Jamming Jellyfish Costume- Slotted Construction Cardboard Costume

The technology teacher assigned her students a project concerning design, creation, and publishing. The objective of this project was to create a line of marine-themed costumes for middle-school children. Being earth-friendly, or green, was a major aspect when designing each piece. By utilizing solely cardboard and slotted construction, we saved many resources. This prohibited the use of any adhesives or other materials. Flat-pack and easy assembly technologies were required for added convenience towards the consumer (middle-school child). The last task of the project was to post and publish his/her costume and assembly process onto this website, instructables.com. My specific team's theme was "Finding Nemo Characters." My final solution was a jellyfish, due to its simplicity and easy assembly. I hope you find this useful and enjoy what I've created!

Design Brief: Design and create a line of marine-themed costumes using slotted construction and cardboard.

Specifications for Project:
-Must use cardboard as material.
-Must be flat pack.
-Must be assembled by slotted construction.
-Must fit middle-schoolers.
-Must be easy enough for a middle-schooler to assemble w/ little supervision.

Limitations for Project:
-Limited to cardboard.
-Limited to slotted construction. Glues, fasteners, tapes, and any other adhesives are prohibited.

**A problem that I faced during the creation of the costume was the thickness/strength of the cardboard I used. I found that thicker cardboard, although more difficult to manipulate, should be used. When I utilized a thinner cardboard for the neck piece and strap, I ran into problems like tears. 

Step 1: Materials List

Gather these materials:

Step 2: Tools and Equipment List

Gather these tools and equipment:

Step 3: Constructing the Neck Piece

Part P1: Neck Piece
1. Measure 14”diameter circle with ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) on cardboard (S1).
2.Cut out with utility knife (T2) on cutting mat (T1).
3. Use a ruler (T3) and a pencil (T4) to measure 9" diameter circle within the 14" circle. 
4. Use a utility knife (T2) on a cutting mat (t2) to cut out.
5. Discard the inner circle.
6. Use a ruler (T3) and a pencil (T4) to measure and draw 8 3"x1" rectangles equally distributed on outer circle 1/2" from the the top and bottom.
7. Use a utility knife (T2) and a cutting matt (T1) to cut out rectangles.
8. Discard cut-out rectangles. 

Step 4: Constructing the Tentacles

Part P2: Tentacles
1. Use a ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure a 3'x5" rectangle.
2. Use a utility knife (T2) and cutting mat (T`) to cut out rectangle.
3. Discard scraps.
4. Use a ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure and draw "T" shape that is 5"x1".
5. Use a pencil (T4) to draw "squiggle" lines resembling a realistic jellyfish tentacle.
6. Use scissors (T6) to cut out tentacle (P2) and discard scraps.

Step 5: Constructing the Jellyfish Hat

Part P3: Jellyfish Hat
1. Use ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure 20" diameter circle on cardboard (S1)
2. Use utility knife (T2) and cutting mat (T1) to cut out circle.
3. Use utility knife (T2) to score 2" in and fold in.
4. Use ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure 2  2"x1/2" rectangles in the center and parellel to each other. Measure 2" in from the fold. 
5. Use utility knife (T2) and cutting mat  (T1)  to cut out both rectangles.
6. Discard cut-out rectangles. 

Step 6: Constructing the Jellyfish Hat Strap

Part P4: Jellyfish Hat Strap
1. Use ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure a 25"x7" rectangle on cardboard (S1).
2. Use ruler (T3) and pencil (T4) to measure T shape on both ends 1" down and 1 1/2" in from left and right side. 
3. Use scissors (T6) to cut out strap (P4).

Step 7: Parts List

Step 8: Assembling #1

Put tentacles (P2) into neck piece slot (P1) by folding edges of of the T on the tentacle(P2) and then slide into neck piece slot (P1). Unfold once inserted (repeat 8 times ).

Step 9: Assembling #2

Place strap for hat (P4) into slats in the jellyfish hat (P3) by folding in edges of T.
Then insert into slots, then unfold.

Step 10: Assembling #3

Place neck piece (P1) over head.

Step 11: Assembling #4

Place jellyfish hat (P3) on head and strap for hat (P4) rests on the chin. Congratulations! You have now created and assembled your costume!





See attachment for a fully-detailed and printable version of the steps.