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Lion Costume

Sweat suit costumes are great for babies and toddlers because they are comfortable and cute! And what's even better, if you remove the stitching, you can re-use the sweat suit when Halloween is over. Here's how to make these easy costumes:

• An orange, gold or light brown sweat suit with hood
• Brown or dark gold yarn
• Needle and brown thread
• Swatch of material that matches sweat suit (doesn't have to be exact)
• Paper and pencil and scissors
• Small amount of stuffing (optional)

Ears:
Draw two rounded ears onto the paper, then cut them out. Place them on the swatch of fabric and trace the pattern. Cut out the ears and put them aside. Next, cut a rectangle about 6 inches by 12 inches out of the remaining fabric. Put aside.

Mane:
Thread some yarn onto a needle and begin sewing large loops on the hood for the mane. Start at one side of the hood, about 1 inch from the elastic (try not to sew through the elastic). The loops should be about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Continue sewing until you have reached the other side of the hood. For a fuller look, sew another row of loops directly behind the first row.

To finish the head, sew the ears (using thread) into place by folding the bottom of the ear down onto the hood and sewing it so it stands upright. Curve the ear as you sew to give it more strength. The head is finished!