How to Turn Your Dog Into a Fish for Halloween
Intro: How to Turn Your Dog Into a Fish for Halloween
I'm back with another dog costume! This time, I've decided to make a fish costume for Jersey. I think that she's going to be really happy when Halloween is over!
I'm entering this costume into the Halloween contest, so if you like this instructable, please vote. You can see other great costume tutorials like this one on my blog Bloggie Stylish.
As with ANY dog clothing, please supervise your dog while wearing this costume. Practice wearing the costume and walking around it in BEFORE you go out with your dog, that way you'll BOTH have a fun and happy Halloween!
STEP 1: Tools and Supplies You Will Need
You will need five different colours of large pieces of craft foam. Jersey is a 50 pound dog so I needed 2 blue pieces of foam for the body, 2 pieces of orange foam for the head, 3 pieces of yellow foam for the fins, 1 piece of red foam for the fish lips and 1 piece of white foam and black foam for the eyes. You will need more or less foam depending on the size of your dog.
Additional supplies are; all purpose glue, a flexible measuring tape, a marking pen, scissors, nylon webbing with a slide lock attached and a sewing machine.
You can get the craft foam at any craft superstore and the webbing with the slidelock attached to it, I bought at the local "Malmart" in the trailer section.
STEP 2: Measuring Your Dog
1 - The full length of the dog
2 - The length from the shoulder blade to the beginning of the hind leg
3 - The length of one side.
STEP 3: Making the Dorsal Fin
STEP 4: Sewing the Dorsal Fin to the Body
Since Jersey's measurement was 12", I didn't have to trim the blue foam down. If your dog is smaller that the total length of the craft foam, this is where you make adjustments.
STEP 5: Making the Fish Head
Now sew the top pieces of the foam with the zig zag stitch, starting 1/2" away from the edge. Once you have finished the top seam, fit the body and head together and join with sewing. Trim the head foam flush with the foam of the body.
STEP 6: Making the Side Fins
STEP 7: Making the Fish Tail
Before you sew the tail onto the body of the costume, fit it to the body and take a measurement from the start of the head to the end of the tail. To have the costume fit your dog comfortable, add two or three inches to the total length measurement that you took from your dog. Make adjustments so that it matches the measurement.
Pin the 2 pieces of the tail together and sew the tail onto the body of the costume BEFORE you sew the tail together. Remove the pin and sew the the tail together, starting closest to the body and working your way to just where the bottom curve of the tail begins. DO NOT sew the tail completely closed, it needs to be open so that the costume will fit properly on your dog.
STEP 8: Making the Fish Lips
STEP 9: Making the Fish Eyes
If you don't want to buy one 12" piece of black foam for two little pupils, just use a leftover piece of foam. You can also take a black marking pen and colour in the pupils.
STEP 10: Sewing on the Webbing
Cut a 8" to 10" piece of webbing and place the costume on your dog. Place the webbing under the costume, adjust the costume so that it fits the dog comfortably and pin the webbing in place.
With the cord lock webbing, cut the a 3" or 4" piece of webbing that has the cord lock attached to it and pin in place. Take the remaining webbing, cut a length that is appropriate to your dog and pin into place on the opposite side of the costume.
To sew the webbing, use the zig zag stitch and sew two seams for each piece of webbing, approximately one inch apart. This reinforces the webbing attachment to the costume.
Enjoy your costume and have fun of Halloween with your dog!
13 Comments
MarcelM35 6 years ago
I designed this costume about 10 years ago.
I called it.... The catch of the day.
B-Rob Dewey 9 years ago
SparkySolar 9 years ago
Thank you for your nice instructable.
Rima
josephhartley 10 years ago
ps. the picture looks good
GENERALCHAOS 13 years ago
muskogee 13 years ago
Jawa888 14 years ago
recycled-oxygen 14 years ago
Doggie Stylish 14 years ago
when i whip up another for next halloween, i'll post it. i'm always thinking.
Dragonknight 14 years ago
Awesome idea!
Koosie 14 years ago
jackbomber 14 years ago
canida 14 years ago