# Help on Sam from Trick r Treat!



## Frankie's Girl

I'm in Houston, so I understand about the heat/humidity and costume choices. 

That being said, I'm planning on making a Sam costume for my almost 6 foot tall husband this year. 

As far as cutting off an outfit at the arms and legs... 

Sam just _looks _like a human child. Under the costume, he's the embodiment of Halloween. So if you're going for realism, you could try finding a fabric that is light enough where you won't be sweating to death, or else go with the idea of shredding the sleeves and legs of the outfit and paint/camouflage your arms and legs to look "not human." 

Since you're a girl, you could add a rope belt to the waist (like the rope securing the mask around the neck area) to give yourself a more feminine shape. 

The mask? I don't know how to do it for sure yet, but my plan is to get a large round balloon (like a punch ball or small beach ball) and using that to make a light paper maché shell, and cover that with burlap. The paper maché can have ventilation holes added so that it will breathe under the burlap, and I'm going to make a flap in the burlap part over the face area (cut out a general circle area about the size of his face in the paper maché shell) so my hubby can flip it up and eat, drink and talk without having to remove the whole head. The flap will tuck into the neck rope area otherwise (or maybe velcro!). I'm going to get a loose weave burlap that he can see through (backed with some blackout cloth) so I won't have to have eye holes or anything.

Hope something here helps!

Good luck!


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## sossamonster

Frankie's Girl said:


> I'm in Houston, so I understand about the heat/humidity and costume choices.
> 
> That being said, I'm planning on making a Sam costume for my almost 6 foot tall husband this year.
> 
> As far as cutting off an outfit at the arms and legs...
> 
> Sam just _looks _like a human child. Under the costume, he's the embodiment of Halloween. So if you're going for realism, you could try finding a fabric that is light enough where you won't be sweating to death, or else go with the idea of shredding the sleeves and legs of the outfit and paint/camouflage your arms and legs to look "not human."
> 
> Since you're a girl, you could add a rope belt to the waist (like the rope securing the mask around the neck area) to give yourself a more feminine shape.
> 
> The mask? I don't know how to do it for sure yet, but my plan is to get a large round balloon (like a punch ball or small beach ball) and using that to make a light paper maché shell, and cover that with burlap. The paper maché can have ventilation holes added so that it will breathe under the burlap, and I'm going to make a flap in the burlap part over the face area (cut out a general circle area about the size of his face in the paper maché shell) so my hubby can flip it up and eat, drink and talk without having to remove the whole head. The flap will tuck into the neck rope area otherwise (or maybe velcro!). I'm going to get a loose weave burlap that he can see through (backed with some blackout cloth) so I won't have to have eye holes or anything.
> 
> Hope something here helps!
> 
> Good luck!




Thanks for the ideas! I was also thinking that about making my skin look "not human" if I decided to go with cropping the limbs of the costume.

As for the mask for your husband, that sounds good. I was just trying to think of a way to do a more feminine sort of take on it... but I'm not sure that exists, short of having just some kind of burlap-ish masquerade mask, I don't think so. And that kind of misses the point of Sam.

The only other thing I could think of, is to paint my face to somehow resemble the burlap and the mouth stitches and button eyes. It would be challenging at least!

Also, I'm in Houston as well. Do you go out to big parties for Halloween here? I've been to the Big Ass Halloween Bash once a couple years ago, but other than that I'm just with friends or something. Nowhere public. Do you go to big public events here?

Thanks again!


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## JahRah

I like all the ideas you both have! I'm going to throw in some more to keep the juices flowing. 

Here's a pic for the few people out there who don't know who Sam is.









Arms and Legs
I say keep one sleeve, and get rid of the other (could be sexy - though you aren't going for "sexy") and cut the legs short. You could paint the skin that's showing, but if you are going for more feminine, then maybe instead of painting it non-human...you can paint it as if it is an extension of the burlap gloves that he seems to be wearing in the picture. Same with the legs. 

Body
Make sure the "onesie" has patches like sam's still does. Love the rope idea for around the waste too ! If you scrap the mask, maybe you can do the bottom part of the mask that sits on the shoulders and comes down the chest a bit. If you don't do the mask, and cut the onesie, my concern would be that you start looking like a scarecrow or something else. 

