How to be a Hedgehog

I recently made a hedgehog costume and dressed up for an Easter event.

Half the fun was making the costume.
It was a bit of a rush, but I'm pleased with how it turned out!

Here's how I made it.

First I found a papercraft sculpture of a hedgehog (which wasn't easy!)
I enlarged the head part of the papercraft until it was big enough to make a mask.




Then I cut it out of double thick cardboard and glued it together with a gluegun.



I also made a head band so I could wear the mask comfortably and attached that to the mask.




Next I covered the whole mask with strips of gumstrip to smooth the joins in the cardboard and make the mask stronger..
You can find this in art supply stores, or picture framers.
It's better than paper mache because you don't have to wait for it to dry and it doesn't make your cardboard base soggy.






Next it was painting time!
I also gave it a coat of varnish in case it rained at the event.






Now I sewed a hood and attached it to the headband to disguise it and allow me to attach peg spines.
I also made a bib to cover my neck.






The mask is now done, so next job was hunting the charity shops for a brown hoodie or sweater.
I found one tho it was a bit tight for the job, you want a baggy one ideally so it doesn't get to tight when you attached the peg spines.

I sewed some tummy fur to the front of the hoodie using an old towel that was the right colour.





For the spines I used clothes pegs. They were half dipped in brown paint to have a more spiney effect and then pegged all over my back and hood on the day. below was just a test run, on the day  had approx. 150 peg spines.





The final touches were some brown gloves that I picked up cheap on the market, and brown boots.
Then I was ready to be a hedgehog! :D