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Halloween Costume Ideas: Lumberjack with Beard and Axe

Do you remember my post at the end of last week, where I asked your ideas for simple Halloween costumes that I could share all throughout October??

 

Okay, I’m having way too much fun with this. 

 

I have been gathering ideas, jotting down notes, trying to pick between so many options……and yay, I’m in sewing heaven right now!  This is probably my favorite time of year to sew.  For SO many reasons.  And oh gee, there are SO MANY that I’d like to share…..but I’ll go ahead and admit that I’ll never have time to make them all.  Boooooo.  However, I’ll do as many as I can!  And will do a few posts, where I’ll share some ideas on HOW to possibly create a more difficult costume.  So stay tuned.

. . . . .

 

 

But for today…….here’s a simple little something that you could make for the boys.  Even teenage boys and yep, adult boys……they’ll all get a kick out of this! :)

 

And hahahaha……it still makes me laugh looking at how this costume ended up looking on Connor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean, come on, how you can you not giggle seeing that bearded mini lumberjack, ready to chop down a few trees with that killer axe?? HAHA!

 

 

 

 

Okay, I’ll stop.  I’m just having way too much fun with this though.

 

But this little lumberjack means business.  He’s off to find some grown trees to chop down…

 

 

 

 

Oh yes……this one will do.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh wait……you thought this guy was a real lumberjack?!?!  And that he had a REAL beard?!!  Ha…..tricked you! ;)

 

 

 

 

This soft fleece beard has two elastic loops that slide over the ears……and then a little extra fabric to cover the ears and tuck up inside the hat.  You don’t want anyone to see the edge of the beard and think it’s not real, do you?? (Hahaha!)

 

 

 

 

This kid did NOT want to take his new beard off, once it was finished.  He was a little confused too, when I said this wasn’t his REAL costume.  (I had to remind him of what was coming!!

 

Connor felt like a big ol’ grown-up with that beard on.  And was serious about that axe.  Ha!  I haven’t laughed so hard in a while! :)

 

 

 

 

In fact, when Steve came home from work yesterday and saw Connor walking around the house with this beard on, he about passed out from jealousy.  And then, before I could ask him how his day was, he disappeared into the garage to make his own axe version (the one on the right).  The man tried showing me up.  Well, I guess he did….haha!  But he was a happy man out there, making Connor a sturdier axe.   (So, if you’re into woodworking, you could skip the cardboard and broomstick version…..and make one out of wood.)

 

 

 

Oh, and in case you’re Duck Dynasty fans……this beard would work GREAT!  (Have I ever mentioned that my husband Steve is a Die Hard fan?!?!  In fact, right when he saw Connor’s beard, he immediately thought of Duck Dynasty…….and then turned into a 12-year-old boy and pleaded with me to make him a big ol’ long one that he’ll wear to work on Halloween.  He can’t decide between Willie and Jace.  Oh boy…)

 

Anyway, such a fun and quick costume idea.  In fact, this could easily be turned into a No-Sew project, by gluing the beard together, rather than sewing…..but we’ll talk about that in a minute.

 

 

 

Now, you’ll just have to excuse our little Lumberjack, as he seeks out more lumber to chop. 

(haha…..still laughing when I see these pictures.)

 

 

Would you like to make your own Lumberjack costume??

 

 

First of all, I mentioned briefly that this could all be made without sewing.  So, don’t be nervous if you’re not the best at the sewing machine.

 

But here’s what you’ll need to make your own beard and axe.

 

Supplies:

  • 1/4 yard of fleece fabric (in beard color)
  • 1/8 inch wide elastic
  • Plan Beanie Hat
  • Cardboard
  • Hot Glue
  • Broom Stick (or other sturdy stick for axe)
  • gray/silver spray paint
  • leather cording (can also be fake leather cording….or string….or whatever you have)
  • 1 inch wide elastic
  • 4 suspender clips
  • Beard and Axe Template (FOUND HERE)

 

The pattern piece provided is sized to fit my 5 year old son.  He has a pretty large head, so the sizing of the beard would probably work great for older boys too.  However, if you have a smaller boy you’re making this for, you’ll have to shrink down the template a bit.  Cut the size you think you’ll need from paper first, and then once you have the size you need, cut it out with fabric.

Then, cut out your beard pattern piece and use it to cut out the base of your beard from fleece.  The pattern piece is only half the size, so be sure to fold your fleece in half and place the pattern edge where it says “cut on the fold” along the fold of the fabric.  (If you’d like a longer beard, you’ll have to extend the bottom of the beard down as long as you’d like it.

 

 

Now, the next part isn’t an exact science and can be adjusted as needed. 

 

Cut a strip of fleece that is about 1 1/2 inches tall and is as wide as your beard base.  Lay it across the very top of the beard, and cut out the middle where the mouth hole is, exactly the shape of the mouth hole.

