Jellyfish Costume

To get this sweet and sassy jelly ready to roll, cover a broad-brimmed hat with bubble packaging and sparkly fabric, then add some ribbon-and-rickrack tentacles.

Download a complete materials list and illustrated step-by-step directions.

Materials

Glue gun and glue sticks
Broad-brimmed straw hat (we used a child's sombrero)
1 yard of sparkly blue fabric
1 yard of blue fleece or felt
Large-bubble bubble packaging (we started with a 15- by 1-foot length and cut it into pieces as needed)

Clear packing tape
Fabric measuring tape
20 (1-yard) lengths of curling ribbon (we used 10 yards each of blue and silver)
5 (1-yard lengths) of 1-inch-wide sheer blue ribbon
3 (1-yard lengths) ofK-inch-wide red rick rack

Instructions

The Hat Base: Apply glue all over the underside of the hat brim. Lay the brim glue-side down on the fleece or felt and press it firmly. Trim the excess fabric (A). Cut away the fabric from the head hole.
Fill in the area around the crown with balls of bubble packaging, then top with sheets of the packaging, securing it with packing tape as you work (B).
The Covering and Tentacles: Measure the hat from one edge of the brim, up over the crown, and down to the far edge. Cut a circle from the sparkly fabric with a diameter equal to the over-the-crown measurement plus 6 inches. Cut the remaining fabric into 6 strips measuring 1 1/2 inches wide by 1 yard long.
Glue one end of each fabric strip, ribbon, and piece of rickrack to the brim's underside, evenly spaced and about 1 inch in from the edge. If desired, leave a gap of 8 inches at the hat's front center for your child's face.
Temporarily bundle the ribbons' free ends into the headhole. Center the hat's crown on the fabric circle. Pull the fabric up over the edge of the brim, gluing it to make even gathers (C). Have your child wear blue clothes and try on the cap. If it's too wobbly, glue felt or fleece strips to the inner hatband until it fits securely. Trim the tentacles as needed.