diy peacock costume

when i posted a couple of weeks ago about some diy costumes, i was secretly sad that the girls had picked theirs already well in advance and i wouldn't get to try my hand, or sewing machine at any of those - then my sister called, the peacock was a must do for my niece mckinley.

going into it i was totally planning on winging it - while the tutorial i linked has some great visual inspiration, i wasn't fond of the way the front was covered and it really left a lot of to personal choice on what colors and pattern of colors you went with to make it.

once we had our tulle picked out, i had originally decided i was going to make a little apron to cover the front - i had never made one before but it seemed pretty straight forward and hobby lobby sold trim that was made to fit snug up along a raw edge of fabric, it was a no brainer.

i was going to make the "feather" portion just like you would those easy to make tulle tutus you see everywhere, by looping a long rectangle piece of cut tulle around a loop of elastic. then i had a major "ah-ha" moment in target when i came across the way to perfect colored bubble skirt, on clearance for $3! i would skip the apron and tack the elastic loop to the inside of the skirt. my job just kept getting easier.

i sewed my elastic into a loop the same size as the inside of this nine month skirt, then i hand stitched it in, in the back front and once on each side, leaving ample open elastic for looping my tulle on but it was still secure and wouldn't sag out and be seen.

then i started looping my tulle in, kind of following a photo of a real peacock for inspiration of what pattern i should put it in. we had blue, turquoise, brown, and green to work with.

the pieces in the very back middle are the longest and i slowly tapered off the length as i worked my way around to the sides.

it was starting to come together perfectly - this is a view from the back with it cascading out from the inside elastic loop.

i worked my way around until i hit where i had stitched the elastic to the sides of the skirt - mckinley is only ten months after all and a tiny little thing at that, i didn't need to make this huge by any means. i ended in browns and greens because it seemed to be the most natural coloration for a real peacock.

next i made up the feather ends, kind of eyeing the original tutorial, but just going with the flow on shape. then i tacked these to a color coordinating ribbon with hot glue and then hot glued them to the inside elastic - i still think i need to add more but it still looks great for now!

paired with some black legging and socks and a mask complete with a beak, this is one of the most adorable costumes ever! i can't wait to hear what people have to say after halloween!