Mask
Maybe you can paint the pumpkin face that is underneat the mask?? Maybe have the mask hanging off the back of your neck like a hoody. That way you can pull it on, but don't need it all the time because you have the pumpkin face underneath. Probably don't have to do the paint as creepy as his is. And it would look super cool to be able to pull it on every once in a while, but still be able to have the shorter onsie missing the sleeves. I think the burlap is key for the Sam effect, but that doesn't mean you have to wear it constantly (make sure to attach is like a hoody so you don't have to carry it around all over the place.

Candy
You got to have the half eaten candy. If you just want a prop, there was a guy who made it for the Sam prop that he created. You can probably find it if you do a search. Otherwise, I'm sure you can find that kind of lolli when October rolls around.

Good luck. Make sure to post pictures when you're done!!


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## JahRah

Ok, so this is the scary pumpkin face underneath the burlap mask....for those who don't know. 











This is pretty creepy and not feminine, BUT maybe you can do something more feminine (and I'm a guy...so I don't know the correct terms for makeup... so....yeah). 

Pumpkin Makeup??
Maybe use a bergundy color - mascara? eye shadow? Something for around the eyes and do it the same relative shape. Maybe even add glitter if that floats your boat. Maybe paint the rest of your face orange, but don't put all the creepy textures for the raised brows. Or maybe don't pain the whole face but do - accents? Highlights? blush? - something with orange...but that highlights your other features, without having to paint the whole face. I think this less drastic makeup could work if you keep the burlap mask as a hoody. 

---- I really love "Sam", so I'm just thinking about how I would envision it for my girlfriend if she wanted to be more feminine when doing it. Good luck. 

Hope these ideas at least help with the brainstorming.


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## sossamonster

JahRah:


Those are great ideas! I'll keep them in mind and try to sketch some things out. I do like the hoodie mask idea. If this all comes together and I know what I want to do, I will definitely post pictures.

Thanks for the ideas, and any others are appreciated from everyone else!

EDIT: Just saw your second post as I posted. Yes, I was thinking the same thing with the makeup. Full cover face paint might take the effect away and seem too... I don't know.... over the top or clownish almost? Don't know what word I'm thinking of. But yeah, I was thinking just accenting features and giving off the illusion instead of being so literal with it.

Thanks!


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## sossamonster

*Help with making Sam burlap mask (Trick r Treat)*

So I'm making from scratch the burlap mask for Sam. I'm having some concerns though and wanted to see if any of you maybe had some input into ideas or solutions.

Here are some pictures of him to start out with.


























I need to try to duplicate the mask's almost perfect roundness. I've seen some people try to do this with a paper mache helmet sort of thing they made and they put it over their heads. However, I don't want to do that. I don't want anything hard like that over my head all night.

I was kind of thinking maybe getting a mask like this:









And then using that as a not-so-hard base to glue the mask over. And I'd probably cut out Jack's eyes so I could see better.

And I don't want huge eye holes in the burlap since Sam's buttons need to be one of the main focuses. So I was thinking to be able to see, I could slice the burlap a bit length ways over where my eyes would be so I could see easier but not make it painfully obvious my eyes are lower than where Sam's button eyes should be.

Unless, any of you have some tricks up your sleeves.

In relation to how I shape the mask without using a hard base or how I should go about actually seeing where I'm walking throughout the night, I'd like to hear any of your suggestions or successes with this kind of thing. Thanks!


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## NOWHINING

Keep in mind, I am not done finish reading everyone ideas.

You dont have to wear the mask at all.
black out your eyes, wear big a%% flase eye lashes, and X out your mouth to show XXXX for sewing in type of mouth.

Be sure to find a smilar type ones and convert it into one pc jumpsuit-short skirt type with ripping and sherred at the arms and legs. Surely Sam is fesity little thing isnt he? rope to tie around your waist and hang down. I think maybe like a small scarcrow type hat. I mean really small to wear on the side of your head, maybe with your hair in pig-tails.........


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## JahRah

Hey Sossa,

I think the Jack Skellington base could be a good idea, though it could get pricey. Maybe a walmart plastic ball might work. It might be a little tougher... but not too tough. So you might not need anything else to strengthen it. And it's surely going to be cheaper. 

But, I've never done what you are trying so....this is just a thought. 

