Russell the Wilderness Explorer-DIY Costume
Adorable DIY Costume
Our Little Wilderness Explorer
Russell from the movie "Up"
I love the movie "Up" and one of my favorite characters is Russell. Wasn't he so cute?! Back in 2011, I needed a costume for my almost 4 month old. I knew I wanted to make something and thought it would be adorable to dress my son as a little wilderness explorer. I took the character Russell and used his outfit as a template for creating our own. Here's a quick run through of how I made his costume and the materials I used!
Meet Russell
Dyed the polo yellow. I wasn't concerned about the logos because other pieces of the costume would cover them up.
The Basics!
I began to gather the basic articles of clothing for the costume. I couldn't find a yellow polo so I bought a cream colored one and dyed it a bright yellow. I took a pair of cotton brown pants and simply cut them off to make shorts. We already had a pair of soft sole brown boots and a small khaki color hat that were perfect for the costume.
Beginning the Badges
Badges
Next I worked on the badges. I created them using felt and puff paint. I started by making 3 of the Wilderness Explorer badges. One would be placed on the polo, one on his hat, and one on a little orange flag. The flag was made from a small dowel rod and orange piece of felt.
Next I began making all the little badges that go on the brown sash. I started by cutting out all the appropriate colored circles. I then puff painted all the different designs onto the little circles. It was time consuming, but the end result was worth it :).
Puff Painting the Badges
Puff paint was used to create each individual badge for the sash.
35 badges complete!!!!
Russell's Backpack
The backpack
There was just one more component left to make…the backpack. I had no idea where to find a tiny backpack for a 4 month old. I figured I'd make my own, but then came up with a great idea. Rather than start from scratch with fabric I used my husband's shorts…he had a pair of old shorts that he no longer wore. I cut off the back pocket and then made straps from the shorts material. It was perfect…the right size and I didn't have much sewing (just attached the straps with a couple stitches.)
Russell-The Wilderness Explorer
The completed Russell costume
Our Little Wilderness Explorer
This picture always cracks me up…his expression is priceless!!!
Our little man hanging out with his daddy at the fall festival!
Our Little Wilderness Explorer
What kind of costumes have you made for your little ones? This one was very time consuming with painting each individual badge, but I LOVE how it turned out. He was so cute and was a good sport letting his momma dress him up for our church's fall festival.
Favorite Character
Comments
Melanie on October 19, 2016:
Any chance you're interested in selling any parts of this costume?!
