help- how do I make a lion mane!

[mamadejose]

I am making ds a lion costume this year, but I am using a tiger pattern, so I will have to add the mane to the hood.

I am thinking that I might be able to find some long-hair fur at a craft store (there wasn't any at the fabric store)

or tack on lots of strips of brown felt

or somehow attach brown yarn

Has anyone made a lion costume? If so how did you make the mane?

Thanks,
Suzanne

[rainsmom]

I dont know if this will go with the rest of your costume,but I once saw a crafts show where they used a mop head to make hair. You can dye it and everything.......... Ive also for halloween costumes gone to good will and bought a coat with faux fur and cut off the collar to use.........

[LdyBluNH@aol]

i like the mop head idea!!

other thoughts are to use yarn and sew it on in loops

or even to use like a felt and snip into the edges to make a fringy sort of thing; you could layer different shades of felt for more color

or fake fur

what about pipe cleaners somehow???

[mamadejose]

Thanks

I am going to try yarn first. I got a pretty good suggestion from the gal at the fabric store. She said to cut a piece of card board twice as thick as I want the main to be long, cut out a long rectangle throught the middle, then wrap it in yarn. Then lay it down over the hood and sew over the yarn in the cut out area, then cut the yarn down each side of the cardboard and lift off the cardboard. We'll see... If this doesn't work I will probable sew on felt loops

[Littlefish]

I just looked at the Joann's flyer yesterday and there is a picture of assorted "Trimtex trims by the yard" and under the picture it reads, many styles for costumes and more. In the middle of the picture is a shaggy, dark brown that my oldest pointed out would be great for a lion mane if you used two or three rows.

[suecar]

How about

looking in the home dec department of you fabric store look for trims. I work in a fabric store & we have trim that could be used as manes.
Sue L

[ldsapmom]

I was just thinking about this today. Get fleece and cut it about 4 inches wide and however long it needs to be to fit around the head (I was thinking of simple things that could be added to the hood of a sweatshirt). If I did it to fit the sweatshirt hood, I would sew it from one side of the sweatshirt hood (like where it meets the neck) to the other side, sewing exactly down the middle of the four inches (are you with me here?) Then I would get the scissors and cut the fleece in strips, on both sides of the seem, to create a mane. I would continue to add additional pieces until I felt the mane was full enough. A tail would be easy to do in the same fashion.

[ChicanaMama]

Don't know if this will work for you but I made a lion costume a few years ago. I searched local thrift stores for ideas and stumbled upon anold yellow shaggy toilet seat cover. I washed it, fluffed up the "hair" and cut a slit up the back to shape it to my dd's head. Than I ran a strip of seam binding under the area wich framed her face and ran a draw string through it. With the little left over from cutting, I made a matching tail.

[mamadejose]

chicanamama-that's a really cool idea. I bet it was cute

Well, after sewing dd's fairy costume I came accross a ready made lion on the internet that was perfect for $11.95 (same price as the pattern I already baught) so I ordered it. It came in last friday and it is great ds loves it. So I'm off the hook. Thanks for your help everyone. there were some great ideas suggested.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the fur I already baught. Maybe a big fuzzy pillow for sitting on the floor?

[leafylady]

You must tell us the internet site for the 11.95 lion. Please!

[LdyBluNH@aol]

too late for your mane but dd and i went to a show yesterday where the manes were made of tulle (ya know, that netting stuff)

the zebra had clumps of black and some white all put together; camel had brown

it was very effective!!

[mamadejose]

Here is the link, they still have them and they are soooo cute. My ds loves it and he still wants to wear it all the time. He calls it his "big ole lion costume".

http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp...iProductID=849