As for the seeing, that's going to be tricky. It's gonna be hard to create openings that are easy to see through but that aren't obvious to others. Hmm. There's nothing really on the outside of the mask that might hide the holes other than the buttons. And they are way too far apart. I would have said to cut half circles right under the buttons and look through those, but again, I think the buttons are too far apart. 

That's what I did for an "Animal" costume. I saw perfectly the whole night but people didn't even notice my eye sockets. They thought I was just blind. They were baffled I was able to see. I have a pic in my albums if you want to see that mask. 

Are you still doing this as a hoodie??


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## sossamonster

JahRah:

I think I may end up sewing part of the mask onto the back of my onesie, but as it stands I'm going to attempt to make a full replica of the mask.

I'll update you all a bit anyway. I've got someone who makes adult-sized onesies, and I've paid them to pretty much make the clothing part of the costume for me. It will be just like Sam's, no cut short arms or legs or anything. I really wanted to attempt it, but this person I found does a great job on them, so I figured I would have them do it right, since all the patterns I was finding weren't 100% what I wanted.

So the only thing I have to do is make the mask, the gloves, the sack, and the lollipop. I also may put makeup on underneath. Orange makeup and shadow it and all that to look like Sam's pumpkin head. Because I will be taking the mask off occasionally, and I think that'd look good (as long as the makeup doesn't melt from the heat!).

So JahRah, what do you mean a plastic ball? I'm not sure how I'd even begin to work with that.


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## v_gan

I was considering being Sam, as well, although not really a more feminine version. Just Sam. But I'm going to be keeping a close eye on this thread for ideas! I can't wait to see how your costume turns out!


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## sossamonster

v_gan said:


> I was considering being Sam, as well, although not really a more feminine version. Just Sam. But I'm going to be keeping a close eye on this thread for ideas! I can't wait to see how your costume turns out!


Yeah, I've decided to just do full-on Sam and no alterations really.

If you really want a good tutorial, this guy did a pretty good job here:

http://www.therpf.com/f24/sam-trick-r-treat-72402/

Like I said though, I'm trying to find an alternative to the large paper mache model for under the burlap mask.

Good luck to you!


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## JahRah

Sossa, 

At Walmart and/or Target they have these wire bins at the back of the store by the kids section with large plastic balls. Maybe 1-3 dollars. They are usually blue or pink with a type of swirl. I thought you might be able to cut a whole in the bottom of the ball to put your head, and then cut out some eyes. Basically, it might be a cheap alternative to frame the burlap sack, than the Jack Skellington mask. Same round shape, but a little sturdier. 

But, I just saw that the Jack Skellington mask is about 16 bucks. If you can see through the eyes, without cutting them....you may be able to use them as your buttons. Maybe just sew thread through them so they look like buttons, and then you don't have to ruin the mask at all. Just make sure the burlap mask is pulled tightly against it so it looks like they are on top. Or you can cut them out in the shape of buttons. Attach them to the burlap mask (with holes behind them), then sew the thread to make it look like buttons. That way you are actually looking through the "buttons". But, again, to get the right look, they may be too far apart to look through. 

Anyway, I hope the stuff I wrote first clears up the "plastic ball".


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk

This place sells custom made sleepsuits/passion killers for adults and kids

You can have the drop seat added at the back and fox cub looks like the right colour to me. If you look at their gallery link and scroll down there's a boy wearing on in the fox cub shade.

http://www.the-all-in-one-company.co.uk/all-in-ones

They ship worldwide too.


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## discobandit

Papier-mache worked fine when I made the mask last year, stretched over top a balloon. You can see through burlap really well when it's close to your face, and if you're worried about people seeing in just stretch thin black stockings across the holes you'll see through. I recommend a "geordi visor" sort of shape to your eye holes, you'll fall a lot less than I did


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## sossamonster

halloween_sucks_in_the_uk said:


> This place sells custom made sleepsuits/passion killers for adults and kids
> 
> You can have the drop seat added at the back and fox cub looks like the right colour to me. If you look at their gallery link and scroll down there's a boy wearing on in the fox cub shade.
> 
> http://www.the-all-in-one-company.co.uk/all-in-ones
> 
> They ship worldwide too.



Thank you, but I've already got the body of the costume being made for me. It's just the mask I'm having trouble on.


