DIY Lord of the Rings Costumes

By Carrien Bluefamily, I like to make stuff, life with short people, the parenting files, we like adventures
The young hobbit inscribes his sword with elvish runes.

 Our family has never really done much for Halloween, but ever since our church started throwing this great masquerade party every year we’ve started dressing up for it. This year the kids started planning costumes a month ago and I kept warning that between all the wedding sewing and the fundraiser and the other stuff going on around here I probably wouldn’t have time to make anything special.

Well, it turns out that Saturday was free, and that’s all it took, and not much sewing either.
 It started with the Boy deciding he was going to be Samwise Gamgee. Well I have a tea stained blouse that Aaron bought me in Thailand before we were married that finally tore this summer. I was trying to decide if I should throw it out or not. Underneath the blue vest that his Beema made for one of his uncles to wear to our wedding 11 years ago it makes a perfect hobbit shirt.

The Jedi pants I made him 2 years ago are now short enough for hobbit pants, and when he got those dirty we found the too short Thai pants hanging on the line would work just as well.

His satchel includes rope, salt, cookware, a blanket and Lembas, also known as rice crispy squares wrapped in foil.

I was going to make him a cape, but it turns out that the Jedi robe I also made him 2 years ago was now short enough to make a convincing hobbit robe as well. Especially with the help of the leaf shaped brooch from great grandma’s old jewelry stash that she gave the girls.

Did you know that if you google elvish runes online you will find a rune generator that will translate english words into old hobbit, dwarvish or Elvish.  Good thing that geeks are also into LOTR. 🙂 The sword says brave and faithful on it.

Then the Girl wanted to be Galadriel. She has the right color of hair you see. So we layered one of my old maternity blouses with fancy sleeves underneath one of her long dresses that we turned inside out because the lining is white. I stitch ripped to get the tag off.

We twisted coat hangers around until they looked sort of like Galdriel’s crown and braided her hair around it to hold it on.

I did have to sew for her, one cape, of white fabric I had laying around, 3 seams, the easy way. Maybe I should do a cape tutorial I make so many of them? (I finally did make a cape tutorial, here it is. Super fast and easy.)

Little wanted to be Arwen, at the exact moment in the movie when she’s on the horse and sees a kid who isn’t really there running to Aragorn and then cries. (Her words.) So I did my best with a scrap of blue velvet and a big sister’s velvet dress.

The Girl made the clasp for her, out of the broken top of her plastic princess wand and a safety pin. It’s pretty authentic looking I think.

Why isn’t this chariot going any faster.

We of course has to do something for Bam Bam. So he wore the waistcoat I sewed him for the wedding, and the white shirt, and a ribbon and scrap of fabric turned into a short cape, so he wouldn’t trip on it.

I wore a costume too, but I didn’t take any photos of myself, again.

So then we were ready to have fun.

Aaron came straight from his flight home to join the fun
a tiger faced elf princess?
hobbit feet
on the borders of Mordor

all content © Carrien Blue

7 thoughts on “DIY Lord of the Rings Costumes”

  5. love it!  on sunday, our kids at church at a bible heroes feast – my daughter was a last minute mary with an old blouse of mine and a couple of scarves – amazing what you can pull out of your wardrobe!  🙂  jessica

  7. The Lord of the Rings~~~oh, yeah~~it’s a wonderful film,anyone who isn’t like it? I will say no !!
    Especially The Lord of the Rings costume,very cool~~~

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