DIY Japanese costumes for boys

Usually, during holidays in kindergarten and school, teachers assign roles. These can be fairy-tale characters, animals, national costumes. But New Year's parties most often take place in the form of a carnival, that is, everyone puts on the costume of their favorite hero. Girls, of course, all want to be princesses: Cinderella, Thumbelina, the Little Mermaid, Snow White, etc. And boys now choose mainly some kind of superheroes. This is Batman, Spider-Man, Knight and Musketeer. A samurai costume will look very original.

This image of a real warrior will suit any boy; making the costume is not difficult, since it is not made of fabric. You don't need any sewing skills or a sewing machine. Therefore, any parent can make such an outfit; it would be nice to involve dad or grandfather.

DIY New Year's samurai costume for a boy

Required tools and materials

We will immediately please those who are not particularly “friendly” with a needle and thread, since creating a mysterious ninja costume is a fairly simple and entertaining process. The most important thing is the right suit colors and eye-catching accessories.

Since the ninja suit is multi-component, we will need a wide variety of materials:

a piece of fabric (pure cotton/velvet);
black loose-fitting trousers (with elastic);
sports gloves (optional, for older boys);
black socks/knee socks;
black Czech shoes/sneakers/flip-flops;
fake edged weapons;
spectacular emblem in the form of a dragon/symbol of opposites (ying-yang);
foam;
black threads;
scissors;
centimeter.

Before you start creating the details of the costume, it is important to decide what exactly it will be. There are several options. Firstly, you can use a sweatshirt and pants with an elastic band, then the hood will act as a headdress, and the mask needs to be made separately.

Secondly, you can use pieces of fabric to create a headdress and a mask, put pants on your legs, tuck them into knee socks, and separately sew something like shoulder pads. We will focus on the combined option. So, let's go!

Components of a samurai costume

A warrior's outfit from Japan consists of elements, each of which is made separately.

Cape for chest and back. Serves the warrior as protection from a sword strike. Made from metal or thick leather. So that the warrior could move freely, the entire “chain mail” was presented in the form of separate strips, which were tied together with metal rings or belts.
Shoulder protectors. They are attached to the “chain mail” on the sides of the samurai suit.
Helmet on the head. Usually it was decorated with frightening elements - horns, a scary mask.
Protective leg guards.
Sleeves that protected hands from blows.
Sword.

Necessary materials

We will make a samurai costume for a child’s New Year’s holiday from thick corrugated cardboard. You will need a lot of it, so prepare several boxes in advance or one that was left over after purchasing a large piece of equipment: a TV, washing machine or refrigerator.

To secure the elements together, you will need a beautiful bright rope. If you decide to paint the cardboard in some color, then you need to buy a rope in a contrasting shade so that all the connections look impressive.

You will also need to stock up on PVA glue. When purchasing, check that it is not liquid, then the thick cardboard will hold well. Also prepare a sharp awl and a wooden cutting board, a pencil, a ruler, scissors, and a hook.

"Chain mail"

We begin making a samurai costume for a boy with the most important and central detail. This is a cape over the shoulders or “chain mail”. Outwardly, it resembles a vest, only it consists of separate strips. First, measurements are taken of the child from shoulder to waist, the length of the shoulder itself and chest circumference. If you don't have enough cardboard, don't worry. Protection can only be done from the front and back. And insert simple elastic bands or make ties on the sides.

Next, transfer the measurements onto the corrugated cardboard with a pencil. Adding a neckline. We make a large semicircle so that the cardboard does not touch the child’s body and does not rub. If you have a boy’s vest, then you can put it on paper and trace it approximately along the contour, as if using a template. It turns out to be a cardboard part. Then you need to draw horizontal stripes, approximately 10-15 cm each.

Our “vest” will be represented by several stripes that will need to be cut along the contour. But first you should consider the option of fastening the parts together. Therefore, before cutting, it is necessary to draw two vertical strips, descending down from the middle of each shoulder. The distance between them is 5 cm. Only then, using scissors, they finish the work with the stripes of the front and back of the “chain mail”.

Separately, cut out the elements that will hang on the upper part of the arms, from the shoulder to the middle of the forearm. Such protective devices can be of any shape. You can fasten a couple of squares together or make several thin strips attached to the shoulders with a rope or elastic band.

Advanced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costumes

If you want to attend a convention of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, then you need to approach the task more responsibly. You can take the baking dish again and make a shell out of it, but get more serious about painting the product. Usually, for adult costumes, various homemade elements are used, which are made from papier-mâché, for example. And now there is a very interesting program on the Internet called Pepakura. Using it, you can print out the entire costume and assemble it according to the instructions. Usually this program is used to make the turtle's bib, shell and head. You can also create ninja weapons yourself with the help of Pepakura.