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## sossamonster

discobandit said:


> Papier-mache worked fine when I made the mask last year, stretched over top a balloon. You can see through burlap really well when it's close to your face, and if you're worried about people seeing in just stretch thin black stockings across the holes you'll see through. I recommend a "geordi visor" sort of shape to your eye holes, you'll fall a lot less than I did



I was trying to avoid paper mache, but everyone's touting it, so maybe I will give it a try. 

Also I don't know what you mean by a Geordi visor over my eyes? I mean I know what one is, but do you mean to wear them under the paper mache hood? And how come you kept falling over?

Thanks for the info!


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## discobandit

Haha, sorry that was vague. I mean a stripe cut out of the helmet, sort of like geordi's mask, right in front of your eyes to give you a wide field of vision. Instead of two little holes to look out of, for instance, you make more of a mail-box slot in the helmet =)

I had similar troubles with deciding what to make the helmet out of as other people online apparently did. I tried wire first, decided halfway through that it'd look awful, then moved on to paper mache. I thought it was going to be really heavy and hot, but thankfully, living in Canada, it was a cold night  If I had to do it again, I'd put a hole in the top and maybe a small little computer fan powered by a 9 volt battery for air.

As well, I kept falling over because I just made two holes for my eyes, thinking it'd work like a normal mask. The problem is, the eye holes didn't give a LOT of visibility, so I'd have to move my head around to see where I was moving, and moving around a big paper mache head covered in hot glue and burlap got to be a liiittle tiring after the entire night, so I tried to do it as little as possible and just guess.

...yeah, it didn't work out very well and I fell a couple of times  mostly on curbs though.


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## sossamonster

discobandit said:


> Haha, sorry that was vague. I mean a stripe cut out of the helmet, sort of like geordi's mask, right in front of your eyes to give you a wide field of vision. Instead of two little holes to look out of, for instance, you make more of a mail-box slot in the helmet =)
> 
> I had similar troubles with deciding what to make the helmet out of as other people online apparently did. I tried wire first, decided halfway through that it'd look awful, then moved on to paper mache. I thought it was going to be really heavy and hot, but thankfully, living in Canada, it was a cold night  If I had to do it again, I'd put a hole in the top and maybe a small little computer fan powered by a 9 volt battery for air.
> 
> As well, I kept falling over because I just made two holes for my eyes, thinking it'd work like a normal mask. The problem is, the eye holes didn't give a LOT of visibility, so I'd have to move my head around to see where I was moving, and moving around a big paper mache head covered in hot glue and burlap got to be a liiittle tiring after the entire night, so I tried to do it as little as possible and just guess.
> 
> ...yeah, it didn't work out very well and I fell a couple of times  mostly on curbs though.




Ahh, okay. Now it makes more sense, haha. Yes, if I were to do that with paper mache, I'd have a large hole for the eyes and mouth. And maybe even paint the helmet black since burlap may show the whiter color underneath more. We'll see! Burlap is inexpensive per yard, so I can have a couple of test runs before I try it.

Oh, and I was thinking about wire frames too, but I can see how you'd think it's look bad. And it's kind of impractical, as well.

Thanks for the tips, I'll try out the paper mache thing and see how it goes. I've got three months at least to figure it out.


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## sossamonster

Hey everyone, I have another question!

I've decided to try out a paper mache head mask using a big balloon. How many layers of paper should I put over it? So far I did two last night and letting that dry before I try anymore. Thanks!


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## RCIAG

sossamonster said:


> Hey everyone, I have another question!
> 
> I've decided to try out a paper mache head mask using a big balloon. How many layers of paper should I put over it? So far I did two last night and letting that dry before I try anymore. Thanks!


My balloon experience has been to put on 2 layers then pop the balloon at 2 layers, especially if it's a latex balloon because they tend to lose air overnight & the whole thing will cave in on you. The paper will still cave a bit but since you're going to be making a hole large enough to put over your head, you can easily pop the dented bits back out.

I'd go for 1 or 2 more layers after that, just for stability.

I'm mid-Jack-Skellington-head & that's what I did. My first attempt ended up a shriveled mess because I'd forgotten that latex balloons deflate quickly. If you do 1 or 2 layers & it deflates you can still blow it back up to get out the dents at that point.


