Make a Hamantashen Costume for Purim

Ready for Purim? Celebrate in style by dressing up as a giant hamantashen. Besides being a fun costume that will make anyone the star of the festivities, it also can be a starting point to teach kids — and anyone unfamiliar with the customs of Purim — about the history, meaning and significance of this three-cornered cookie.

Creating your own hamantashen costume is easy with a few yards of felt. Also, because it’s put together with a glue gun, there’s no sewing involved. And that’s another reason to celebrate.

What you’ll need:
2 yards light brown felt
1 yard felt for filling
(your choice of color)
Scissors
Hot glue gun

1. Cut out a large circular piece of light brown felt that is between 30 and 36 inches. I traced a circle with a 32-inch diameter hula hoop and then cut the circle with scissors. You can purchase felt by the yard at your local fabric store.

2. Cut out another large circular piece of felt that is the same size as the first, but in a color to represent your filling. It can be red, purple, brown, etc. — your choice. Then scrunch it into a mound and hot glue the “filling” to the middle of the light brown felt.

3. Fold in three sides of the outer circle of felt to form a triangle. Fill the folds with felt scraps to make the hamantashen three-dimensional, and hot glue the folds in place.

4. Hot glue the seams where the folds meet at the three corners. You may want to fill in these sections with more felt scraps to plump up the “cookie.”

5. Trace a triangle onto another piece of light brown felt with your finished hamantashen and cut it out. Hot glue one side of the triangle to one side of the hamantashen, but leave a 12-inch section in the middle open so you can stick your head through.

When Purim is over, this costume can be repurposed as a hamantashen-shaped dog bed. The three sides of the cookie even act as bolsters for the dog’s head for cushioned comfort. Bonus points if your dog happens to be named Esther.

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Walls That Wow,” “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.