Handmade Hula Girl Halloween Costume

A hula girl costume is a Halloween favorite, but rather than dressing your little girl in a store-bought outfit, craft an original version to give her a look all her own.
Little Girl Wearing Hula Girl Costume

Hula Girl Costume

A hula girl costume is a Halloween favorite, but rather than dressing your little girl in a store-bought outfit, craft an original version to give her a look all her own.

Materials Needed:

  • 2 small bowls for mold
  • brown Model Magic clay (or other non-toxic, air-dry clay)
  • 1 roll green crepe paper
  • 1 roll pink crepe paper
  • 1 roll white crepe paper
  • 1 yard 2-inch-wide elastic
  • twine
  • kitchen twine
  • white thread
  • sharp pick
  • scissors
  • fringe scissors
  • hot glue gun and glue sticks

Create Coconut Bra

Roll a fistful of Model Magic into a ball between your palms and press into bowls (Image 1). For each mold, use sharp pick to poke 2 1/4" holes through the clay at 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock (Image 2). Allow to dry overnight or until clay has fully hardened. Carefully remove dried clay from bowls (Image 3). Place "coconuts" side by side and turn so they each have a hole facing in, and a hole on top. Cut twine and slide through inner holes to connect coconuts (Image 4). Cut two more long pieces of twine and string through top holes to serve as halter-top straps.

Cut Elastic and Crepe Paper for Skirt

Measure elastic around child's waist and cut to size (Image 1). Next, cut five to seven 4-1/2-inch-wide strips of crepe paper to the same length as the elastic (Image 2).

Assemble Crepe-Paper Grass Skirt

Use fringe scissors to create fringe down one side of all crepe paper strips (Image 1). Use hot glue gun to attach one strip of fringe to elastic band. Continue gluing strips in a tiered pattern (Image 2). This will be the inside of the grass skirt. With the elastic band facing out, glue ends of skirt together (Image 3). Use glue gun to carefully go through the seams and seal any unglued areas. Allow to dry.

Cut and Fold Crepe Paper for Lei

Cut several 5-by-5-inch squares out of both pink and white crepe paper. Place white square on top of pink square and fold the paper back and forth accordion-style (Image 2). Fold accordion in half lengthwise and crease to determine the center, then unfold. Use scissors to snip a small incision at the center without cutting all the way through (Image 3). Cut a piece of thread and tie it tightly around the folded crepe paper, sliding it into the cut slit at the center (Image 4).

Assemble Crepe Paper Lei

Use scissors to cut along each of the paper's folds being careful not to cut the center's string (Image 1). Next, use scissors to round folded paper's edges (Image 2). Pull petals apart and crease to create a flower blossom (Image 3). Repeat preceding steps to create five flowers then attach them to a long strand of kitchen twine (Image 4). Tie both ends of twine together to form a circular lei.

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