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## sossamonster

RCIAG said:


> My balloon experience has been to put on 2 layers then pop the balloon at 2 layers, especially if it's a latex balloon because they tend to lose air overnight & the whole thing will cave in on you. The paper will still cave a bit but since you're going to be making a hole large enough to put over your head, you can easily pop the dented bits back out.
> 
> I'd go for 1 or 2 more layers after that, just for stability.
> 
> I'm mid-Jack-Skellington-head & that's what I did. My first attempt ended up a shriveled mess because I'd forgotten that latex balloons deflate quickly. If you do 1 or 2 layers & it deflates you can still blow it back up to get out the dents at that point.


Thanks a lot! Yeah I noticed some deflation last night. Will add more layers!


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## sossamonster

*Making this a tutorial for Sam*

Okay, so I've decided that, to track my progress and to maybe help others who have similar ideas, I'll turn this into a tutorial of how to make Sam. However, I have to note as I stated before, that I'm not making the actual pajamas for the costume. I'm commissioning someone else to make that for me. However, everything else is completely my doing.

So far I have made the paper mache helmet I will use for the head. I bought a balloon that is bigger than the normal 12" inches, but not huge. I'm pleased with the shape and hope it turns out alright when it comes to applying the burlap. I also plan on painting the helmet black because colors show through burlap pretty well in some light.










I finished one glove so far. I had some fingerless gloves already, but I cut the fingers even shorter. Then I glued strips of burlap around the fingers. What I did next had absolutely no planning behind it. The glove is made up of many different pieces of burlap. I wasn't sure of what kind of pattern I should have made, and was anxious, so I just cut out some random pieces and started hot gluing them to the glove, covering all of the spots that shown from the original glove. Oh, I also did this WHILE WEARING THE GLOVES, haha. I did this because a glove without a hand in it is smaller and contracted than when your hand is actually in it. Don't worry, I didn't burn myself. These were pretty thick gloves. Even though Sam's gloves don't look like it's made from loads of different pieces, I am pleased with the result. As long as you match up the seams, it should look good. I think it even gives it a creepier feel to it. Almost like Sam was like "screw perfection, I have to kill people!" 

Here are some pictures of the gloves.















































The bottoms of the glove will stay as they are, to help me put on and remove them. They will be covered by the wrists of the costume, anyway.

I'll post more as I continue. The mask is the most daunting and important part of this costume, so we'll see how I figure that one out.


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## sossamonster

Second glove finished. A little more planning than the first, although I like the fit of the first better.


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## AmFatallyYours

Looking good! Can't wait to see this all come together.


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## sossamonster

AmFatallyYours said:


> Looking good! Can't wait to see this all come together.


Thanks! I'm excited about the mask but I really don't want to mess it up!


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## sossamonster

I just got my costume today from the person who made it for me. Looks great, IMO. The color is pretty much right on. I wish the butt flap was a U-shape like Sam's, but this will do! I'll replace the butt flap buttons for black ones, as well. The feet have white tips and have elastic under them to act as shoe covers. Here's some pics.


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk

It's looking fantastic, you're going to look amazing. I wish I could grown my nails like yours, I'm a nail biter!


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## klown82

Nice job Sossamonster. IMO, it doesn't matters if the butt flap is U shaped or square shapped, as long as there's one.


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## AmFatallyYours

It'll be perfect with a few touches!


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## sossamonster

And here is a tiny update. I replaced the butt flap buttons for black ones. The helmet is on for scale reference. Hopefully I'll make it to beginning the mask this week!


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## SonofJoker

Looking very cool! Can't wait to see it completed!


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## AmFatallyYours

I'm jealous. haha I think this is gonna be awesome.


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## The Reaper

Your costume so far is amazing and it looks true to character but i just want to know are you going to dirty it up or keep it clean?


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## jayb

Could always wear this underneath the burlap.

http://www.halloweencostumes4u.com/...8158&Category_Code=movie-masks&Store_Code=hal


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## Truancy89

I actually made this costume last year for a friend. Now I understand you want it to be as light as possible and conveniently thats how I did it since we live in South Florida. Basically its a paper mache shell (created around a blown up balloon. paper mache the balloon then once it hardens pop the balloon) and I used an old pair of Long Johns (idk if u even know what those are living so far from the cold lol) for the fabric. Stitched buttons for the eyes and used brown yarn for the mouth. made fingerless gloves from the leftover material. the "onesy" as you put it are actually footy pajamas. You can actually get them in adult sizes at Target usually in Early October for around $25. It was really light weight, easy to see, easy to breathe and I actually bought a peice of medical tubing to run from inside the mask/helmet down the arm and out the sleeve to act as a straw so she could drink without taking off the mask lol, that part is up to you but I thought I was a genius for it at the time. if you have any questions let me know, I'd be happy to help. pic is below obv. Oh, and my friend actually made the lollipop. I can ask how if you like.


