Wild Kratts Costume Tutorial

Alrighty, this is a departure from my usual tutorials, but as a mama of boys that love the Kratt Bros- I had to share this quick tutorial for a Wild Kratts Costume, in the form of a creature power vest. I thought you might appreciate this if you are a mama of littles, or a really cool grandma.

My boys love this show, because it’s all about animals- even better, with these handy vests, they can get animal “powers.” So, I took a quick trip to the fabric store and gathered supplies to construct some vests. I just snapped these photos with my phone- because, well I am a busy mama and 9 months pregnant! I really wasn’t planning on posting this to the blog, but figured it didn’t hurt to quickly share it.

For this project I used heavy duty craft felt. I bough 1.5m- made three vests, and have quite a bit leftover. You’ll need one piece of colored felt in either blue or green- depending on which vest you are making. The great thing about felt is that it doesn’t fray, so you don’t need to do much sewing at all! This is seriously a fast and easy last minute costume idea.

Supplies:

• Craft Paper (for drawing out a pattern)
• Black Felt
• Green and/or blue felt rectangle
• Sewing Machine
• Approx. 10″ of velcro
• Black Thread
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Sharp Scissors

Step 1 Make a Template

To make a vest pattern I simply traced out one of the boys t-shirts and took about 3″ off the bottom, to make it hit right at the waist. I also measured in 1/2″ on the bottom of either side to create a slight taper. I then made a v-neck, marking the centre of the neck line. You really only need one good side on your pattern, then just fold your paper in half so you get a mirror image, and cut out.

Step 2 Transfer the Pattern to the Black Felt and Cut Out

Fold your felt in half so it is double layered. Pin your pattern to the felt and cut around the pattern. You could also trace it using tailor’s chalk. Add 1/4″ for a seam allowance up the 2 sides, and on the top of the shoulders.

Step 3 Sew the Vest

Start by sewing the seams along the 2 shoulders. You are then going to sew up the left side only. Turn your vest right side out, so that you have the finished seams showing.

Step 4 Attach Velcro 

I decided to run velcro along the right side of the vest to make it easy for the boys to pull on and off. Stick the velcro in place, then sew along the velcro vertically so that it is nice and secure. 

Step 5 Cut Out Colored Accents

Alright this is where it gets technical. I eyeballed the strips, and cut 3 strips about 1.5″ wide. This is where a picture helps! You’ll need two patches for the shoulder area, and 3 for the sides of the vest. I used a bowl to trace the centre of the paw, and a large spool of upholstery thread for the pads. 

Step 6 Whip out the Glue Gun

I just eyeballed the placement of the felt accents- Hot glue them in place, and call it done! We grabbed some black gloves and added some felt accents to those too. But, you can definitely get by with just the creature power vest. 

So, there you have a DIY Wild Kratts Costume. Hope you found this quick tutorial helpful- just in case you are looking for a quick costume idea. Pair it with a matching t-shirt, and some cargo shorts! Of course my daughter needed one too- in pink.

I always loved dressing up as a girl, it was one of my favorite things to do. I love being able to create simple costumes and dress up clothes that inspire the imagination of my kiddos. Hope you are having a great week,

-Miss Ash

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