Fish and Fisherman Pairs CostumeMakes a good couples costume for adults, too!In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of the original Fish and Fisherman costume made by Amy Howe of Virginia, and designed by her mother, Shari Sutphin. The two little boys in the picture above had a great time wearing this fun pairs costume. It could also make a unique couple's costume for adults, as well! How to make a unique Fish and Fisherman Costumeby Amy HoweGathering the supplies needed will be the first step in the project. Knowing how to use a glue gun and sewing machine will be necessary for you to complete this project. Here's the list of items you'll need:1.) Paper supplies: Cardboard, poster board (red and white), grey paper and aluminum foil 2.) Adhesives: duck tape, hot glue and hot glue gun 3.) Colors: brown crayon, red marker 4.) Fishing lures (without hooks!) 5.) Clothing: old jeans, panty hose 6.) Hardware: 4 small bolts and 8 washers 7.) Fabric, etc: tan and black fabric, batting, sewing machine 8.) Paint: green and black spray paint Steps in making the homemade Fish and Fisherman costumeConstructing the boat and fisherman costumeAs you can tell from the pictures above, one of your children will be walking around while wearing the "boat" part of the costume...and yet a pair of fake legs will make it look like someone is sitting in the boat!Our boat was made entirely out of cardboard. First the bottom piece was cut. It's sort of a triangle with one end straight across and the other comes to a point. This piece will sit in the middle of the sides and back so there are room for his legs under the boat. A small hole was cut in the center toward the back to allow my son the stand in it. The sides and back were then cut and duck taped and hot glued on. Next, the inside was covered in white posterboard and on the outside we covered it with separate strips of white posterboard colored lightly with a brown crayon to make all the slats. We took a hole punch and punched holes from grey paper to make two nail heads on each board. Across the back piece we wrote our boats name, "Double Trouble"with red marker. The red posterboard was cut into strips and glued around the top. To attach the boat to my son, we used fabric to make suspenders padded with batting and punched small holes in the fabric and the boat where they would attach in front and behind the hole where he stands. We anchored them in with bolt and a washer on each side. My mom put the ID number on the side of the boat; she used the state we live in and the boys birthday (VA 0604). The anchor was cut out of cardboard and covered in foil. Inside the boat was an old tuna can glued down with fake worms in it and a minnow net. The legs were just old jeans stuffed and the feet are pantyhose with loops of thread to make toes. We bought a fishing hat and vest and sewed lures to them. To complete the "fisherman," we put my son in the boat, then put the suspenders on him to hold it up. He wore a flannel shirt over the suspenders with the vest and hat. Make-up was applied to look like a five o'clock shadow. Instead of a trick or treat bag he carried a small tin bucket with the word "bait" painted on in red! Making the "fish" part of the costumeFor the fish, my mom made a pattern since one is not commercially available. She drew the desired shape of the fish freehand-style onto a large piece of butcher paper. If you have experience sewing, you can rough out a pattern by looking at the pictures above and copying these shapes. Otherwise, you could buy a fish costume.A heavy tan duck cloth material was used for the outside of the fish costume. The inside was lined with stiff interfacing, quilt batting and black fabric. The bottom of the fish was left open and arm holes were then cut out. A fin pattern was also created out of butcher paper and cut out of the same tan fabric. Lines of top-stitching were added to the fins and tail to make it look realistically 3-dimensional. Then, the top-stitching was darkened with magic marker. The fins were added by hand above the arm holes in the main body of the fish suit. The tan fish was then spray-painted with a dark green spray paint, and spots added to the fish's body with a magic marker. The fish lips were made by folding over fabric lined with fiberfill and hand sewn onto the mouth. The bright white fish eyes were made out of fabric, which had been stuffed slightly with quilt batting, and then they were hand-sewn onto the fish. The tail is held up with a piece of fishing line attached from the end of the tail to the back. For the hook in his mouth we bought a hook from a costume store that was meant for a pirate hook. My mom wrapped a skirt from a lure around it. His trick or treat pail was a tin bucket with "chum" written in red. The fisherman carried a fishing pole with thin elastic on it. His pole attached to the fish's hook with fishing swivels. String with a bobber attached was also connected to the fishing pole held by the fisherman. We got alot of attention in these costumes and the boys loved them. My mom has a great eye for detail and the little things really made these costumes awesome! Always Be Safe!This fisherman's boat is bulky, and the fish costume restricts vision a bit. A parent should always stay in attendance when kids are wearing these costumes. That way, you'll avoid the boat running into trees and bushes, the fishing line getting snagged on yard decorations, etc. Also, for obvious reasons, this costume is better suited to outdoor parties, trick or treating and costume parades rather than indoor activities. It's a fun pairs costume, and a little bit of precaution will make sure you remember this Halloween with GREAT memories (rather than mishaps.)Backwards links: www.UniqueHolidayIdeas.com HOME :: www.UniqueHolidayIdeas.com BLOG :: Privacy Policy :: Back to top of "Fish and Fisherman Pairs Costume"
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