I love the 1992 version of Dracula. The costumes. The camp. Gary Oldman having the time of his life. Eiko Ishioka’s armor from the beginning of the movie is the coolest I’ve ever seen. So I decided Joey was going to be another vampire this year. The red robe and wonderfully weird hair is iconic, and was parodied in subsequent movies. (Anyone else own a DVD of Dracula Dead and Loving It? No, just me? OK.) I had to buy some red fabric and yarn, but otherwise I had everything else. Surprisingly, Joey kept the costume on and even fell asleep in it. The instructions are for the headdress only.
Supplies:
- mesh hair donut (the kind you use to make a perfect bun)
- white yarn (I bought 2 small baby weight ones)
- Thin elastic
- Scissors, needle, thread, floral wire
Cut the mesh bun so you have one long piece. Wrap the white yarn around the each form multiple times, concentrating the yarn in the middle to imitate the real thing. Use some wire or yarn to bat down the middle of the mesh piece, so it mimics a hairline. Cover the form completely, I used almost a whole roll of yarn. If you cover up the loose ends, you shouldn’t have to worry about sewing the yarn in place. On the ends, cover the sides by swirling the yarn and sewing into place. This was sort of a pain as I didn’t always place the needle deep enough, so gluing might be easier.
To make the braid in the back, cut pieces of yarn about 10 inches long. Knot the pieces of yarn in place along the bottom of form. However thick you want the braid will determine the number of yarn pieces. Once you have enough yarn, braid it and tie it off at the end.
Cut a piece of elastic to keep the headdress in place. I eyeballed it, but if you decide to measure aim for an inch shorter from ear to ear. Attach the elastic to either side of the headdress with thread or glue.
Your little headdress is good to go! Now as to how to get your cat to keep it on….I wish you luck.
If you want to make a similar cape, here is a link- The Great Cat Caper
I suppose this could also be used if you want to turn your cat into a little George Washington….maybe next year!
The Dupery 