Homemade Child Knight Costume
- Sewing a basic tunic is easy, no matter the size of the child who will wear the costume. Measure from their shoulders to mid-thigh, or however long you would like the tunic to be. Double that length and cut a rectangle out of the type of fabric you desire with the doubled length and a width equal to the span of their shoulders. Fold the rectangle in half, so that the fold will rest on their shoulders. Sew up the sides, starting six inches from the bottom if you want to leave a notch at the bottom, or from the bottom if you want a straight line all the way up. Stop sewing six or eight inches from the top, leaving arm holes deep enough for easy movement, and cut a neck hole out of the top fold. Have the child try the tunic on, and cut neck or arm holes larger if needed. Hem the edges with a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying, especially on nylon or metallic fabrics. You can attach coat of arms appliques to the front, or use fabric marker or paint to draw on a design instead.
- Make a plate-armor-style knight costume from thin silver insulation, which comes in rolls at home improvement stores. Cut a piece big enough to wrap over the child's chest and back in a rough rectangle, about one-and-a-half feet wide by three feet long. Fold all pf the edges underneath by about an inch, to give a nice rolled-edge look to the armor, and tape under. Trim or fold the bottom and top ends to make a slight curve, and then cut a rectangle two or three inches wide up the entire center of the back piece, separating it into two parts. This will help the child take the armor on and off when needed. At the center of the armor, cut a round neck hole to fit the child. Punch four small holes on either side of the opened back, and knot elastic cord that can be untied through them. Fold the armor in half at the neck hole, and punch more small holes on the outside edges on the child's sides. Knot elastic cord into these holes to keep the armor in place. To decorate the front, glue on a toy plastic shield or draw one in permanent marker. Another option is to purchase a child knight costume sewing pattern, which will give you templates to sew chain-mail-like fabric pieces. For suitable fabrics, you might choose silver mesh, netting, or other metallic fabrics, but keep in mind these can be more difficult to sew because of their slipperiness. See the Resources section for a pattern.
- Gray or silver leggings or sweatpants work well as a base for a knight costume. For a different color scheme, use pants of whatever color you choose. To make leg armor pieces, use a roll of thin silver insulation and trace separate pieces for thighs and shins. Cut them out. You can paint insulation to match any costume colors you choose, but if you are using spray paint, buy one that says it is safe for use on foam products. To make the insulation pieces fit to the child's legs, poke a hole in each corner with a nail or ice pick, and knot silver elastic cord through the holes for stretchy, good-fitting greaves and cuisses (leg armor). If you don't like how the leg looks with the knees uncovered, add sports knee pads spray-painted to match the costume. For knightly boots, pick up a thrift-store pair of winter or rain boots and cover them in duct tape to match the costume. You also could cut boot shapes from a metallic or black fabric, and use iron-on interfacing to stiffen the shapes so that they fit well over the child's existing shoes.
- Have the child wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath the rest of the knight costume to cover them and keep them warm. A hooded sweatshirt also works for this, as the hood can become part of the costume, with the addition of silvery fabric or metallic mesh netting. For armor pieces on arms, flexible material is best, such as fabric or thin craft foam. Staple cylinders of foam together for arm pieces, and add elbow pads for another armor piece if you want more substantial arm sections. Or, alter a long-sleeved shirt by adding a layer of metallic fabric over the sleeves.
