Ms. Nancy's Nook : Native American Indian Costume "Upgrades"

It was exciting to make a Native American Indian Shirt for granddaughter Mia for a Pow-wow! She wore the shirt a second time, so, of course, it needed "Upgrades"! Here's the directions with photos. Since I used materials I had on hand, the cost of this project = 99 cents!

First I made the shirt, and then...

...it needed "Upgrades"!

The Pants

I used a pair of elastic-waist pants to add to Mia's shirt. First, I made cuts about 1/2" wide in the pocket flap to create fringe.

To fringe the legs, I first removed the hem. I then made cuts about 1/2" wide and about 2" long at the base of each leg.

The Headband

For the headband, I "shopped" in my closet and found a fabric "Tie" belt. It was a little bit too long, so I cut a few inches off each end. (See below for how these pieces ended up!)

I measured and cut a piece of metallic braid about 3" shorter than the circumference of Mia's head.

I pinned and used a zigzag stitch to sew the braid to the center of the belt.

Next, I cut 2 - 15" lengths of soft hollow rounded trim. (99 cents for a package)

I used Tacky Glue to attach feathers to the inside of each end of the hollow trim.

I wrapped the ends of the trim with crochet thread and tied them tightly.

I staggered the ends of each rounded hollow trim, pinned, and sewed them to the headband.

I also sewed a large feather to the headband. Yes, it can be done!

The Makeup

Heejin, Mia's Mom, added makeup and braided Mia's hair.

Remember the pieces of the fabric belt that I removed? They became wristbands when I sewed more of the hollow trim to them. I then tied them to Mia's wrists.