Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Loofah (Bath Pouff) costume How to.


I am getting loads of emails about how to make this bath puff/loofah costume that my daughter wore last Hallowe'en. This is a no sew project that anyone can make. It is made in 2 pieces and can easily be removed to use the toilet if needed. You will need a tank and shorts or body suit in nude or similar color to your netting. Younger children could wear leggings and a gymnastic leotard. 

My 6 easy steps are written below along with a mock up for photos.

There are a number of ways you can make this. Essentially you need to make smaller pouffs of netting (make them with netting as you would make a pompom) and attach them to yourself. You can tie them onto a couple of pieces of elastic that goes around your waist and middle, or attach them onto a body suit. The gist is, make small pouffy bundles and attach them to yourself, kind of like how you would make a pompom. My directions are below but you can find out how bath puff #2 made hers HERE

You need 20 -25 yards of netting from Fabricland, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby or other fabric shop. Apparently Michaels does not have NETTING Please do not buy Tulle.... You need NETTING. It comes on a bolt I think is 36`tall and already folded into half.  DO NOT UNFOLD IT. It is too much to manage that way. You will also need enough elastic to make a loop around your waist and another just below your bust line. As well you need 1/4 " elastic. 8 - 10 pieces about 8" long each piece or ribbon to cinch the middle of the puff (pom pom) and tie it onto the waist band. You can add a nice corded rope to the finished pouff and a bar of soap.  Below are my instructions, with photos of a mini version I made to show you how to do this. Essentially you are making 2 waist bands to go around your middle and then attaching little pouffs (pom poms)of fabric to these waist bands all the ways around to create layers of pouffs. You can experiment to find the right length to fold them. If it hangs too low, untie the pouff and refold it into more layers to make it shorter. Different bodies will need different lengths and numbers of pouffs.

You will end up with 2 little "skirts of fabric. You put the elastic around your waist as you would a skirt. One layer will sit on top of the other. The girls in the photo are petite. If you are bigger you can make your pouffs a little longer or add a few more. You can wear leggings, shorts, bodysuit or whatever is comfy underneath.

I made a mini example with some netting. See below.
Cut 1 piece elastic to fit you waist. Cut another one to fit under your bust. Tie in a knot.

1. First take 20 yards of your netting (some of you may need 25 yards so you will have more sections )and cut it into 90" lengths. Make sure you are leaving your netting doubled 72" folded over to be 36"H (it comes that way) 

You will have eight (or more if you wish)  90" W x 36" H double thick sections.

2. Fold each of your 90" pieces into  half, and then half again so it is 4 double layers thick. and will measure about 22.5" W (or fold it into 5th's if you find your pouffs are too long) Once you fold it it will be 22.5" wide and 4 double layers thick. but you can experiment....you may need to fold it smaller so it ends up 20" W. so the pouffs are shorter. You can make some shorter, some longer. Up to you.

3. Take one of your 1/4 elastic pieces (you can use ribbon if you prefer) and tie the netting in the middle. You will have a 11.25" above the knot and 11.25" below. (IF YOU FIND IT HANGS TOO LOW REFOLD IT INTO 5THS AND MAKE EACH END 10") It will be like a bow tie or a pom pom. Same idea. If you find it too floppy make it 10" each end (20" total width tied in middle)

4. Tie 5 bundles to the waist elastic. Tie 3 bundles to the bust elastic. If you find this is not puffy enough or you need more coverage you can simply tie on some extra pouffs. IF IT HANGS TO LOW, UNDO THE POUFFS AND MAKE EACH ONE SHORTER BY FOLDING INTO 5THS NOT 4ths.

Like this.....TIE EACH POUFF TO THE WAIST BAND. YOU CAN LEAVE THE ELASTIC OR RIBBON USED TO TIE YOUR POUFFS ON HANGING DOWN, OR ONCE YOU GET IT RIGHT YOU CAN SNIP THEM A BIT SHORTER.
5. You can cut some of the folded edges to make it pouffier if you like.

6. Pouff your self up. Wear at least two layers of pouffs. You can add another layer and more pouffs at any time to accomodate your figure.

87 comments:

  1. I am as impressed with the tutorial as I am by the costume..Great job! <3

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  2. I am envisioning millions of poof costumes ~ thanks to you ~ this year! I am going to make one and I'm 71 years old!!!! Thanks so much.

