RUFIO COSTUME

I have been making Halloween costumes for my brother for a few years now, and this years challenge was Rufio from the movie Hook.   Here you will find all the steps that went into creating this outfit, I hope you enjoy!

Supplies: Black faux leather, black canvas fabric, fusible interfacing, red fabric, black thread, black embroidery thread, sewing machine, wood beads, embroidery needle, scissors, iron, drill, vice, pins, colored pencil and paper.

I started out by watching the movie Hook and sketching out ideas of how the jacket should be constructed. Once I had a decent sketch and a good idea of how to make it, I set out on making a pattern.

Since this costume was made for my brother, I used him as a model and draped pieces of scrap fabric over him using pins to create the shape of the jacket.

Once the shape was achieved and all seams were marked, I transferred this design to a paper pattern.

I created a sample jacket for a test fit before I used any of my good fabric.

Once the fit was decided, I began cutting out the jacket pieces from the faux leather and sewing the seams together.

For the top shoulder piece, I used a base layer of black canvas and fusible interfacing to thicken it up. With my sewing machine I created a quilted pattern using straight stitches. I used a ruler and a white colored pencil to mark guides before each stitch to keep them straight and evenly spaced, then wiped off the colored pencil markings with a damp cloth.

I created the arm fringe by cutting out strips of fabric, folding over the edges and topstitching down. I used 52 pieces of fringe in total. I sewed each piece of fringe to the shoulder seam, alternating colors. I added the wood beads to the fringe, and knotted the fabric at the tips to keep the beads from falling off. I had to drill out a larger hole in each bead so the fringe would fit through the hole.

The back “tail” of the jacket is constructed of 2 pieces of faux leather for the front and back. I marked out the fringe strips with a ruler and white colored pencil. I used pins to keep the fabric in place while I topstitched the fabric together. Then used scissors to separate the pieces. Next I added the wood beads to the fringe which fit tightly and did not require a knot.

To complete the jacket, I added some hand-stitched details to the pocket openings and yoke seams. I used embroidery thread and an embroidery needle.

Supplies: Red wig, black color hair spray, scissors, razor blade, comb, foil, rubber-bands, binder clips, tape, a wig stand (I used a round pillow), plastic bag.

I started out by placing the wig on a stand so I could easily cut and shape it. Then used a comb to straighten out the hair.

Next I began separating the hair into sections. I created 3 wide Mohawks separating each with a thin section of hair. I used rubber bands to keep the bottom sides from lifting up.

Using a razor blade, I began cutting the 4 dividing sections of hair. I cut enough off to clearly see the 3 wide Mohawk sections.

Once I finished cutting, I combed the wig to get a nice defined shape.

The next step was to prepare the wig for hair color. I cut aluminum foil into strips that were large enough to fold over the Mohawk sections. I started with the center Mohawk, and began wrapping the hair with foil. I used binder clips to keep the foil from slipping out of place and tape to keep any foil edges from lifting up.

Once I finished covering the Mohawk sections with foil, I was ready to add the hair color. I placed the wig and stand outside, using a plastic bag to protect the stand from any overspray. I began spraying the black hair color over the entire wig. I needed about 3 coats of black to completely cover the red hair, and used 2 cans of spray in total. When I finished spraying the color I allowed the wig to dry overnight.

When the wig was dry, I removed all of the foil and clips. Then combed the hair to get a nice shape.

Supplies: Old pair of shoes, red felt, scissors, tacky glue, small foam brush, plate, binder clips, paper clips, electrical tape, safety pins and a stapler.

To create the red shoes I applied pieces of red felt fabric to a pair of old shoes using a foam brush and tacky glue. I used the seams of the shoe as a guide of what shape to cut each piece of fabric, leaving extra that I could trim off later. I added binder and paper clips around the edges to keep the fabric from lifting up.

I used an oversized piece of felt for the toe area so I could safety pin the fabric closed at the bottom. This helped mold the fabric around the toe and kept the fabric from puckering.

I let the glue dry for 24 hours. Then used scissors to trim all the excess felt from the shoe. I added electrical tape around the sole to cover up the felt edges and used a few staples to secure the tape from lifting up. I used an awl to poke holes through the felt for the laces to slide through.

I removed all the clips from the shoes and inserted the red laces.

Supplies: Plastic sword, gold spray paint, coconut, faux leather, paint, paint brush, felt, foam, electrical tape, hand saw, awl and a knife.

The plastic handle of the sword was too wide to fit inside the coconut, so I began by securing the sword in a vice and cutting off the excess plastic using a handsaw.

I spray-painted the blade gold which required 4 coats to completely cover all the silver plastic. Then allowed the paint to dry completely.

While waiting for the sword to dry, I began working on the coconut handle. I started out by draining all of the coconut milk. Once the coconut was completely drained, I cut it in half. I used the blunt side of a knife to steadily tap around the middle of the coconut until it was completely separated.

Once I chose which half I was going to use as the handle, I removed the coconut meat. I found it easiest to use a small kitchen knife to cut out little sections one at a time. 

Next I cut a slit at the top of the coconut for the blade of the sword to slide through. I created the slit using a handsaw blade; starting from the hole I had created to drain the coconut milk.

Using paint and a paintbrush, I painted different shades of brown on the coconut shell. Then allowed the paint dry completely.

When both the sword and the coconut were completely dry, I inserted the sword into the coconut. I wrapped the base of the blade with a thin layer of felt so it fit tightly through the slit. Then I wrapped the handle with a layer of foam and secured it tightly with electrical tape.

I finished by wrapping the handle with faux leather and hand stitch closed.

The bone necklace was created using suede cording, bone beads, wood beads and a toggle clasp attached by wire to close. I added bronze spray paint to the bone beads for an aged look.

The skull necklace was created using suede cording, a spider charm, a red feather, stud chain, a skull charm, and a turtle charm using jump rings and wire to attach and a toggle clasp to close. I added bronze spray paint to the skull as well.

The earring was created using a gold clip on earring, suede cording, a red feather, silver chain, and a scorpion charm using jump rings and wire to attach.

Supplies: Black pants and a razor blade

Using a razor blade, I created various slits on the front and back pant legs, determining placement as I went along.