Over the years, he dressed up as different characters for Halloween. I would like to think that he enjoys dressing up as much as he enjoys getting all the treats.
For this year, he said that he wanted to be a Dementor from Harry Potter. But the true Potterhead in me told him that it is way cooler if he dresses up as Harry Potter himself. I told him I will make him an awesome wand and a Sorting Hat. He agreed!
So, off I went in search for a costume. I was sure I will not get a store-bought one, aside from it being too expensive, I wanted to have bragging rights that I made this costume myself and I challenged myself that I will not be spending more than 500 pesos for this one.
For anything DIY, my go-to app is Pinterest. This is my online happy place as I get a lot of ideas here - from DIY party needs, costumes and dream boards. I created a board exclusively for this Harry Potter project. I will post links to Pinterest board inspirations and material prices as I go along.
Here goes:
Harry's Robe
Until next Halloween!
For this year, he said that he wanted to be a Dementor from Harry Potter. But the true Potterhead in me told him that it is way cooler if he dresses up as Harry Potter himself. I told him I will make him an awesome wand and a Sorting Hat. He agreed!
So, off I went in search for a costume. I was sure I will not get a store-bought one, aside from it being too expensive, I wanted to have bragging rights that I made this costume myself and I challenged myself that I will not be spending more than 500 pesos for this one.
For anything DIY, my go-to app is Pinterest. This is my online happy place as I get a lot of ideas here - from DIY party needs, costumes and dream boards. I created a board exclusively for this Harry Potter project. I will post links to Pinterest board inspirations and material prices as I go along.
Here goes:
Harry's Robe
Materials:
2 yards black Gina Cloth, 44 pesos (22 pesos/yard)
Needle and Thread
Procedure: I laid the cloth on the floor, made Johan lie down on top of it, drew the pattern free-hand and cut. I don't have a sewing machine so this robe is hand-sewn with love and lots of needle pricks.
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| Pinterest inspiration: Wizard Robe |
Harry's Scarf
Next, I looked for a red and a yellow cloth for Harry's scarf. I tried looking for ready made ones and I found a knitted one priced at 450 pesos! Too expensive for a small piece so I am bent on doing it myself. I cannot use Gina cloth for this because I needed a softer one that will lie flat after ironing. I went around Metro Gaisano Mall in Alabang Town Center and found what I was looking for.
Materials:
Half yard each of Red and Yellow cloths, 60 pesos (60/yard)
Needle and Thread
Procedure: Cut into 10 inch x 5 inch rectangles, I used 6 rectangles of each color, 12 rectangles in all. Sew alternately. Sew the sides, turn inside out and sew it close.
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| Pinterest inspiration: Gryffindor Scarf |
Harry' Wand
I thought making the wand is going to be hard but it proved to be the easiest one to make on this project and the cheapest, too!
Materials:Paintbrush handle or Large Chopstick, 9.50 pesos
Glue Gun and Glue sticks, 22 pesos (22 pesos for a pack of 5 sticks)
3 beads (from my stock)
brown paint
Procedure: I removed the handle from the paintbrush. Using the glue gun, I attached the three beads at the bottom of the wood creating a triangle. Then I created a freehand design using the glue stick from the bottom of the handle up to almost the middle. Let the glue dry. Paint and let it dry.
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| Pinterest inspiration: Harry Potter's Wand |
Harry's Sorting Hat
Now, this one is the most time-consuming of all. This is not so hard to do but it takes a lot of patience and a lot of time to finish. I enjoyed doing this anyway and found it quite relaxing to do.
Materials:
old newspapers, cut into small strips
old illustration board
cardboard (17 pesos)
flour and water
masking tape (15 pesos)
brown paint (55 pesos for the Dark brown and 23 pesos fo the small Burnt Sienna shade)
Procedure: Draw a circle on the illustration board, cut. Create a cone using the cardboard, tape the ends together. Tape the cone onto the illustration board, I opted to cut a hole on the illustration board so Johan can wear it. Using cardboard, cut and shape the eyebrows and mouth of the Sorting hat. Tape into place. Mix water and flour until you get a glue-like consistency, you will be using this for paper mache. Using the newspaper strips, dip each strip onto the flour-water mixture and glue into the hat, fill every space. Let it dry for at least 24 hours. Paint using two shades of brown color.
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| Pinterest inspiration: The Sorting Hat |
I'll be honest in saying that as much as I enjoyed doing this project, it took me days before I was able to complete the materials and finish this costume. I was dead tired when I finally completed it but seeing the end product of all my hardwork made everything worth it.
Presenting Johan's Harry Potter costume, proudly handmade, proudly DIY:
Here's a breakdown of my expenses for this project:
Robe ------------------- 44 pesos
Wand ------------------- 31.50 pesos
Glasses ----------------- 40 pesos
Sorting Hat ------------ 141.50 pesos
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Total -------------------- 257 pesos
For a measly 257.00 pesos, I was able to make a Harry Potter costume for Johan. It really is possible not to spend a lot on a costume, it only takes a little creativity and a lot of patience.
What's even better is, Johan as Harry Potter won third place for the Best in Costume awarding during their school's Halloween activity!
Until next Halloween!