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  3. I had to check this out to make sure you were not slinging homophobic insults in my (Bath) direction, when I read the title, Raz. Carry on.

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  4. Love this! And so easy! Wish I had a party to go to, I'd make one for myself! :)

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  5. Such a cool idea for a costume. (I was thinking of two people going together - one being a bar of soap and the other the puff.

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    1. that whats me and my boyfriend are doing this year !! :)

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  6. how would you attach the rope & soap? & what would you use for that?

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  7. This is amazing! my friends and i are planning to make this costume for halloween THAK YOU!!! so much, this is so helpful

    REALLY THANK YOU!!!

    you have a twitter account?, i would like to sent you pictures of our finished costumes
    :)

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  8. These costumes are adorable! I represent The Village Company. We market personal care products nationally, and I wanted to know if you'd give us permission to use this image in our monthly newsletter? I'd also like to link to your very thorough tutorial here. Please let em know what you think.

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  9. Awesome Idea! Can I share on my blog???? Please reply to:
    mel_rose6875@hotmail.com

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  10. So cute! I am starting on this costume right now :)

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  11. what do you use for the material??? You said not tulle and "netting" is not specific enough cause buyin online-can't find anything besides fence netting, thick netting etc and the kind that looks like tulle but is not tulle.

    where did you get it???? Help!!! Halloween Costume Party on Monday!! For Columbus Day, but i wanna be a puff ball :)

    xoxo kiwiturtle.
    please reply
    love the idea!!!!

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    1. At the fabric store, it is literally called "netting," but more specifically, "nylon matte netting." It's almost always next to the tulle. You'll know the difference because tulle is softer and has smaller holes. my suggestion would be to take an actual shower puff with you.

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    2. Thanks Miss Niecey...It is NETTING. Looks similar to Tulle. Thank you for clarifying.

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  12. I went to Fabricland. They had Tulle that you would use for a bridesmaid underskirt and then they had netting.....a slightly coarser type of tulle. Think of a bath puff you buy in the drug store...it is that soft netting that those are made of. If you cannot find netting you could use tulle.

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    1. thank you soooo much!!!! :)
      please post more of these ideas!

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  14. What do you use for the rope? If I use Netting that is 72" wide how many yards would i need?

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    1. I am not totally sure, but I assume you would use 10 yards instead. You could start with 10 and then add more if needed.

      For the rope, go to Fabricland and purchase the cording that goes into making piping. They have it in thick sizes. Or go to a hardware store and buy a white rope.

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    2. did you find out how much Netting to buy if it is 72"?? I'm facing the same problem too. The instructions say the bolt is 24" folded so unfolded is 48", the 72" from fabricland folded is 36" so I'm assuming we still need to buy 20 yards but just have a lot extra?

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    3. I think I may have made a mistake saying it was 24 inches, I think it was 36. Sorry about that. SO you would need 20 yards still.

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    4. thank you for your quick reply! I was originally going to cut it to 24", luckily I didn't make it yet. Great tutorial!

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    6. Laurie.Unfold it to make it 36" W (folded once).

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    7. I just made one, with the help of this handy blog! Since I'm a girl with a fuller figure, I needed 25 yards instead of 20.

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  15. How did you attach the "rope". kathy

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  16. Hi! i've read your original tutorial a million times..i'm glad i wasn't the only one who didn't understand completely. and i didn't know how to ask you how to do it all !! The new added How To is amazing and perfect. definitely doing this this Halloween. thanks so much for the pictures and all the instructions again!!! Much appreciated! <3 -p

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  17. Thanks for the inspiration! I did finished tying all of the pieces on to the elastic bands last night but when I started to fluff I realized that one end was 'fluffable' aka it was the open side of the fabric- the end, and the other side was not 'fluffable' it was the folded side of the fabric.

    Did you cut the folded ends to make each end fluffable?
    Hope this makes sense.

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    1. Sarah I just finished mine as well, I had to cut the folded ends open in order to be poofy enough. I figure that with the help of my friends on Halloween I will be poofy enough!

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  18. Anyone accidentally buy tulle and come back to read that you need netting? Shoot! Think it will still work? I'm making a truffula tree (from the Lorax) costume for my daughter using this tutorial. Hope the tulle works!!!

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  19. I just made the coolest truffula tree using this tutorial! I can't thank you enough! SO EASY!

