The family that cosplays together stays together. It’s a good a theory as any. Sarah and her family came up with a Super Mario Bros. ensemble that included Luigi, Princess Peach, Mario, Bowswer, and a teeny tiny mushroom. They sewed or pieced together each costume by hand, and I love the idea of building and creating as a family project. Bowser proved to be the most difficult (that’s appropriate), and here are a few of the details on the process:

I began with the shell and spikes (I figured those were the simplest shapes to form-I had no prior experience with 3D shapes in sewing). I used a pillow for the main bulk of it, then attached the ring around it and the spikes. In doing this I discovered the most amazing stuffing material PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS! (…shshshsh don’t tell anyone my secret). It turned out to be perfect for giving the spikes stiffness while remaining lightweight… and super cheap!

This made me much more confident in undertaking the most difficult part-Bowser’s face. I saw online a suggestion to use a baseball cap so that it would already fit my husband’s head and build onto it to make a headdress/mask. We didn’t want to cover his face so we decided to have his face in Bowser’s mouth. I completely constructed the face initially just out of shopping bags constantly looking at pictures of Bowser online. Once I was finished I wasn’t sure how to cover it all, until I realized I could take it back apart one piece at a time, and cover each piece with fabric before sewing it back together. Just the head itself took me about 2 hours a day (during kids nap time) for 8 days to complete. It turned out amazing, and my husband was super stoked!

Learn more at Coolest Homemade Costumes.