Connecting parts

In order for all the parts to be fastened together effectively, you need to punch holes on each strip using an awl. They should be located on vertical segments drawn on each element. You can make a square template (for example, 5x5 cm) and circle it. Then the holes will be at the same level, and the stitched structure of the samurai suit will be symmetrical.

Then, using a hook, we make lacing with a rope. You can “stitch” the holes with the letter “X”, as in the photo. When all the verticals are fastened together, you need to tie the rope on top of the shoulders. You can fasten the front and back of the “chain mail” on the sides and shoulders with wide elastic bands, matching them to the color of the New Year’s samurai costume for a boy. Several small rectangles are attached to the bottom strip at the front and back. They are attached only from above, and from below they open freely. It turns out something like a skirt. You don’t need to do such elements at the back, because the child will not be able to sit on the chair. Or make them short, not rectangular, but square.

Step-by-step production

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume can be very simple, consisting of ordinary wardrobe items, or complex, when every element of the outfit is made.

Making a suit with an armor plate

The simplest Ninja Turtle costume consists of purchased clothing items - a green sweater with a hood (you can exchange it for a turtleneck) and tights of a similar shade (you can exchange them for dark trousers). All that remains to be done is to supplement such items with the missing parts of the outfit.

Sewing the shell-lining:

A hexagon is drawn on a blank sheet of paper, the narrowest side of which is 7 cm, the length in the center is 13.5 cm.
The workpiece is cut out and transferred to the fabric. Allowances of 1 cm are drawn separately.
6 identical hexagons are cut from the material. They are sewn together by hand or on a machine in such a way that a prototype of a circle is obtained.
When connecting hexagons, voids remain at the edges, into which triangles cut from the same fabric as the main figures are sewn.
The armor-pad is tried on a small backpack. If the dimensions match, then a long strip of fabric, folded in half, is sewn to the main element (on the side). It is sewn in a circle. If the size of the shell is not enough, then hexagons are cut out of the fabric again to cover the base. They can be cut into two parts. The figures are sewn on the sides proportionally until the shell reaches the desired size.
The fabric strip is not sewn to the end of the shell, so that 1-1.5 cm of uncovered fabric remains. An elastic band is inserted into this hole, the length of which is 5 cm less than the length of the fabric strip. The elastic must be sewn or tied very tightly.
The overlay is ready! You can put it on your backpack and try it on.

Making a mask, belt and headbands:

Strips are cut out of fabric (orange, red, purple or blue). One wide - 20 x 60 cm - and 4 narrow - 10 x 3 0 cm, plus 1 cm allowances on all sides. The first will act as a belt, the other four will act as knee and elbow bandages. To save money, you can replace the fabric with an old unnecessary T-shirt. The color of the stripes should match the shade that your favorite Ninja Turtle is wearing.
The edges of the strips are turned 1 cm to the wrong side and stitched.
A white sheet of paper is folded in half, and half of the mask is drawn on it.
The blank is cut out and transferred to felt of the appropriate color (orange, red, purple or blue).
Excess felt is trimmed off. A hat elastic is inserted into the sides of the mask. The mask is tried on the child.

Equipment:

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Sewing trousers and sweaters

A complex Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume requires individual tailoring for each element of the outfit. In this case, it will no longer be possible to use the things that are in the child’s wardrobe.

Material cutting:

The fabric is folded in half with the right side facing inward.
The children's long sleeve is folded in half, the fold line of the clothing is aligned with the fold line of the material.
The item of clothing is outlined on all sides with small or dry soap.
Allowances of 1-1.5 cm are laid.
Straight, slightly loose children's pants fold in half.
The fold line of the trousers is aligned with the fold line of the waist.
The product is outlined, allowances are added (on top - 4 cm, on other sides - 1-1.5 cm).
The material is cut out.

Tailoring:

The front and back parts of the sweater are folded together with the right sides inward and pinned together with sewing pins.
The seams are sewn on a machine, leaving the neckline, the lower part of the sleeves and the bottom of the product open.
On all open cuts, the material is turned to the wrong side by 1 cm and stitched.
Separately, you can process the neckline with bias tape.
The two trouser pieces are folded together (facing inwards) and pinned together with sewing pins.
The instep and side seams are sewn.
The upper part of the trousers is turned up 1 cm, then 3 cm and secured with a stitch, but not completely.
The lower part of the trouser legs is turned 1 cm to the reverse side and stitched.
An elastic band is inserted into the drawstring made at the top of the trousers (its length should be 5 cm less than the child’s waist circumference).

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume is ready. It must be supplemented with bandages and a belt. Their role can be performed by satin ribbons of different widths. The shell, mask and yellow belly are made separately.

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Making a three-dimensional shell

To make a voluminous shell, you need to be patient and have a large box of large household appliances.

