Primary colors like red, yellow and blue are excellent choices for your costume.
Creating a Native American costume for a toddler can be easy and inexpensive. The simple shapes of Native American clothing are comfortable and nonrestrictive. The beadwork designs and fringe that give the clothing its distinctive beauty is easy to represent, and decorating the costume can be a project a parent and child can enjoy doing together.
Basic Girl's Costume
For a little girl, start your Native American costume with an oversize T-shirt or a plain dress or nightgown. Anything knee length or longer with a simple straight or T-shape in brown or tan do nicely. Sleeves can be any length. If you can't find what you want, you can easily sew a simple robe. Just cut a piece of fabric a little wider than the child's shoulders and twice the length of the costume. Fold it in half. Cut a hole for the head and sew up the sides, leaving gaps at the top as arm holes.
Basic Boy's Costume
For a boy, use a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants or a sweat suit in brown or tan. If you use a sweat suit, remove the cuffs on the sleeves and the elastic around the legs. You may also make a shorter version of the girl's robe to go with pants.
Decoration
You can cut fringe into the sleeves and hemline of the shirt or dress, or you can sew or glue fringed strips of cloth to the costume. Craft stores and on-line sites offer beautiful beaded and Native American-themed trim that can be sewn or glued to the front of the costume or around the edges of the fringe. Avoid loose beads or any decoration that could come off and be swallowed. If you're artistic, use fabric paint to decorate the costume with Native American symbols and patterns such as the sun or wolf tracks.
Accessories and Props
Moccasins are the best footwear, but you can also use brown or tan house shoes or sneakers. A strip of the trim makes a great head band. Glue or sew feathers to the inside on the band. Native American-type jewelry can be made with beads from the craft store, but watch out for anything that can come loose and be swallowed. If the costume is for trick-or-treating, use a decorative basket for collecting treats. Boys can carry a toy tomahawk or a bow. Check out a costume shop for face paint and wigs. If the weather is cold, add a colorful throw or small blanket to the costume.
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