It is helpful to place the shell on your back at this point to get the appropriate length for your straps before gluing them. Allowing some of the brown to show through the green paint will give the shell a nice textured look. Leaving enough space to allow the dark green felt to make lines between the scales, glue one hexagon above the center one, and the other hexagon below the center one. When I was writing this post I found a lot of information about a woman named Katie Bradley who creates original Tortoise Cozy patterns and then crochets them for her Tortoises to wear.

Tortoise Costume - Etsy UK Knitted Tortoise Costume - Etsy UK

Attach the bottom of the straps to the cardboard before gluing the rest of the oval onto the cardboard. Start by placing one in the very center of the shell with the long sides running on the top and bottom of the hexagon so the shape is placed longways. It is useful to keep one edge of the oval on the edge of the felt to make it easier to cut from the felt. For even more texture, use a large paint brush and green acrylic paint to dry brush on the green color.Cover your skin in green a little past the collar of your shirt to make sure you’re skin color won’t show when your shirt shifts as you move.

Costume for Tortoise - Etsy UK Halloween Costume for Tortoise - Etsy UK

These will become the lines between the scales of the turtle shell and you want them to remain the dark brown color. Rhondda Mol, an Ontario, Canada-based professional crochet designer and blogger, is passionate about helping the online crochet community create amazing projects. Match the pointed edges of the half hexagons to the point edges of the whole hexagons where they are placed on the shell.This is where the ribbon will be threaded to hold the pan on your back, so think about where the straps of a backpack would go.

Tortoise in Costume - Etsy UK

You will want to cover both the inside and outside of the pan, as some of the inside may be visible.You want to get some which is thin and will fit in the molded lines of the pan, about 3/4 inch wide. These shapes will create the scales filling the top and the bottom of the shell between the hexagonal scales. This method requires a sewing machine and you will want to get dark green thread if you don’t already have some. If the cardboard seems flimsy, you could cut a second oval out of cardboard and glue the two together for reinforcement. Attach the top of the straps first, then glue the oval over the gathered edges of your shell to create a back to your shell.