 cm deep. For best results, the cuts should be spaced approximately 1 cm apart. The fringe needs to be cut around the entire perimeter of each armhole.
- You can also simply glue pieces of ready-made purchased fringe to the armholes.
-
If necessary, shorten the suit. A standard pillowcase size usually works well for making a Native American costume for an adult or teenager, but for a child the costume may be too long. Try the suit on your baby so you can determine the best length for him.
- If the pillowcase falls below mid-calf, it must be shortened, otherwise the child may trip over the hem and fall.
-
Cut fringe along the bottom edge of the suit. Make a fringe along the entire perimeter of the bottom edge of the pillowcase using 7.5 cm deep cuts. To work, it will be useful to lay the pillowcase on a flat surface. Be sure to use sharp scissors and try to space the cuts about 1cm apart.
- The fringe should cover the entire perimeter of the bottom edge of the Indian tunic.
-
Attach the fringe to the neck of the tunic. Take textile glue and cover the neckline with purchased or homemade fringe. To make your own fringe, you can take brown felt or a 5 cm wide strip of fabric cut from a pillowcase. Cut the fringe on the strip using cuts about 4 cm deep, placing them at intervals of about 1 cm. Measure the perimeter of the neckline and cut a finished strip for it or homemade fringe of appropriate length.
- Attach the fringe strip to the neckline using textile glue. In this case, the fringe strips should look down (from the neck line), and not up.
-
Decorate the tunic as you wish. The easiest way to decorate an Indian tunic is to paint it along the bottom edge with multi-colored triangles. Cut triangles about 5 cm high from sheets of foam rubber for crafts; their edges can be made uneven or zigzag. Dip the triangles in fabric paint of red, orange, yellow and green and stamp their outlines onto the tunic in the sequence of your choice to create a pattern.
- The easiest way to decorate the bottom of the tunic is with a row of inverted triangles. Place these triangles approximately 10cm from the bottom edge of the tunic and 2.5cm apart.
- To add more color to your tunic, decorate it with another row of well-placed triangles. Take a second triangular sponge with a different color of paint and use it to stamp regular triangles in the middle on the tunic in the spaces between the inverted ones.
- Whatever pattern you choose, it should be repeated on both the front and back of the tunic. Before you move on to decorating the second side of the tunic, you should make sure that the paint on the first side is dry.
Making Native American Indian Pants
-
Find some old khakis. For best results, the color of the trousers should be fairly close to the color of the previously made tunic. Pants should be fairly fitted and not baggy. It is acceptable to use trousers that are only slightly loose, but it is best to choose trousers whose legs are just wide enough to fit your legs into.
- If desired, you can narrow existing wide trousers by putting them inside out on the wearer of the Indian costume and pinning them to the required width. Sew the trouser legs along the split line. Finally, trim off any excess seam allowance and turn the pants right side out.
-
Create fringe to decorate the sides of your trousers. Cut two long strips of burlap, felt, or other durable fabric in a color as close as possible to the color of the pants. The length of the stripes should correspond to the length of the trousers from the waist to the bottom of the legs. Along one side of the strips, cut the fringe using 2.5 cm deep cuts. Place the cuts about 1 cm apart.
- Initially, the width of the stripes should be about 4 cm.
- If you are short on time, you can buy ready-made fringe at the store.
-
Attach the fringe to the trousers. Take textile glue or a needle and thread and decorate the sides of your trousers with fringe. If you want the suit to be worn several times, it is best to sew on the fringe rather than glue it.
- Glue or sew to the outer side seams of the trousers the whole side of the fringe that has no cuts.
- If you prefer a skirt over pants, take a tan or brown skirt and cut fringe along the bottom edge.
Additional accessories for the Indian costume
-
Wear brown boots or flats. Loafers are ideal, but simple brown flats will complement your look perfectly. Regular suede boots with flat soles will also suit you. Having a fur trim or fringe on your boots will add extra chic to your costume.
- If you're not going to walk through puddles, you can wear moccasin-style flip-flops.
- You can also wear brown sandals without any additional jewelry.
-
Make a feather headband. Take a brown fabric headband that can be pulled across the forehead across the head rather than the classic way. Using hot glue, glue three feathers to the inside of the headband. Position them so that they are on the side of your head, approximately behind the ear.
- If you can't find a ready-made brown headband, cut a strip of brown jersey long enough to wrap around your head, allowing for an additional 2.5 cm seam allowance. Roll the strip into a ring, overlapping the ends by 2, 5 cm and glue them together with textile glue or hot glue.
- If you want to make your Indian headband more elegant, decorate it with wooden beads, colored beads, or paint a pattern.