Making a pattern and stiffening ribs:

A blank is cut out of thick cardboard, resembling an elongated oval in shape. The dimensions of the workpiece are calculated individually based on the age and parameters of the child. Average size - 30 x 40 cm.
Three diamond-shaped figures are cut out of paper, resembling one element of the shell in shape. Their approximate size is 12 x 19 cm.
Paper blanks are transferred to cardboard and cut out.
The cardboard is laid out along the base (in the center), the remaining space is filled with trapezoidal elements and halves of rhombuses. The result is a future pattern.
Two stiffening ribs are cut out of cardboard, which will subsequently give volume to the shell. These elements are a low semi-oval, the length of which is equal to the height of the base. Height is calculated individually.
The stiffeners are glued to the base using PVA glue.
The space between the ribs is filled with foam, which is also glued to the base.
After the glue has dried, several thin transverse cardboard strips are glued on top of the stiffeners. They also decorate the open sides. This will be the base for the paper.
The newspaper is cut into long, wide strips. Transverse cardboard strips are well treated with PVA glue; newspaper “flaps” are glued on top in random order.
This must be done until the entire workpiece is hidden under the strips of paper.

Painting the shell and gluing the pattern:

The well-dried blank is covered with several layers of white acrylic paint so that the newspaper font is no longer visible.
A piece of thick paper towel is glued to the top of each cardboard pattern so that all the elements are white.
After final drying of the workpiece, the pattern is glued to the shell using PVA glue.
The free space remaining between the patterns is painted with black gouache paint.
After the paint has dried, the shell is painted dark brown on both sides.
A wide, strong tape is attached to the finished shell from the inside diagonally (it can be glued with a glue gun or secured with self-tapping screws).
The same tape is attached to the outside of the shell (using a glue gun). It will perform two tasks simultaneously: hold the shell and replace the belt. That's it, the work is finished!

Warrior Leg Guard

The parts that are cut out for the legs can be of any shape. The basis for them is the same - it is the shape of a narrow and high trapezoid. You can make a template by simply placing cardboard on your child's leg. Below is a narrow part that widens before reaching the knee. In order for the protective shield to have an original shape, you need to beautifully draw the upper part. It can be semicircular and sharp, triangular and square. At the back, holes are punched with an awl into which an elastic band is inserted to hold the protective shield on the leg.

Second option. Hoodie

The basis of a Lego Ninjago costume can also be a jacket with a hood. Sewing such a sweater will not be difficult.

We take the same measurements and draw a pattern.
Cut out the parts and sew them together in the following order. First the back part is sewn to the front part, then the sleeves are sewn and finally the hood.
The cut edge should be folded and stitched with an indent of half a centimeter. Additionally, you can thread a drawstring with a length lock inside the hood.

Oversleeves

Hand protection elements are made in the same way, and the shape of the part is preserved. If you have sharp edges on the leg guards, then the arm guards should have the same sharp edges. The parts are also attached to the child’s hands using elastic bands or ties.

When the samurai costume for the New Year is ready, the most time-consuming task remains - making a helmet. This is done using tape. Manufacturing begins from the top. A polyhedron (pentagon or hexagon) is cut out.

A trapezoid is attached to each side of the figure, the upper side of which has the same edge length. This is the expanding part of the helmet. Next, rectangles are attached to the wide bottom edge of the trapezoid. The width of the side is measured on the child’s head. The helmet should drop more at the back than at the front. Then comes the expansion of the lower part of the headdress. This will protect your neck.

It is again represented by trapezoids, only the expansion goes downwards. The front of the helmet is made depending on its design. You can make a scary mask. But then the child will not be visible at the holiday. Sharp horns attached either to the front of the helmet or to the sides look beautiful. You can paint them in a bright, contrasting color.

The main attribute of the Japanese samurai costume, which all boys will definitely like, is the sword. It's easy to do. You need to cut the corrugated cardboard into thin strips, about 5 cm. Leave one, the longest one, unchanged. This will be the tip of the sword. And fold the others 4 times. This will be the handle of the weapon.

In the middle (after the 2nd layer) insert the tip and wrap it all together with tape. You can take a bright color option, for example, yellow or red. To separate the handle from the tip, you need to cut out an oval or square, in the center of which make a hole the size of the tip of the sword. Place the figure up to the handle and glue it with PVA to the thickened part of the handle.

Helmet

Decorating the outfit

To make a samurai's New Year's costume beautiful, it needs to be made bright and colorful. You can cover each element with colored paper or paint it. The contrasting edging on the edges of the “chain mail” and each element of the costume looks beautiful. The same design should be present on all parts - arm sleeves, leg guards, belt and shoulder protection. Particular attention should be paid to the design of the helmet. This is the brightest and central detail of the entire samurai costume. In the photo you can see several types of decoration for such a New Year's outfit for a boy. So choose any one as a sample.