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    1. Em, I am so glad you had success with the costume. It could be adapted to make other costumes....you should post a picture of your tree if you have a blog.

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  20. Would you recommend cutting the folding side of the 8 "bow ties" to make if pouffier? I just finished mine and I am finding there are many gaps/sparse areas. I am roughly the same size as the girls in the picture. Or would you recommend adding more bow ties?

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    1. Hi Sarah, I would add some more puffs. You can cut the side of a few of them, but try to leave some joined as a real bath puff has looped netting. I am finding there are different thicknesses of netting. Some is more like tulle. We used a nice thick one, so that may be why it was puffier. Good luck.

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  21. I just made mine I used big bubble wrap and cut some up and put it in some layers to keep it fluffy they look like soap bubbles... Just love it and some bling bling finished it off.

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    1. Post a pic! I'd love to see how the bubbles look. I may at that to mine. :-)

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  22. Thank you for the Tutorial! I have bought my netting and just about to embark on making this, hope it turns out as well as it did for your girls!

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  23. just finished mine thank you so much!!! this tutorial was great and I agree I think your post has probably sparked loofah costumes across the globe this year :)

    just wondering if your girls did anything special to keep their puff fluffed (hair spray etc) it's hard to keep mine fluffy the way your girls have it so nicely in the photo

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  24. I love this costume so original! Im doing it this week for a halloween party with my friends! I would love to send you the pictures when we finish them! Great tutorial!

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    1. Laura, I would love to see your photo...I may even post a link for all the puffs.

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  25. Me and my sister decided to be this for Halloween. We drove to micheals. They did not have any 'netting' as you call it. We bought some tulle. Our costumes looked like tutus. We drove back to micheals to get more. I have wasted 4 hours of my life on this not to mention gas money and 40 dollars worth of tulle.

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    1. Kasia, I did specify Netting, not tulle. It looks similar but it has a different look.

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    2. I have a friend that made a tutu with tulle, and ran into the same proble, but we fixed it. The trick is to cut the pieces smaller. So take all the pieces you cut originally, and cut them in half. Make sure you do it width wise. For some reason, shorter tulle looks puffier.

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  26. What kind of shoes did they wear? I made the costume tonight, but I'm stuck on shoes! Thanks so much for the awesome tutorial! -emily from georgia!

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    1. Hi Emily, they both wore high heels but you could wear flip flops or other comfy sandal. Have fun wearing it.

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  27. Razmataz- This is the most amazing costume I have ever seen, and it is so simple to make! I am doing a MudRun in November that has a contest and I thought this would be perfect! Clean bath Loofah at a 5k Mud RUn! I am so excited. I ordered 40 yards of fabric just in case I am a moron and screw this amazing outfit up!
    Thank you for the idea!!!

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  28. I'm actually having a lot of problems with this! once tied to the elastic (i used ribbon to tie up the netting bunches - way easier than working with elastic), the netting is so long! it doesn't stay pouffed up.

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    1. It sounds like you used tulle instead of netting. Refer to my reply above. I posted a tip on how to fix that.

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  29. I attempted to make this tonight, but apparently mis-read the length of elastic to cut for tying the bundles together-- completely my fault, which makes sense as to why I could not figure out how to attach the bundles to the elastic bands for my waist and bust. The craft store I visited to purchase my material did not have 20 yards of any 1 color, so at the suggestion of the craft store lady, I bought 2 colors. Any advice on how to integrate both colors into the costume so it won't look funny? I got a bright green and a pale ivory. Can the layers be split up and the green and ivory stacked together before tying bundles together, or will that make it too difficult to fluff up after?

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    1. I did the same thing, and just finished mine tonight. I did purpleish pink and green Not to brag, but it turned out awesome!

      Send me your email address, and I will send you a pic. :-)

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    2. You can use elastic or ribbons to tie them on. And if you make them a bit longer you can easily untie them.

      You could mix the bundles as you go around which would look really pretty.

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  30. I used this blog to make mine, and it worked great. Here are a few tips:

    1) Buy "NYLON MATTE NETTING"

    2) Do not buy from Michael's. Try Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's Fabric or some other fabric store.

    3) Check of the store has a coupon. Both JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby currently have 40-50% coupons thru 10/31. I SAVED TONS OF $$$ ON MATERIAL!

    4) It's better to OVERestimate than underestimate, or else you'll have to make multiple trips.