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## Truancy89

ok so ill admit i didnt look towards the end and i didnt know you had the EXACT SAME idea as me. so yeah....sorry i guess? but its nice to know im not the only person who is creative lol


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## sossamonster

Thanks for the other replies since my last post! I like that straw idea, but I'll have no problem with taking the head off every so often for a breather. I'm in Houston. (T_T)

So here is my progress so far. I have lots going on in my life at the moment, so I'm trying to find time to fit in Sam and all the other changes! Here are some pics of what I'm doing so far. I'm working with a big piece of burlap which is 2 yards long by 46" wide, give or take. I cut the pieces in two, one side 24" wide and the other 26". I left two inches in the middle when I sewed them back together. I'm going to be folding this flap down over itself (or maybe over a long, thin piece of fabric for added bulk, but with burlap may be necessary) and hot gluing (or sewing again) the fabric down to the top of the head. Then I plan on taking yarn (well it's actually embroidery thread) to sew the lines in the middle ridge running vertically down Sam's face. The top thread is brown and matched the burlap... too bad the only decent bobbin thread I had for this was white, so I made sure that's not going to show... as it is looking pretty wonky in these pics!




































And here it is placed loosely over my paper mache head.


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## sossamonster

Update. I just hot glued the flap down to the burlap, it puffed up quite nicely. Now I need to sew the thread over it. I'm not going to be needing all of this length but I'm not going to cut any of it off until after I've finished the mask completely - I'm not sure what it'll look like after I'm done gluing it to the helmet, so I don't want to cut off too much.


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## sossamonster

The Reaper said:


> Your costume so far is amazing and it looks true to character but i just want to know are you going to dirty it up or keep it clean?


At the moment I'm going to keep it clean, but if I can dirty it up pretty well without making it look like I just dropped it in the mud, then I'd like to try that.


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## Crunch

Wow Sam is quite a creepy little character from what I've read. I haven't seen the movie so I had to brush up on him some. I love the idea of being Samhain for Halloween. He's just a creepy little ****.


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## AmFatallyYours

You can dirty it up without having it look all muddy and yucky. I would probably take some dry sand or dry light colored dirt and just rub it or brush it into the fabric. It'll give a nice touch without making it look too obvious.


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## sossamonster

Bad news -- I may have to put this off until next year!

I simply can't figure out how to get this burlap wrapped/glued perfectly around my paper mache head. It doesn't help that I don't really have a mannequin or something to prop it up on to let it drape either. But yeah, the burlap folds and waves way too much to get it anywhere near spherical.

An update without pics at the moment - I've got the middle lines all stitched across and down the raised area for the middle line. I've also got the mouth stitched on as well. It's just a huge piece of burlap essentially. The only way I can thin physics would be on my side with this is to cut the burlap into shapes and sew them together (like a beach ball or soccer ball or something almost).

Unless anyone can help me out with some bright ides, I'm afraid this is going on hiatus for now (which is very depressing, actually)! I have loads going on in my life within the next few weeks and I can't properly devote a significant amount of my free time to this (too much possible math/geometry with cutting a pattern if that's what it will come to... way too stressed for that!).


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## Deadna

I didn't know this was for a costume when you were asking me questions on how to make the burlap lay right. What you have made so far is way too cool to quit now. Some other suggestions may be to cut the pieces like a beachball and spray glue or even mache' them on to the head. There is that clear seam glue at JoAnns and Walmart that you can soak the frayed ends in and plaster them down. I really like what you have so far and wouldn't quit


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## Giles

DON'T GIVE UP!! I think Deadna has a great idea. Of coure, you may have to redo the face after you get the burlap glued down, but I think that will.

I think instead of cutting them like the panels of a beachball, it might be easier to cut them in pie shapes. Buy some really cheap cotton material and try piecing it together and making a pattern. Once you get the pieces so they'll fit, use the pattern pieces to cut out the burlap and glue the pieces onto Sam's head. Then you can add the face back.

