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Inexpensive Homemade Knight CostumeBattle dragons for your fair maiden...without paying a king's ransom!In the slide show above, you're viewing photos of the Knight Fighter costume designed and made by Jason Loftsgard of Iowa. You might like to duplicate or adapt Jason's inexpensive homemade knight costume---for Halloween or for a kid's play costume! On this page, you'll discover how he created this fearsome look...for much less cost than a similar purchased disguise. Materials for your cheap homemade knight costumeYou may already have the items you need sitting around your house!
There are a number of ways to make a homemade knight's costume for boys or men. In fact, there are several sewing patterns which are available commercially.However, the "look" you can achieve by sewing a knight's costume is more of a ceremonial type of garment. (Fabric vests bearing the knight's crest or emblem, for example.) For a battle-ready look of a knight on his way to fight off dragons or invaders, Jason's fearsome-looking warrior's costume is more appropriate. This spike-laden faux armor looks like it might scare away a dragon just by the fierce look of the suit itself! How can you re-create this spikey knight's suit of armor? Believe it or not, the main material you'll use is cardboard! Yes, every one of the evil spikes which look like they're ready to pierce the dragon's hide is actually just cardboard...which has been rolled to a cone-shape! Other materials you'll need to reproduce a similar knight's battle armor are tape, duct tape, electrical tape, and markers in the color of your choice. To make the battle gauntlets, you'll also need a pair of work gloves. How to make this Knight's Costume for men or boysWhen Jason designed and created his knight's costume, he didn't realize that he'd be sharing his ideas with anyone else. So, unfortunately, he didn't write down the steps he took in order to make his suit of armor costume.Fortunately, you can get a good idea of how to adapt his project simply by examining the pictures of his knight's costume in the slides at the top of the page. Measure yourself or your child to get the sizes needed for your breast plate and other main pieces. These major parts of the costume will all be cut from heavy cardboard, then lined with duct tape for a more finished look. If you'll be coloring your suit with marking pens, you'll also want to line the outside of your suit with duct tape, as well. If you'd prefer to use spray paint, you may eliminate this step. Next, neatly place place electrical tape around the edges of each piece to cover the rough edges of the cardboard. Making the spikes for your suit of armorUse a lightweight cardboard for each of the suit's many spikes. The reason is simple, of course---heavy cardboard doesn't roll well! On the other hand, paper spikes will get crushed if you accidentally bump into something. Lightweight cardboard rolls well, but is also resistant to minor bumps and bashes. (Note: if making a kid's costume, your child must understand that these spikes CAN hurt other people! Even though they're only made of cardboard, the spikes can cause discomfort if someone falls into them.)Roll the spikes and use plain scotch tape to hold them into place on the suit of armor. Vary the size of the cones so that some of your spikes will be larger and others will be smaller. When you're satisfied with the positioning of the spikes, then it's time to add color to the entire suit. First, though, you'll want to experiment on a blank piece of cardboard to find the colors you like best. You can color directly onto the cardboard...or you may cover the cardboard with duct tape first before using your markers. (Jason chose red and black markers, using many short strokes to cover the suit.) Others may find it easier to use some other type of coloring agent, such as spray paint. Finally, use the black electrical tape around the bottom of each spike for a more seamless look. For the best effect, wear the pieces of armor over solid-color clothing. For Halloween night, Jason chose a solid black outfit, from his shirt down to his shoes and socks.
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