Make a Jellicle Cat Costume

Jellicle cats are a tribe of fictional feline creatures that were created by T.S. Eliot and brought to life in the stage musical Cats. A Jellicle cat costume is a skin-tight outfit that has fur, feline markings, and a furry headpiece. If you're going out as a Jellicle for Halloween, to a costume party, or starring in a production of Cats, making your own costume can be a fun DIY project. The major components of the costume include the suit, the fur trimmings, the headpiece, and the tail.

Steps

Making the Cat Suit

  1. Choose a Jellicle to model your costume after. This step isn't necessary, but it can make your project easier if you have a model for your costume. Find a photo of the front and back of the Jellicle you're using as inspiration. You don’t have to make your costume an exact replica, but you can use it for guidance.
    • If you don’t want to copy an existing Jellicle, study photos of all the Jellicles to get an idea of the accessories, fur, and patterns that they use so you can create your own.
  2. Find a full-body leotard. The major element of a Jellicle cat costume is the full unitard. You need to find one that covers the legs, body, torso, and arms.
    • If you're making a costume for a specific Jellicle, try to find a leotard that matches the fur color. Otherwise, your best bet is to go with a white unitard.[1]
    • Good places to find a unitard include costume shops, dancer and gymnastic supply stores, American Apparel, and online.
  3. Gather your supplies. There are a number of supplies you'll need to make and decorate your costume and the accessories that go with it, including:
    • Fabric paint in multiple colors
    • A disappearing fabric marker
    • A pair of furry, knee-high leg warmers
    • A pair gloves or arm bands
    • A yard of faux fur material to match your cat suit
    • A ball of yarn in the color you want your tail to be
    • Small, medium, and large paint brushes
    • Ballet slippers
    • A white spiky-hair wig
    • A clean spray bottle
    • Acrylic ink
    • Isopropyl alcohol 70 percent
  4. Get into the unitard and mark patterns. Put on your unitard in front of a full-length mirror. Using your photo or your imagination to guide you, use the disappearing marker to indicate where you want different patterns stripes, spots, and coloration markings on the unitard.
    • If it’s hot where you're working, consider running a fan gently while you do this, so that you don’t get sweaty and make the marker run.
    • When you're finished, you might want to have a shower to wash the marker off your body in case it bled through.[1]
  5. Paint the front of the unitard. To turn your white unitard into a cat suit, you have to paint it with cat-like stripes and spots. On a hard, flat surface, lay out some newspapers or a canvas drop sheet to protect your work surface. Place a layer of plastic or newspaper inside the unitard to separate the front and back and prevent the paint from bleeding.[1]
    • Use the marks you made with the disappearing marker to guide you regarding patterning and colors. Be sure to use a thin layer of paint, otherwise the paint will be thick and bulge off the fabric.
    • Use the small paint brush to paint crosshatches to create patches.
    • Use the small paint brush to create tight vertical lines to create diagonal stripes
    • To make your job easier and avoid having to constantly wash your brushes, paint one color at a time before moving on to the next color.
    • When you have finished creating all the designs, use your large brush to paint the unitard in the color of the cat’s body.
  6. Let the front dry before painting the back. Once you’ve finished painting the front of the cat suit, let it dry overnight. Otherwise, you may smear and smudge the paint and ruin all the hard work you’ve put into the suit.
    • The next day, you can flip the unitard over and paint the back. Use the same methods and techniques that you used for the front.
    • When finished, allow the paint to dry overnight again.
  7. Hand wash the unitard. The paint may be somewhat crunchy or hard, but it will soften up over time as you wash the suit. Wash the suit by hand with a mild hand soap to remove excess paint and marker.
    • When clean, lay the suit on a large towel and blot it dry with a second towel. Hang it to dry.

Accessorizing the Costume

  1. Wig. For this you'll need to find a blonde wig with long spiky hair (sometimes called punker wigs). You'll also need acrylic ink (2-ounce bottles) in all the colors you want the hair to be, 70 percent rubbing alcohol, and enough clean spray bottles for each color ink you're using.[2]
    • Use elastic bands to section the wig and divide the hair into patches that will be different colors. Pick one color to start with, such as red, for instance. Leave out all the sections you want to dye red and cover the other sections with plastic wrap to protect them.
    • Take the wig outside and lay down a large plastic bag to protect the ground.
    • With your first color, pour the ink into a spray bottle, then add equal amounts of isopropyl alcohol. Shake well.
    • Spray the ink onto all the sections of hair that you want to dye red. With gloved hands, work the ink into every strand.
    • When you’ve done all those sections, cover them with plastic wrap and let the ink sit for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the plastic and let the hair dry for about an hour.
    • Rinse under warm water until the water runs clean. Repeat with the remaining hair, working with one color at a time.
  2. Find the right arm covers. There are several things that you can use to create the furry or patterned arm bands worn by the Jellicles. Good options include:
    • Faux-fur trimmed, elbow length gloves. Cut the finger tips off so the top two-thirds of your fingers are exposed.
    • Furry arm bands
    • Animal-print pantyhose: cut the legs off so you have one band for each arm. Snip off the feet so you can slip them onto your arms, and trim them so they are forearm- or elbow-length
  3. Turn leg warmers into furry spats. The Jellicles also wear furry spats on the bottom of their legs, and you can replicate this with furry leg warmers.[3] You can find these at costume shops, dance supply stores, accessory stores, or online.
  4. Make the tail. To make the tail, take a ball of yarn in the color you want your tail to be. Cut about 12 pieces of yarn that are each 63 inches (160 cm) long. This will yield a 25-inch tail, roughly. Lay them all out so they match up. Grab all the yarn ends on one side and tie them all into a loop. To make the tail:[4]
    • Divide the yarn pieces into three even groups and braid them together, leaving the final four inches free. Tie a knot in the end to secure the braid. If you like, decorate the tail by gluing extra pieces of yarn or strips of faux fur onto the tail.
    • To tie the braid to your body, measure the circumference of your waist. Double that number, then multiply that by 2.5.[5] Cut another 12 pieces of yarn to that length. Tie a knot in one end and braid that yarn like you did before.
    • Slip the loop of the tail through this new braid and position it in the center of the longer braid. Position the tail at the bottom center of your back. Wrap the longer braid around your body twice and tie it in place at the back.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://crazyashley.deviantart.com/art/CATS-Jellicle-Unitard-Tutorial-244132490
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ4SLETOWl8
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJGPNUlycEQ
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHZ_dtlQ9Q0
  5. ↑ http://www.thepurseworkshop.com/basic-braids.html

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