Introduction: Spider Costume
For this Halloween, my hockey loving, HEXBUG crazy second-grader decided he wanted to be a spider. The costume needed to be lighthearted but tough enough to survive the horseplay in the class rooms and hallways, as well as the scheduled school parade. It also had to look fantastic, of course! What if he blurts out in public "MY MOMMY MMMMADE IT!"??? - don't want to hide under any brown paper bag, for sure!
So I put the ideas down on paper and after some tweaking (and lots of cajoling) here's how the big, bad but awfully cute spider-boy came to be:
The spider legs were made with black socks stuffed with newspaper and plastic groceries bags. A chopstick tightly taped to a strip of cardboard and inserted into each of the socks kept them from bending.
The legs were then secured on a hard cardboard base with hockey-clear tape and hockey-stick tape: the cardboard base was light but sturdy; the clear tape would not ruin the socks just in case I want to reuse them for another project; hockey-stick tapes are stretchable and very strong, good enough to hold everything together!
The spider body was simply a black garbage bag (just the bottom portion only) that was shaped into an oblong shape with bunched up newspapers and covered with a piece of black fuzzy fabric.
The body and legs were attached to my son's back (very much like a backpack) using shoulder straps fashioned out of large black elastics and green fasteners from an old Old Navy lunch box.
I decided to try face painting but had the feeling that my 7-year-old boy was not the best candidate to let me experiment on him (not a surprise, right?). So I used Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile Express and sketched out a few different designs a couple of days before Halloween. My son liked the sample sketches so much that he decided it was definitely worth sitting still - all of the 15 minutes it took me to apply the makeup.
We were quite happy with the results and needless to say, the costume was a big hit at school! The 'legged-backpack' was a perfect fit over a long sleeve black shirt and jacket, the makeup was dramatic and great theater as it was really spooky looking in the dark Halloween night, and my son was channeling his fellow Arachnids with glee. And no. No brown paper bag for me. But I did bug my son a million times - "You DID say that your mom made it, right? right?".

Finalist in the
Autodesk Employee Halloween Contest
13 Comments
4 years ago
How cute! This looks like a great variation on the 'Little Warm Spider Costume' that's on Instructables.
Good job!
6 years ago
I see that you put some type of brown back on the side that goes against the wearer's back. What type of fabric did you use for that?
Reply 6 years ago
It's felt. Found it at the dollar store, cheap felt scarf that I cut off. It's very easy to find if you live in an area where it's currently winter like I do :)
6 years ago
Excellent. I've been looking all over for instructions on how to make a spider costume for my daughter who wants to be, a "black widow" she says. So glad I join instructables. Looking forward to making it
8 years ago
Omg that face painting! AWESOME,
9 years ago on Introduction
It looked like the design started out with three straps but then I only say two straps that seemed to connect together with the fasteners. Did you eliminate the waist strap or is it just not shown perhaps? Love the design, I'm gathering supplies to make it today for my 4 year old!
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
You noticed! Yes, I got rid of the waist straps at the end, as the shoulders ones were quite good enough and also less complicate.Thanks for your comment, that's exciting! I hope it works out!
10 years ago on Introduction
Here's me when I was little.
10 years ago on Introduction
If the author has a little baby you could dress he/she as a fly.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
A fly nicely wrapped in spider silk... That sounds like a excellent idea and could make a convenient costume for a young baby!
10 years ago on Introduction
Ahhhh! I hope he's not poisonous.
10 years ago on Introduction
That is awesome and the face painting is amazing!
10 years ago on Introduction
Awe!!!! Super cute!