I hope that makes sense.


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## Crunch

sossamonster said:


> Bad news -- I may have to put this off until next year!
> 
> I simply can't figure out how to get this burlap wrapped/glued perfectly around my paper mache head. It doesn't help that I don't really have a mannequin or something to prop it up on to let it drape either. But yeah, the burlap folds and waves way too much to get it anywhere near spherical.
> 
> An update without pics at the moment - I've got the middle lines all stitched across and down the raised area for the middle line. I've also got the mouth stitched on as well. It's just a huge piece of burlap essentially. The only way I can thin physics would be on my side with this is to cut the burlap into shapes and sew them together (like a beach ball or soccer ball or something almost).
> 
> Unless anyone can help me out with some bright ides, I'm afraid this is going on hiatus for now (which is very depressing, actually)! I have loads going on in my life within the next few weeks and I can't properly devote a significant amount of my free time to this (too much possible math/geometry with cutting a pattern if that's what it will come to... way too stressed for that!).


Sorry to hear this D: I wanted to see him finished up. My thought reading through this was to cut the burlap into triangle like shapes to make it form around the spherical shape. I hope you can get it done on time.


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## sossamonster

Thanks you guys, I'll see if I can try that. It'll be tough to get the amount of shapes right and everything lined up (the lines in the burlap).

I'm moving like... next weekend haha. So I'm trying to get it all sorted out by then because that means leaving my mom's awesome sewing room.


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## Deadna

Another thought is...I believe few people will know who Sam is and even fewer will notice the wrinkles you are having problems with so maybe you can even fake the burlap look by painting it to look like burlap or wrapping jute string around. 
You may be disappointed to hear people saying "Oh what a cute scarecrow" like I did when they saw my Sam...LOL!


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## sossamonster

Deadna said:


> Another thought is...I believe few people will know who Sam is and even fewer will notice the wrinkles you are having problems with so maybe you can even fake the burlap look by painting it to look like burlap or wrapping jute string around.
> You may be disappointed to hear people saying "Oh what a cute scarecrow" like I did when they saw my Sam...LOL!


Hahah, oh no. Well, I'm going to an anime convention (I don't like anime, but I do like geeks in costumes... and everyone will have awesome costumes instead of just Leg Avenue crap like at bars and parties, which I don't find fun most the time anyway!), so I think lots of people may know who he is. I hope!


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## RCIAG

Doesn't Sam have a seam down the middle of his head? **googles** Yes he does, & it looks like even the action figure is kinda bunched.


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## sossamonster

RCIAG said:


> Doesn't Sam have a seam down the middle of his head? **googles** Yes he does, & it looks like even the action figure is kinda bunched.


Indeed. I'm at work right now, but here is a crap drawing of what my big piece of burlap looks like, to give you guys an idea. It's longest side is parallel to the middle seam. I would say it's maybe 40" wide? Give or take?


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## sossamonster

Okay here are some pics finally.

I painted the head brown because it's easy to see through with burlap over it. I cut lots of holes so I can see, breathe, be ventilated, and hear. I don't know if that'll screw me over later (if I finish), but it's Houston and will be hot with loads of people around and fleece all over me. October isn't THAT cold here.


























This is my huge piece of burlap placed over the head. As you can see, it folds quite a lot. And I don't want to cut the excess off the bottom until I've got it all glued on right and the rope tied around it.


























Here are the buttons. The holes were too close together and I don't have the means to make new ones in them, so I just hot glued fabric to them to compensate.


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## nightdancer16

This is coming along great! I'm a huge fan of Trick 'r' Treat - such a great Halloween movie. Good costume choice.

Thanks for posting all of the photos of your progress...

The other option that you could have done is be Sam WITHOUT his mask on, then you could have just used makeup... though that might have actually been more difficult... and now you're already well on your way


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## nitro334

I'm trying to make a Sam costume for Halloween this year. But I've been having trouble with the head. I got a big rubber/plastic ball that I'm using as the base. I paper mache-ed over that with newspaper and water and glue. That didn't really harden like I thought it would, so I did another layer over that, using a water and flour paste. I'm hoping that works, because otherwise I don't know what else to do. I was trying to think of another stronger paste to use, or find another round object that I can use and not have to mache over top of. Anyone have any ideas or advice? Thanks


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