Happy Halloween from Nico Fox!

Happy Halloween from Nico Fox!

Happy Halloween everyone! I debated on if I should make Nico a Halloween costume or not. I thought I wouldn’t have enough time since he’s been in the “don’t let Mommy sew” phase, but I took off a couple days of work to get this done. Shockingly enough this was finished one full week before Halloween – GO ME!

rocking with baby fox
rocking with baby fox

I decided to make him a fox because 1. I love foxes and 2. we were originally going to name him Fox but thought that “Fox Plaza” didn’t sound like a real name. We were watching A LOT of X-Files while I was pregnant ๐Ÿ˜‰

tea with daddy (these were porcelain - and he almost broke them all!)
tea with daddy (these were porcelain – and he almost broke them all!)

Seriously though – how cute is he?! I love this costume so much <3 We went to IKEA a few days ago for their trick-or-treat night and decided it was the perfect place to take tons of pictures, so be warned - this is a picture heavy post!

hanging out with mommy
hanging out with mommy

When I first started planning this I had a lot of trouble finding a good orange/red color fabric. I didn’t have enough time to order anything online so I went to JoAnn’s. I searched that entire store and all they had was either tangerine orange, very orange, construction cone orange or red. I settled on the tangerine toweling fabric. I figured this way he could also clean the floor since he’s always army crawling around the house.

can't be bothered with pictures
can’t be bothered with pictures

I started trying to figure out how I wanted to make the outfit. Did I want it to be a one piece? Two piece? Did I want it to have feet attached? Was I going to do a hat or a hood? So many questions but I decided to stick with 2 pieces: a hooded jacket and a pair of pants. I didn’t want to do feet since he’s always pulling himself up to stand and I thought maybe feet would make him slip and fall. And I didn’t want one piece because if it were two he could wear the hoodie again later.

just eating a paper tape measure - yum
just eating a paper tape measure – yum

I had forgotten to grab a zipper while at JoAnn’s on the first trip so I went back and they were having their 50% off fleece sale and crazy enough they had THE PERFECT FOX ORANGE color – I was psyched! So I bought 3 yards of it because I didn’t know how much I would need and didn’t want to have to go back, again. Of course though, I ended up going back because I forgot to buy black. I swear, I can’t just remember to get everything I need, nope… never. Anyways, fleece was the perfect choice because Halloweens in Cincinnati are usually cold and rainy.

"hey, where's all the food?"
“hey, where’s all the food?”

For the jacket I used Brindille & Twig’s hoodie (#014) pattern. I made a size 9-12, in ready to wear Nico wears 12 months. I’ve noticed that B&T patterns usually run a little big so I figured that was a safe bet. To be extra sure I made a test knit hoodie for him and it’s a bit large, so 9-12 in a non-stretch fleece would be perfect. I added an extra inch to the fold line of the front because I knew I would be adding a zipper.

jacket front/back
jacket front/back

For the fox face on the top I just Googled fox outfits and free hand sketched a pattern from it. I gotta say I love fleece for applique because you don’t need to do anything to the edges – they don’t fray! The ears were simple and I added a little bit of stuffing. I now wish I would have added a lot more because they don’t really stand up since I washed the outfit. (Side note: fleece doesn’t strink or bleed when washed – yay!) I sketched out a circle for the tummy and also drafted a pattern for the tail. I added the tail on and then added a band of fleece at the bottom. I wanted to make sure the jacket was long on him and covered his bum. There is also a little bit of stuffing in the tail.

just a quick fox bath, no big deal
just a quick fox bath, no big deal

The pants I laid down a pair of fleece Carter’s pants that he already wears and copied those. Mine ended up a little bigger and I should have taken in the sides, but I figure it looks cute a little baggy. I did borrow the idea of adding a gusset to the back from B&T’s Streamline Pants (#075). (Yes, I happen to own too many B&T patterns and need to do more reviews on them!).

pants front/back
pants front/back

I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do the cuffs but decided on a brown lycra stretch knit. I figured that most fox’s paws have brown on them. The cuff on the jacket is a lot smaller than the cuffs on the pants because I wanted to pants cuffs to go over his shoes.

just chill'
just chill’

He’s now worn this twice and both times I’ve gotten compliments on it. It’s always exciting when a stranger asks you where you got something and you can say you made it. ๐Ÿ™‚ He will also be wearing it on Halloween night.

so many foxes!
so many foxes!

Overall I’m super excited about the costume! I hope to make his costume every year, as long as he lets me. I debated on making a matching costume but then thought maybe that was going too far? I know I’m already a crazy mommy.

belly bites!
belly bites!

10 thoughts on “Happy Halloween from Nico Fox!

  1. Wow! That fox costume turned out so well. The colours are perfect. Your son looks so adorable in it. I hope to make my daughter a costume every year as well but don’t know if that is wishful thinking as she’s not even born for a couple more months. Hopefully next year.

    1. Thanks so much! Congrats on your little one coming soon ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s so exciting – and tiring lol

  2. Just stinkin’ adorable. You did a great job adapting patterns and creating the pieces you needed. Two pieces is definitely the way to go. They grow so quickly, you want to maximize how long they can wear something.

    1. Thanks! I honestly was tempted to make myself a matching one LOL I didn’t have time… and I didn’t wanna embarrass him too much ๐Ÿ˜‰

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