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Sewing is commonly misunderstood as something that is difficult. To set the record straight I will say – sewing an article or object to the point of perfection can be considered difficult, but simply sewing is not. Do you have arms? Do you have a brain? Then you can sew.

Now that we have established that you can sew, here is a guide to constructing a deer head from scratch.

Its important to remember a few basic principles for good halloween costumes before we get started.

1. Store bought costumes are made in the darkest smelliest places on earth.

2. Never sacrifice comfort for showmanship. Its only halloween, and walking around all night sweating in a wookie costume is just torture.

3. Don’t stress about sewing something slightly off, it just makes the costume look more homemade and hilarious.

4. Lastly, I made this costume at 11pm the night before I needed it. It doesn’t take long, and shouldn’t take long.

Step 1. Go to a fabric store, generally they close around 5:30 which is brutal for anyone who operates on a work/school schedule, so plan ahead. When buying fabric think about how strong it is. Some weaves look nice, but are actually awful and will fall apart over and over until you rage quit. You will also want to buy/steal some fake-snow-stuffing that is generally used for christmas scenes. Lastly, magnet clasps are super easy to use and a dope final touch of quality.

Step 2. Cut out the shapes you will need. I freestyle my own pattern and adjust later, but generally this is what the shapes should look like.

Step 3. Start sewing your shapes together. Always sew the pieces inside-out and then flip them right-side afterwards, this will make the edge look really legit and professional. Leave one edge open so that you can add stuffing later. Before you add stuffing to the bottom jaw pieces, you will want to insert the magnetic clasps. They allow you to open and close the bottom jaw freely in order to drink beer, eat pho, or any other excellent activity.

Step 4. Now that the majority of the head has been constructed. Begin to hand-stitch them together. This part is the most tedious as you will likely be sleep deprived and trying to size together a number of pieces on your own head while looking in the mirror is an enigma in itself. Safety pins are key. **NOTE this guide is not an exact step by step guide. While stitching together all the major pieces I made a bizzillion adjustments, added extra fabric to areas that were too tight, and generally made it up as I went. Remember, I have absolutely no training, no home-economics in school, nothing. So just use your brain and logic and its easy enough.

Step 5. The head is now made, Wicked! Now its time to add the deer features (or whatever animal you’re making). These will be hand-stitched on.

Step 6. Now for the fun part. Using foam sheets which are super cheap, readily available at Micheals, and probably the most amazing material to cut through, you can create a personality for your animal head. Add teeth, eyes, and a moustache is always nice.

 

 

DONE sickkkk. Now wear something simple and classy as the rest of your outfit. Be 100% comfortable. And toss on your animal head.

 

Just some final design points, below are photos of how the bottom jaw system works. Perfect for heightened oral activity. The first photo shows the proper placement for the magenets.

 

ENJOY