When Giselle sent me this picture of her daughter, Toulouse, the cutest chicken in the whole wide world, I asked if she could possibly share her chicken costume making wisdom with us.

She graciously agreed to do so....ya know, in all her spare time.....being a full time DOCTOR and mother of an almost 2 YEARL OLD daughter and soon to be 6 MONTH OLD baby boy.

So, MERCI GIZ!

Here goes.

Chicken Costume

Why did this baby chicken cross the road? To get to the Halloween party, of course. Her costume is made from two tickly feather boas, ordinary kitchen gloves, yellow tights, and a pilot's cap that's crowned with a felt comb. Under the plumage, two leotards are stuffed with batting for extra plumpness. Appropriate for children ages 3 and older.

Tools and Materials

2 white long-sleeved leotards
One bag of loose wool batting
2 heavyweight white feather boas
Safety pins
Two 8-by-10-inch pieces of red wool felt
White pilot's cap
Hot-glue gun
Yellow rubber gloves
Sneakers with a heel tab

Chicken How-To

For the bodysuit, place one leotard inside the other; stuff batting between them, and sew together at necklines and leg holes. With your child wearing the bodysuit, drape boas across and around the body; safety-pin in place.

Remove costume from child, and hand stitch in place every 4 inches.

For the hat, use the comb template to cut two pieces of felt. Stitch combs together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving the bottom open. Turn right side out; stuff peaks with batting. Stretch hat over a ball or other round object; attach comb using the hot-glue gun on a low setting.

For the feet, stuff fingers of gloves with batting. Slip sneaker into glove, palm side down. Pull glove taut so fingers arch up (to prevent tripping); cut slit in center of glove from tongue of shoe to heel tab. Pull end of slit beneath heel. Snip extra cuff, leaving 2 inches; cut a notch at each corner. Fold sides in; secure with hot glue. Fold bottom up and top down; glue.

For more do-it-yourself costume ideas visit http://www.marthastewart.com/271882/animal-costumes-chicken-costume-lamb-cos.

Photo by Giselle Dugas

Photo by Giselle Dugas

Photo by Giselle Dugas