How to make a "Ash Ketchum" - Pokemon Costume!

 When Dyllan asked me to make his "Ash" costume for this years Halloween, it took some thinking and researching as there is  really is not a good quality "Ash" costume to buy anywhere.
Then I found a basic enough tutorial here on Instructables.
I followed their example of finding the clothes at the thrift store and in making the hat. The rest of the costume was designed using various images of Ash, that Dyllan had on hand.

 To make this costume for any age, you will need the following:

1. 1 short sleeved button up white shirt with collar.
2. 1 button up blue shirt with collar.
3. Yellow duct tape.
4. Red hat, white fabric, sewing thread/needle.
5. Red and white Pokeball ball, found at a Anime shop- comes with toy inside.
6. Black & white sharpie pen, elastic cord, hole punch,
7. Black or green gloves
8. Pikachu, back pack

First start with carefully cutting off the sleeves of the blue shirt. Then add a duck tape to the bottom for the trim, and if desired, to the front in the sort of a v-shape. You will need to cut holes for the buttons. This design was one of 3 "Ash" shirt ideas that I saw in all of Dyllan's Pokemon books. By the way...Pokemon books are  great to have on hand if you need referance.

Since there were two designs to choose from for Ash's hat, I went with the simple design. I free hand drew it on paper, then placed the white fabric over the drawing, traced then filled in the color with a black sharpie. I hand basted the design to the front of the red hat.

If you are making this costume for a adult, garden gloves are your best best. For a little kid like Dyllan, all I could find was basic knit gloves. Buy 2 pairs, because you will mess up in cutting the fingers off. I added a bit of green felt to the cuff (with fabric glue) per request, this is totally optional.

For the ball, I opened it up, like a plastic Easter egg, and used a crop-a-dile to make the hole near the edge of the white ball side. Then I inserted a loop of the elastic big enough for a gloved finger. I knotted it on the outside and then again on the inside of the ball. Instead of snipping the ends of the cord, I secured it with duct tape to the inside of the ball. I used the black sharpie to draw the signature pokeball logo and accented it with the white sharpie in the center. Keep the pens around handy for touch up as the ink tends to scratch off easily from the plastic.

This on the go back pack is the perfect size for the costume. I put Pikachu inside the small zippered pouch and baste stiched him into the pouch so he would not fall out. Then I closed up the unzippered sides with black duct tape. Per request, I decorated a existing key chain with Pokemon stickers and sealed them with packing tape.

Here is Dyllan with his finished costume and a cute Pikachu we met at Disneyland.

Thanks for coming by! I hope to have inspired you to make your own "Ash" costume!
Comments Welcome :)
~Michelle Frae Cummings