Materials Needed:
- 100% Cotton, Button-Down Shirt
- 6 to 8 Large Tea Bags (Strong, Black Tea)
- Large, Gold Eyelets
- Leather Boot Lace
- Black Slacks
- Gold, Glitter Dimensional Paint
- Craft Foam Pirate Hat
- Bandana
- Scissors
- Large Pot
- Wire Brush
Instructions:
Start out by cutting the sleeves of the shirt so they are short and jagged. Cut out the top 5 or 6 buttons and button holes from the front of the shirt. This will create a small, rectangular opening near the neck of the shirt, and the bottom half of the shirt should still button.
Put enough water in a large pot to cover the shirt by a couple of inches. Put the water on the stove, without the shirt, and bring the water to a hard boil. Add the tea bags to the water and remove it from the heat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes or until it reaches a dark brown color.
Carefully place the shirt into the hot tea. Using a plastic or wooden utensil, push down the shirt so it is entire submerged. Let the shirt sit until the tea cools. Check the color. If you want it darker, simply let it sit longer. Keep checking it until you get the desired color.
Once your shirt is stained how you want it, remove it from the tea and wring it out over the sink. Rinse it well with cold water. Ring out any extra water and then hang the shirt to dry.
With your scissors, cut small slits for the eyelets in the area of the shirt that you cut the buttons and button holes from. You will want to make holes directly across from each other and have 3 or 4 eyelet sets running down the front of the shirt. Follow the directions on your eyelet package to set them in place. Most will call for using an eyelet tool which you can find at any fabric store for little money.
String a leather boot lace through the eyelets, criss-crossing them from bottom to top. This should be similar to how you would lace a pair of shoes. Cut off any excess leather and knot the ends so they slide out of the eyelets.
For the pants, you will want to cut off the bottom of the legs so they look warn and jagged (similar to how you cut the shirt sleeves). Cut them so they hang just below the knee. Scrap the wire brush up and down along the pant legs to give the pants a warn look. Draw lines running down the pant legs using the gold, glitter dimensional paint. Start at the waist and run the lines all the way down the logs. Space the lines about an inch or two apart. Let the paint dry completely; this can take several hours.
Now that the shirt and pants for the costume are made, don't forget these finishing touches:
- Tie a bandana around the head and top it off with a cheap, foam pirate hat. Better yet, make your own pirate hat.
- You can apply temporary tattoos to the forearms.
- Use string of cheap, plastic beads to make a belt.
- You can also make a pirate eye patch to wear with this costume.
- - Compare Prices on Pirate Costumes