2024 Studio Post #5 - Pirate Costume

I'm actually posting a day early (Saturday instead of Sunday) for once! Not that it matters to anyone except me. I've been trying to put this together for over two weeks and it's nice to have it done!

My grandson just turned five. He likes to play make believe (veterinarian, astronaut, etc.) Right now, due primarily to the Netflix show Octonauts, he likes to play pirates. I have had to hold my brain and tongue to NOT explain that pirates - both historically and in modern times - are generally horrible people who steal and kill. He's a little kid and likes to make maps, look for buried treasure, and say "Argh!" 

 

I went to the thrift store to buy the pants and shirt, then cut ragged, uneven edges to them. I had some pirate themed items in my costume / prop area and checked with my daughter-in-law about giving him the fake hook, dagger, and eye patch. I also had the binoculars in my prop stuff . . . not a telescope, but close enough to play with!

 

I asked my husband to make "coins" out of a tree branch. I wanted the pieces big enough so that they wouldn't be a choking hazard for our younger grandson. I had the green velvet drawstring pouch in my jewelry box and it's a great treasure pouch. (I also have a Chewy.com box that Joshua and I had been turning into a treasure chest. I'm putting all this stuff into it.)

 

The hat was the biggest hassle! I looked for DIY sites and videos on making pirate hats. They were all either about making paper hats or taking a ready-made hat and modifying it. There was a cool design and pattern for making a hat out of felt, but it wasn't what I was thinking of doing. I finally made my own pattern and put some sturdy fabric together. It is so bad! But I kept reminding myself that it was just a toy for playing a pretend game. The sewing is NOT pleasant. (If you're thinking of making a pirate hat - at least the tricorn style - do yourself a favor and just get a floppy brimmed round hat!)

 

I also didn't take the time to get his head circumference before I started. First I made the opening too large (it didn't sit on my head!) then I sewed it too small (I could tell with my hands). I finally asked my daughter-in-law for the measurement. His party is today, so I'll just do some fitting and stitching as needed.

 

The last piece was the map. I took a piece of fabric and drew. It's not very fancy, but I think he'll have fun with it. I'll try to update with a picture of the pirate later.