I have a fun Friday treat: another food-inspired costume, this time a gumball machine! Credit goes to my talented friend Juli—better known as The Garter Girl and founder of United With Love—who made this adorable costume for her daughter Amory. Juli is an excellent seamstress and whipped this up quickly. She provided the full tutorial below, and it really is a great weekend project. If sewing isn’t your thing, you can assemble most of it with hot glue instead. Take it away, Juli!
Supplies:
- Red felt (1 yard), black felt (small amount), gray felt (1 yard)
- Clear shower curtain liner or thin clear vinyl (available at fabric stores)
- Child’s dress to use as a pattern
- Puff balls in various colors and sizes
- 4 pieces of ribbon for ties
- Hot glue (optional)
- Sewing machine or hand-sewing supplies
- Thread, pins, scissors
Note: The instructions use sewing, but because felt bonds well with glue, you can substitute hot glue for seams if you prefer. Just allow glue to dry fully before proceeding.
Step 1 – Cut the pattern: Fold both the red and gray felt in half so cutting yields two layers. The dress top will be gray and the skirt red. Place the folded gray and red felt together with gray on top and pin the child’s dress on top as a template. Cut about 2 inches outside the dress outline to leave seam allowance. Unfold and you should have four pieces total: two gray tops and two red skirt pieces. Fold the clear vinyl in half, pin it over one gray top piece, cut it out, and then cut at the fold so you have two vinyl pieces for the top.
Step 2 – Assemble the top: Pin one vinyl piece to a gray felt top and sew around the sides, armholes, and neckline, leaving the bottom waistline open. For a neat finish, sew thin felt trim around the edges—red around the neckline and gray around the armholes, for example. Repeat for the back top piece so you have two completed top halves.
Step 3 – Create the gumball chamber: Open the waistline of one top and fill it with puff balls until you’re happy with the fullness. Sew the vinyl to the felt at the waistline to secure the gumballs in place.
Step 4 – Add the front details: Cut a gray square and sew it to the center front of the skirt to imitate the machine face. Cut a black felt shape to resemble the crank and sew it onto the gray square; add a small black puff ball in the center if desired. For the gumball exit, cut a small gray rectangle, attach only the top edge to the bottom of the skirt to form a flap, and glue or stitch a puff ball under the flap so it looks like a gumball dispensing.
Pin the right sides together of the gumball-filled top and the decorated front skirt piece. Sew along the waistline to connect them—this forms the front of the dress.
Step 5 – Attach the back: Join the other top and skirt pieces by sewing the waistline right sides together. Add trim around the armholes and neckline if desired to finish the edges.
Step 6 – Sew the dress together: With right sides together, align the front and back and sew the side seams from the armholes down to the hem of the skirt. Turn the dress right side out. At this stage, only the front is stuffed with gumballs. To fill the back, on the center back cut a straight slit from the skirt hem up to the neckline to open the back fully. Separate the vinyl from the gray felt at the top back pieces and stuff both sides with puff balls. Sew the back seam closed and finish edges with trim if you like.
Step 7 – Finishing touches: To make dressing easier, sew a 10-inch piece of ribbon to each side at the top of the neckline and to both sides of the waistline at the back. Tie the paired ribbons to secure the dress on your child. Adjust ribbon length for comfort and fit.
Isn’t she the cutest? You might remember Amory from an earlier cupcake party feature—she and her mom have the best ideas. Thank you, Juli, for sharing this delightful costume. It’s a fun, approachable DIY that stands out and can be adapted for anyone who prefers glue over sewing.
Photos by Julianne Smith