    5) Use individual pieces of elastic or ribbon to tie the pieces into the bows, and then attach them tothe bigger piece that wraps around your waist/bust. This makes it easier to add or remove bows later.

    6) If you still find gaps, consider adding a third row.

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    1. 7) Do smaller bows if you need more fluff. I made 1/2 to 1 yard bows, and it helped fill in the gaps.

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  31. MissNiecey,

    I am a sewer and I KNOW fabrics. I did not use tulle.

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    1. Also, good point about the coupon. I was looking at $40 of netting at Joanne's and if you go on Google Maps on your phone and see the listing for Joanne's, you might see a coupon that you click on and it gives them a barcode to scan for 50% off!

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    2. Hi Kitty, You can try making each bundle a little shorter. Just untie them and re-bundle with another fold. This may help.

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  32. I just finished making mine..
    Well ended up with just a top part. I bought 20 yards and felt like I needed almost all of it for the top. I only have 2 "bows" left. I hope i can call Hobby Lobby tomorrow and see if they have more netting. There was not much to choose from to start with. So I would say you need almost twice the amount for netting. Otherwise its cool. I am a little nervous to wear it out lol!!
    Oh PS people have been asking about shoes. I am going to wear black heals. I did a black "rope" to match and black tube top and black shorts

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    1. Hi Gloria, I hope they have some more Netting left. Depending on height and size, you may need a little more. Girls in photo are only 5' tall. I think black heels will be fabulous...don;t be nervous you will look amazing.

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  33. I love this! Just finished making mine with a friend...we used netting and it stays up pretty well - we're going to use safety pins to pin up the top bunches around our busts to make sure they stay up through the night. Had to use a little more than 20 yards to get the right amount of poof, but they look fantastic! Thanks for the great idea, can't wait to rock these on Halloween!

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  34. I love this! Just finished making mine with a friend...we used netting and it stays up pretty well - we're going to use safety pins to pin up the top bunches around our busts to make sure they stay up through the night. Had to use a little more than 20 yards to get the right amount of poof, but they look fantastic! Thanks for the great idea, can't wait to rock these on Halloween!

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    1. Have fun Katie, glad it worked out well. You could buy those little velcro tabs and use instead of safety pins. Have a great halloween.

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  35. Hi,
    im about to go out and purchase these materials tonight but after reading through these instructions and a few of the comments i'm getting a little nervous! i'm not an amazingly 'crafty' person but i have some creativity - any words of advice or tips on how to make this an easy make for me? :) thanks!!

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    1. Hi. Don;t be nervous it is very easy. The trick is to buy NETTING. If you look at a real bath puff it is a plastic like netting, not tulle. Remember you need to make layers of puffs. You can follow my instructions or do it any way you can. We made them like you would make a bow or pom pom. Layers of fabric tied in the middle with ribbon or elastic. Then attache to a waist band and puff it up. I like the folds as it makes it look like a real puff. You may wish to buy extra fabric as some people seem to find it is not enough. These girls are 5' tall so depending on your size and height you may need more. So to sum up. Create 2 elastic band to go around your middle. Make a bunch of puffs (pompoms) to attach to the waist band and then pouff it up. Good luck.

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  36. How do you tie 5 bundles on each elastic loop if you only have 8 bundles total? We tried making this costume per your directions and it turned out really awful :( Waste of $40 each :( The loofah isn't full enough and the bundles are really far apart, and we are definitely not big girls!!

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    1. I had 6 bows on the top and 10 on the bottom. It was awesome!! Everyone loved it!

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  37. You tie 5 bundles onto the elastic that goes around your waist and then 3 bundles on the elastic that goes around your bust. Make sure they are evenly spaced abound the 2 "skirts" of elastic. Then puff them up by unspreading the layers. It is a bit like making pompoms or bows. Fold fabric into layers and then tie in the middle and spread the netting out. I am not sure what is going wrong.

    You could try cutting the tulle into smaller bundles, typing them into a pouff and then attaching them to the elastic waste bands.

    Hope it works out.

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  38. Just finished making mine! I'm really excited! I am having a little trouble though. I am pretty close to height and size as the girls in the picture. (I'm 5'2" and 115lbs) The five sections seem great around my waist. But I seem to be having some issues with the top. There seems to be A LOT of gaps. Is this something that can be fixed if I just keep poofing it? Help! Thank! :)

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    1. Leigh, just keep puffing it, and perhaps add a couple more to the top layer. Good luck.