Cultivating fighting spirit and willpower among samurai

The training of future samurai began at the age of eight and ended at 16. Boys who were to become samurai in the future were raised very harshly. Education was based on the following principles:

respect for parents;
devotion to the emperor;
respect for the teacher;
Buddhist disregard for death.

The latter had a huge role in the life of the future warrior. The Japanese say: “A parent is the one who gave life, and a teacher is the one who raised him as a person.” The boys were raised to be fearless. The father could send the child to the cemetery at night. Children were taken to public executions and forced to look at severed heads.

To develop perseverance in a warrior, the guy was forced to do hard physical work, often stay awake at night, walk barefoot in the snow, and wake up before dawn. Future samurai might not be fed for days, considering a hunger strike to be very useful.

Children were raised to be reserved and emotionally cold. If a child hurt himself and cried, then the mother could only look at him reproachfully. At the age of 15–16, boys were considered full-fledged warriors and were given real weapons: a katana and a wakizashi. The guy was given a real samurai costume: wide hakama trousers and a kimono.

Features of kimono

Translated from Japanese, “kimono” means any type of clothing. Even a beginner can cut out this wardrobe item. Everyone in the land of the rising sun wears kimonos: men, women, children. According to tradition, this item required 9 meters of fabric with a width of 30 cm.

Kimono is loose clothing that does not have strict sizes. On the back, the robe is usually cut 60 cm wide. The fronts have an allowance for wrapping. In a modern stylized version, it is required. Historically, the costume has changed, and the smell may not have existed.

Kimonos can be worn in many different ways. As a rule, it was cut a little longer than the owner’s height required. A kimono can always be made visually shorter by folding it under the belt.

The collar in the original kimono is a very voluminous detail. It is cut out of a rectangle and reaches either the waist or the hem. When looking at an antique layered kimono, you may notice something resembling a shaped skirt cutout in the upper layers of the costume. This is the edge of the collar, which in the classic ancient kimono was huge.

Cutting a kimono

In the photo below you see how to cut a kimono, saving fabric. The width of the fabric for the robe should be 110 cm. Cut the material along all solid lines. The pattern is given with all seam allowances, except for the bottom of the product. Add a few centimeters to the hem of the kimono yourself. First sew the back along the bottom seam, and then cut out the neckline.

The pattern shown here is a classic one because the back and flaps are two separate pieces. If you wish, you can make them one-piece.

Sewing a kimono

Finish the edges of the fabric with an overlocker. First of all, you need to connect the two back elements. Now you can cut out the neck. When marking, do not forget about the seam allowance.

Sew front and back along the shoulders. Don't forget to stitch the extensions to the right and left shelves.

Fold the sleeves in half. Focus on the dotted line. Sew the fabric from shoulder to wrist. You will get two pipes. Sew in the sleeves. To do this, you need to connect the middle to the shoulder seam. Sew the sides.

Place the kimono on the model. Spread the product over your shoulders and back. Wrap up a stylized robe. Now you need to bend the triangles for the collar on the shelves. It will start from the back of the neck to the bottom (set the level as you wish). Remove the suit from the model and secure the sewing elements with pins. Sew three parts of the gate into one strip. Roll it lengthwise and sew it. Next, you need to turn it out and iron it. You will receive a ribbon whose width is 5 cm.

Sew on the collar, cut off any excess. Now you need to hem the entire product at the bottom. Using this pattern, you can sew both a samurai suit for a boy and a beautiful kimono for a girl or woman. Mothers can make themselves a delicate, feminine robe using this template. A kimono can be used as a samurai New Year's costume for a children's party in kindergarten or a carnival at school.

Preparing the main elements of the costume

Let's start with the top of the suit. We will use a black long-sleeved T-shirt as a base. Our costume will be made in red and black colors. We take the child's measurements in order to sew something like a sleeveless T-shirt. We carefully trim the cutouts for the arms to prevent the fabric from unraveling. This piece will be worn over a base t-shirt.

Then we proceed to the overlay on the shoulders and chest. We take a piece of foam rubber for these purposes. We measure the volume of the child’s neck, the length of the shoulder and the distance (vertical) from the middle of the chest to the shoulder blade. We transfer the resulting dimensions to the foam rubber. We create a pattern in the form of an oval with a cutout in the center (so that the part can be freely put on over the head). We cover the finished “frame” with black cotton fabric and stitch it vertically at shoulder level to the armpits on both sides of the shoulder. On top of the T-shirt we sew the dragon emblem, trimmed with gold-colored threads.

Let's start creating the belt. To do this, we will use a piece of red fabric. We assume that the width of the finished belt should be considerable (about 10 cm).

Advice. The pattern for the belt should be prepared in such a length that the finished piece can be loosely wrapped around the waist a couple of times and still has enough length to tie the belt.

From the remains of the red fabric, we cut out four small pieces about 2 cm wide and about 30 cm long. These blanks will serve as bandages on the arms and legs.