Swan Dress Bjork Costume DIY

I love Halloween. I wish it happened once a month every month as opposed to once a year. It is a night where you can be whatever and whomever you want to be! For me it is an excuse to make a fun costume. This year I made a Swan Dress, very similar to Bjorks. Instead of nylons and a nude body suit like Bjork, I wore tights and a black leotard. Sort of a mix of Bjork/swan queen/ballerina. Here is a tutorial (inspired by A Beautiful Mess), so you can make your own!

Materials;

1 yard white fabric (I used simple cotton)

Scraps of orange fabric

Scraps of black fabric

Sewing machine or needle and thread

10 yards white tulle

Elastic

Hook and Eye Clasp

Batting

Tape Measure

Sissors

Steps;

This seems long and complicated but really is quite easy.

For the Head and Neck;

Use a tape measure and measure from your waist around your neck and down to your waist again.

This will be the neck and head of the swan.

Using pencil draw a line on the white fabric the length of what you measured.

Outline the width (about 5 inches) of the neck, make it wider at the bottom and rounded and wider for the head.

Cut two identical shaped strips.

Cut the black scrap for the eye. Sew onto one of the white strips.

Sew the white strips together around the edges.

(make sure the black eye is on the inside)

(leave the bottom open)

Flip right side out.

Cut the orange scraps to be a beak, sew 2 of the three sides.

Flip right side out, stuff, and sew to the back of the head.

Stuff head with batting.

You have now completed the swan head and neck.

For the Skirt/ Tutu;

Measure around your waist with the tape measure.

Cut elastic this length.

Hand sew hook and eye clasps onto elastic.

Secure elastic around waist.

Cut long strips of tulle about one foot wide by twice the length you want the skirt.

Loop strips over and through the waist band.

Repeat until desired fullness is achieved.

Hand sew loosley around waist to keep tulle in place.

Remove skirt and sew around the top and bottom edge of the elastic to create a waistline.

To finish;

Sew bottom of neck to the waistline

I sewed one piece of tulle from skirt to the back of the neck.

What were you for Halloween this year? Already dreaming of next years costume..

Photos by Katrina Gaddis