My 6 year old really wanted to be Perry the Platypus for Halloween. I thought this was an awesome idea, so I made it happen, for under $10.
First things first, I hit up our local thrift store for any fabric in the right color. I had my fingers crossed that I could find an sheet or blanket, but I happened upon two adult sized sweaters, which worked out fabulously. I also purchased an orange baseball cap for Perry’s bill, and I already had felt to use for eyes. also pictured slightly: a green fedora that I painted brown, because I could not find a brown fedora in an acceptable price range.
The arms for from the long sleeved sweater were turned into pants. I also trimmed down the sweater vest to fit my child, and used the extra fabric from the sides to add small sleeves to the vest.
For Perry the Platypus’ head, I built his face around the collar of the sweater. (If you found a hoodie, that would be great, but I didn’t, so, you know, I improvised.)
I added a third rectangular piece to the back of the collar so it could fit over our rather large heads.
I made sure to stitch the ball cap to the head piece so that A) we wouldn’t lose any pieces and B) it’s easier to put on one thing than two.
The last thing I did was make the tail and shoe covers. Using an old orange sweatshirt, I cut off one arm for the tail, and used the remaining fabric for feet. I attached elastic to the backs of the shoe covers for stability.
And that is how we came to have one pretty happy, Perry the Platypus trick or treater in our midst.
