Halloween Chipmunk Costume

The Idea

My daughter announced soon after her birthday that she wanted to be a chipmunk for Halloween, and never wavered from it. She was a determined to portray a furry little rodent on October 31st of 2010, so we set upon finding the least expensive materials to make that costume with.

The Materials We Used

Supplies Found at Home: The first place to look when creating a costume is drawers and boxes full of useful things you already have at your fingertips. These include scissors, tape, material scraps, rags, and clothing that is the color of the character you would like to create. A pair of brown pants were already in my daughter's wardrobe, and she happily wore them as part of her costume. We also found a pair of brown socks in my husband's sock drawer, which he was willing to let her use for the occasion.

Consignment Shops: There are many shops that sell used clothing and other items at a far lower price than at Target or the dollar store. I bought a brown sweatshirt with a hood for attaching the ears. Good Will Industries, Inc. (www.goodwill.org) are good stores to shop because every dollar you spend benefits others by helping them train and keep jobs, among other things. Other sources are listed in my link capsule below.

Craft Stores: If there is still need for materials, craft stores are a good place to look, especially if what you need to buy can be also used for other projects. The only item I needed to buy at the craft store was the brown felt used for the chipmunk's ears. I also glue a felt backing on the plastic canvas "booty" that I make.

Last Minute Extras: When I mentioned the need fro make-up, the first place I sent out an inquiry to was my co-housing community's email discussion list. A neighbor loaned us a makeup pencil. My husband also stopped at CVS for a costume makeup set with an applicator.. This item, though purchased at a chain store, was a worthy investment because we know we will use it for many future dress-up occasions.

The Process

These are the steps I took to create my daughter's chipmunk costume for Halloween:

1. Cut two half-circles from brown felt and attached them to the hood of her brown sweat jacket with strong clear packing tape.

2. Applied masking tape (white) and duct tape (black) to the back of the sweat jacket to create the chipmunk stripes.

3. Rolled up a piece of black construction paper and taped it to her belt for the tail.

4. When she was ready to wear the costume, I put a ball of soft, foamy packing material into the back of the jacket by her shoulder blades to make that little "hump" that chipmunks seem to have.

5. She wore her black school shoes over my husband's brown socks beneath her brown pants for the bottom section of her costume.

6. I made her face brown, with black whiskers and nose, as seen in the last picture.

A Delightful Darling Chipmunk on October 31st

My daughter was delighted with the results of our scavenger hunt for items to make a reality her vision of the costume she wanted to wear for Halloween. She had a blast running around showing everyone in our village. I hope that you will enjoy making a chipmunk costume similar to this one, or dreaming up another and making that!

Happy Haunting/Hunting!

The Idea

My daughter announced soon after her birthday that she wanted to be a chipmunk for Halloween, and never wavered from it. She was a determined to portray a furry little rodent on October 31st of 2010, so we set upon finding the least expensive materials to make that costume with.

The Materials We Used

Supplies Found at Home: The first place to look when creating a costume is drawers and boxes full of useful things you already have at your fingertips. These include scissors, tape, material scraps, rags, and clothing that is the color of the character you would like to create. A pair of brown pants were already in my daughter's wardrobe, and she happily wore them as part of her costume. We also found a pair of brown socks in my husband's sock drawer, which he was willing to let her use for the occasion.

Consignment Shops: There are many shops that sell used clothing and other items at a far lower price than at Target or the dollar store. I bought a brown sweatshirt with a hood for attaching the ears. Good Will Industries, Inc. (www.goodwill.org) are good stores to shop because every dollar you spend benefits others by helping them train and keep jobs, among other things. Other sources are listed in my link capsule below.

Craft Stores: If there is still need for materials, craft stores are a good place to look, especially if what you need to buy can be also used for other projects. The only item I needed to buy at the craft store was the brown felt used for the chipmunk's ears. I also glue a felt backing on the plastic canvas "booty" that I make.

Last Minute Extras: When I mentioned the need fro make-up, the first place I sent out an inquiry to was my co-housing community's email discussion list. A neighbor loaned us a makeup pencil. My husband also stopped at CVS for a costume makeup set with an applicator.. This item, though purchased at a chain store, was a worthy investment because we know we will use it for many future dress-up occasions.

The Process

These are the steps I took to create my daughter's chipmunk costume for Halloween:

1. Cut two half-circles from brown felt and attached them to the hood of her brown sweat jacket with strong clear packing tape.

2. Applied masking tape (white) and duct tape (black) to the back of the sweat jacket to create the chipmunk stripes.

3. Rolled up a piece of black construction paper and taped it to her belt for the tail.

4. When she was ready to wear the costume, I put a ball of soft, foamy packing material into the back of the jacket by her shoulder blades to make that little "hump" that chipmunks seem to have.

5. She wore her black school shoes over my husband's brown socks beneath her brown pants for the bottom section of her costume.

6. I made her face brown, with black whiskers and nose, as seen in the last picture.

A Delightful Darling Chipmunk on October 31st

My daughter was delighted with the results of our scavenger hunt for items to make a reality her vision of the costume she wanted to wear for Halloween. She had a blast running around showing everyone in our village. I hope that you will enjoy making a chipmunk costume similar to this one, or dreaming up another and making that!

Happy Haunting/Hunting!

Copyright © 2011 by Seafarer Mama/Karen Szklany Gault