A Realistic Stuffed Santa Elmo for Christmas

Halloween is finished. Your children are bouncing off the walls with all of the confections they have consumed over the Halloween Trick or Treating, and now you are gearing up for the next big holiday, Christmas. Ahh, little Gabriel still LOVES Elmo (he was Elmo this year for Halloween) and you want to get him a huge Elmo doll. Unfortunately, the list price is over $60 for a small Elmo plush doll. There is a solution!

As you are packing up to take your old costumes to good will, you notice the Elmo costume you bought for your toddler staring up from the box at you. An idea comes to your head. Why not make your son's old costume into his Christmas present?

Alternatively, you are at Wal-Mart several weeks after Halloween, and you see a costume clearance rack with an Elmo costume hanging there forgotten, boasting a modest price of $1.99. On impulse you buy it, considering how that after Halloween deal can be your next Christmas present.

The first step for any great craft is to gather your supplies.

For this Christmas present, you will need the following:

An old Elmo Halloween costume
A sewing machine
Stuffing for the stuffed Elmo
A Santa's Hat
16 gauge wire

Your first step is to wash your Elmo costume per the directions and dry it on a line. If you have a very large costume, turn it inside out, and dry it. This will make the costume smaller and easier to work with.

Fill the inside of your Santa hat with the stuffing you will use for Elmo, and take the wire through the top of the hat, and poke a hole into the top of Elmo's head. This adds a little stability to Elmo's head and Santa hat. Sew the hat onto Elmo's head, poking the excess wire down through Elmo's head.

Sew Elmo's armholes and face shut. Depending on how rough your child is with their toys, you may want to reinforce the sewing. Flip the costume back, and fill the body with whichever stuffing you have decided on, until it is as firm or soft as you prefer. Fold the wire that has come through Elmo's head for more stability. When you are satisfied, sew the body shut.

To finish up the project, you can tie a large, sturdy green bow around Elmo's neck for the Christmas spirit your son or daughter will never forget. And just think how much you saved!