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  39. Thank you so much for the directions, I saw the photo of the girls on pinterest and googled for the "how to" - I never would have guessed it would be so easy! I just made mine, I'll be a lavendar puff, and only have to decide what to wear under - shorts if it's nice, leggings if it's cold!

    I was thinking next year to make one in white and be a cloud! lol.

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  40. I have been working on these for my 12 year old daughter and her 3 friends for the last 3 weeks and I am at my wits end. First of all, I bought 1" elastic, too fat. Now I bought 1/2", still too fat. Next, 5 bundles on the waist just makes it around, but it seems as though the Netting is too long and it looks like a TuTu on my daughter. So we decided to safety pin it. When I did that, she liked it, however, it barely covers her. I am seriously doing something wrong. I am out so many hundreds of dollars already and all these parents are expecting me to finish this. What am I missing? How can something so easy to so many, be so hard to me? My family is entirely made of seamstresses and I have never been so perplexed!!!! Help, I'm running out of time.

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    1. Silia, I don;t know how 1" elastic would be too wide. You are making a little tutu like skirt and this is the waist band to which you attach the puffs. You can use the thinner elastic to make the bundles. You need to take the bundles apart and fold them again so they are shorter. Make it like a pom pom, folded fabric and tie in middle then tie it onto the "skirt" (waist) elastic. You could make more smaller puffs if you find that it is not enough coverage. One of the girls made a bunch of smaller puffs and then pinned them onto a body suit. Hope that helps.

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    2. Silia, please read this post again, I have simplified the instructions.

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    3. Okay, once my mother did it with me yesterday, we finished all the leg work for 4 costumes in less than 40 minutes. What my big problems were was the width of each netting. They were all different. The ones that were 72" we did into fourths rather than halves and the shorter ones were in thirds. End of the day they were all the same length from the the center elastic of the pom pom to the edges. Now all we have to do is attach them to the waist and bust line. My mom thinks the elastic isn't a good way to go since they could loosen up and fall. But we haven't worked that part out yet. But thank so so much for giving me the confidence that I could indeed make these. I'll post pictures when we finish. Wish me luck, and pray for the hurricane to pass us!

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    4. So glad it worked out for you. I think the elastic will be fine if you make it nice and snug. Hope the girls have loads of fun wearing them.

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  41. I bought my netting at Fabricland - 20 metres. I think the bolt is 72" wide folded in half and then half again.

    1)cut out 9 x 90" sections
    2)opened each panel up and refold into thirds so that each section is 90" x 24"
    3)Next I folded the long part into thirds so now I have 30" x 24"
    4)cut all folded sides/edges as I feel that it puffs more
    5)removed 1 layer from each bundle to create a 10th bundle (extra coverage) so now you have 9 bunches with 8 layers and 1 bunch with 9 layers)
    6)tied the elastic by bunching the shorter side (24") so you have 12" on either side of the knot (I found tying this way is less long and floppy and creates more coverage)
    7)tied 4 bunches to the top elastic and 6 bunches to the bottom elastic

    I made 6 this way and it fits my friends and I who range from 5'2 to 5'7. I will try to post some pics :)

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    1. Hi Lisa, thank you for adding your how to. Mine were about 90 x 22.5, but like you say you can cut it, add a bunch, remove a layer to make it work.

      Have fun wearing it.

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  42. i just want to ask if you have any idea how i can cover my face if i wear this costume

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    1. Wear a partysuit in a matching color. http://www.partycity.com/category/halloween+costumes/mens+costumes+accessories/morphsuits.do

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  43. I totally just got done making this. But I added "bubbles" by attaching clear plastic ornaments to the places where the netting seemed scarce. Held everything together and looked adorable! Pictures to come on Halloween! ;) Thanks for the idea (and the great tutorial!)

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  44. So four years later, I'm trying to make this costume for myself. I think it's a cute idea that I wanted to execute for this Halloween. I do have a question. Step 2 says the netting is folded to be 22.5" x 36". Step 3 then says the netting is to be folded in the middle with 11.25" on either side of the knot. I don't follow this step. Wouldn't it be 18" on either side of the knot? I've followed the instructions, but the length on my poofs seems very long and I'm wondering if I tied/folded it incorrectly. Please help!

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I love to read each and every comment and are thrilled that you take the time to send one. Thank you so much. Chania