 

 

Cut another strip of fleece that will be placed beneath the first strip, the first strip overlapping by about a 1/2 inch.  Cut the section of this 2nd strip that covers the mouth hole as well, cutting out the exact mouth shape.

 

 

Add several more 1 1/2 inch tall strips that are as wide as the base of the beard, overlapping each one by about a 1/2 inch.  You’ll be cutting off the edges later…..but don’t trim them off until they’re each sewn in place (in case the strips shift).

 

 

Now, starting from the very bottom strip, sew it in place at the very top of the strip, about an 1/8-1/4 inch from the top of the strip.  Be sure that you’re sewing through to the beard base.  (NO-SEW OPTION: attach each of the strips with a small line of hot glue…..right at the very top and back side of each strip.  Just be sure that plenty of the strip is left unglued and can be cut into vertical strips later on.)

 

 

Continue adding each of the strips, until you have them all attached.  (Be sure that you line up the cutouts of your strips with the mouth cut out of the beard base.)

 

 

And I forgot to do this until later on, but be sure and stitch around the strip that lines up with the BOTTOM curve of the mouth opening.  You don’t want to sew around the top of the mouth because you’ll be cutting that section into strips.

 

 

Turn the beard over (face down) and trim off your extra edges from your strips of fabric.  Just follow along the contour of the beard base.

 

 

Now, begin with the bottom strip of fabric and cut narrow vertical strips all the way across, stopping each vertical snip about an 1/8 of an inch before the line of stitches.

 

 

Continue your way up the beard…

 

 

…until you’re beard is completely snipped.

 

 

Along the back, add two loops of elastic and sew the ends in place between two rows of stitches.  Just be sure to move the rows of snipped fabric out of the way on the other side, and only sew through the beard base, so that these stitches won’t be seen from the front.  Also, when deciding where to place your elastic loops, it’s best to place the beard on your subject and mark where they’ll need to be attached and how big the elastic loops need to be.  (NO-SEW OPTION: You can try attaching with hot glue…..but I think an epoxy glue would work a little better.)

 

 

 

Now, slip the elastic over each ear…

 

 

……and be sure you have enough fabric to cover the ear and tuck up into the hat.  You don’t want the edge of beard to show.

 

 

 

Now, onto the axe…

 

Cut out your paper template (from the link above) and cut 3 pieces from each axe shape, out of cardboard.

 

 

Sandwich the 3 layers of cardboard together, gluing between each layer.

 

 

Then, spray paint the axe pieces grey or silver.  Paint on both sides and all edges, letting it dry before flipping it over.

 

 

Now, the stick of the axe can be made out of anything.  I just happened to have a broomstick end that I used and cut it down to size. 

 

Glue the straight more narrow edges to the end of your stick (an inch or sew before the end).  Place them exactly opposite each other on the stick end, giving the illusion that the axe blade is going through the stick…….you know, like a real axe. :)

 

 

Then, add another line of glue along the seams of where the cardboard meets the stick.

 

 

Now, wrap your leather string around the blade and stick, creating an ‘X’.

 

 

Then, continue wrapping around the stick, below the blade…..and tuck the end into itself.

 

 

Pull the string tight, add a dab of hot glue to secure the end, and tuck it under itself.

 

 

 

And lastly, some suspenders…

 

I made these at the very last minute and just happened to have 2 suspender clips.  However, you  need 4 clips.  So, I just used my two on the front and pinned the back ones…..but if you’re making this, you’ll need all four.

 

Drape some 1 inch wide elastic over your subject and see how long you’ll need each piece.  You’ll need to measure from the front top edge of his pants, up and over his should to the back top edge of his pants.  Just be sure you’re criss-crossing the in the back.  (And don’t bother adding any more length to each elastic piece for a seam allowance because once you fold under each end and sew in place, then the elastic will be slightly smaller than needed but will stretch and fit more snug, keeping the suspenders in place.)

 

Slide each suspender clip onto your elastic ends and fold over the ends of the elastic to the back, about 3/4 of an inch.  Sew in place.

 

 

Place the elastic back onto your subject and determine where the criss-cross will need to be on the back.

 

 

Sew the elastic together right where they cross.

 

 

And that’s it……a lumberjack success!!

 

 

 Ha…..have so much fun with this! :)

And good luck!

-Ashley

 

 

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Ashley Johnston

Administrator at Make It & Love It
Ashley Johnston is a professional DIY costume maker, sewist, crafter, and owner of Make It & Love It. She is a mom of 5 and a wife to a very patient (with the craft clutter) husband. In case you’re wondering, she always chooses crafting/sewing/designing over mopping/dusting/wiping base boards……but bathrooms/laundry/full bellies are always attended to. Whew!

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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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