Halloween is one of my favorite childhood memories! I loved choosing my costume, picking out candy at the grocery store, decorating our porch and of course trick-or-treating. Growing up, most of our costumes were homemade, usually from items we already had at home. I love the memories of helping my mom craft costumes for us to wear! Looking back, the memories of making the costumes are even stronger than the actual holiday. With that sentiment in mind, we created these lion hoodies:
Supplies: jacket with a hood (both for you and your little one), yarn, cotton fabric, felt, sewing machine, stuffing, embroidery thread + needle, and scissors. 1. Begin by cutting a strip of fabric the circumference of the hood on your jacket. 2. Then, take the yarn and lay it down onto the fabric, back and forth, creating loops all along the fabric. Stitch it in place as you go. 3. Once the yarn is stitched on, cut each end so that the yarn is no longer in loops. If you want the mane to be fuller at the top, simply repeat this step in the middle of the fabric, leaving the ends of the fabric with still only one layer of yarn. 4-5. Attach the fabric by sewing it all the way around the hood of your jacket.
6. To make the ears, cut out four identical pieces of fabric. 7. On two of these pieces, hand stitch with enbroidery thread felt pieces, creating the inside of the ear. Then, with the other two pieces and the insides facing each other, sew the ears together and turn them inside out. 8. Lastly, fill them with stuffing and hand stitch them onto the hoodie. This project took us only one afternoon, so it's perfect for those last minute costume parties! 
I hope that some of you get to enjoy making homemade costumes for the kiddos in your life! You get to have fun crafting and, best of all, creating a memory they will keep forever. After we snapped these photos, my neice and my mom went out shopping wearing these hoodies. How cute is that? XO. elsie
LOVE this! It reminds me of Simba from the Lion King. :D
http://catherinedenton.com
Posted by: Catherine Denton | October 04, 2012 at 04:38 PM
Awe :) So adorable!!! I think it's awesome you went shopping in them afterward. You got some sweet pictures too. ♥Lindsay
Posted by: Lindsay | October 04, 2012 at 04:39 PM
Funny and cute idea and love the photo!!
www.creativityandchocolte.blogspot.com
Posted by: Eva | October 04, 2012 at 04:42 PM
Best tutorial you've done, and I LOVE many of your tutorials!! I can't wait to make one of these for my little one for Christmas...we called him 'Little Lion Man' when he was a newborn because the Mumford & Sons song by the same name would mesmerize him and calm him when nothing else would.
Any other animal hoodies in mind for this fall?? :) I have a daughter too, who would love some kind of animal hoodie!
Posted by: Emily | October 04, 2012 at 04:43 PM
sooo cute!
Posted by: sierra n-g | October 04, 2012 at 04:55 PM
That is such a sweet idea! Love that your mum and your niece went out shopping in them too :)
Posted by: Louisa | October 04, 2012 at 04:55 PM
how cute and so easy!
Posted by: CHICKYTHING | October 04, 2012 at 05:01 PM
This is so cute! I haven't decided on my Halloween costume, but I'll see if my sis can sew me somethin' like this ;)
Heather
{www.heatheringheights.com}
Posted by: Heather | October 04, 2012 at 05:03 PM
This is cute!
Posted by: Taylor Bishop | October 04, 2012 at 05:05 PM
oh my GOODNESS so sweet! I cant wait to make these for my soon-to-be nephew!!
Posted by: Katie | October 04, 2012 at 05:06 PM
soo sweet! It's too bad I only have little brothers who want to be rambo and mr. T. :(
Posted by: Philothea | October 04, 2012 at 05:07 PM
OMG!!!!!!! Dying, this is so adorable!! Will be making for my entire family!!!!! Thanks!
Posted by: Elizabeth Beattie | October 04, 2012 at 05:10 PM
This is super cute. I think they turned out really good and look professionally made! I love yours elsie!
Carlee
http://almostendearing.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Carlee | October 04, 2012 at 05:12 PM
LOL I laughed so hard when looking at those cute pictures. This is really (again) so creative and cute idea to make. Uhmm but I think it would be too funny for me to wear... and there is no children around here. Maybe saving this for my children (maybe) in the future :) Cheers
Anh @ http://fabnfun.com
Posted by: Anh L. | October 04, 2012 at 05:16 PM
AWW, too freakin cute!
Posted by: Vicki | October 04, 2012 at 05:21 PM
OMG! Is this even real?! Love this!!! Thanks so much for sharing this!!
~Sacha
Posted by: Sacha | l8estobsession | October 04, 2012 at 05:45 PM
Oh my goodness, these are so cute! Way to go :). Your mom and niece must have gotten adoring looks when seen out and about in those.
Loulou
Posted by: Loulou | October 04, 2012 at 05:52 PM
She is adorable! these hoodies are awesome- my son is already going to be cookie monster, so i need to talk my husband into rocking a lion hoodie with me!!!
Posted by: Kym | October 04, 2012 at 05:59 PM
So super cute!
Posted by: Yelle | October 04, 2012 at 06:02 PM
I'm going to make these for all my best friends and I--we're seniors in high school too, haha ;) love it!
Posted by: Cai | October 04, 2012 at 06:11 PM