How to Make a Loofah Costume

Creating Tulle Bundles

Buy 16–20 yards (15–18 m) of brightly-colored tulle. A bright shade, like pink, purple, lime green, or electric blue, will make your costume stand out. Instead of tulle, you could use nylon matte netting; both products should be available at your local craft store. The great thing about tulle is that it can be fluffed and manipulated so it takes up a lot of space. The more tulle you use, the fuller your costume will appear.

Divide the yardage by 8 to figure out how big each bundle should be. Your loofah costume will be made of 8 bundles of tulle. You’ll have 2 pieces of elastic, one for around your waist, and one for around your chest. Each piece of elastic will be wrapped with 4 bundles of tulle. For example, 16 divided by 8 is 2, so each bundle should be 2 yards (1.8 m) long.

Spread out the tulle and cut it into 8 equal sections. Since you’re working with such a long piece of fabric, lay it out on the ground if possible. Measure the appropriate length with a tape measure or yardstick, and then cut that section away from the rest of the tulle with a pair of sharp scissors. It’s okay if the edges aren’t perfectly straight or even if they look a little jagged. Any imperfections will disappear once the tulle is fluffed and in place.

Create bundles by folding each section of tulle into thirds and then in half. Take one piece of tulle and lay it out in front of you. Fold the left side to the middle, then bring the right side over that to fold it into thirds. Then, fold the entire piece in half lengthwise. Eventually, the bundle will be tied with string; if the seam keeps coming undone in the meantime, try using a small piece of clear tape to hold it in place.

Tie a piece of string around the middle of each bundle of tulle. Cut off a piece of string that is 4–5 inches (100–130 mm) long. Wrap it around the middle of the bundle, pull it tight, and double-knot it. Leave the ends of the string hanging loose—you’ll use them later. Repeat this on each bundle. Any kind of string or twine will work for this step; you could even use twist ties if you can find ones that are long enough. Don’t worry about matching the color of the string to that of the tulle—it won’t be visible underneath all the fabric.

Measure 2 pieces of elastic to fit around your waist and chest. Use 3 mm (0.12 in) elastic bands that closely match the color of the tulle. Wrap the elastic snuggly above your breasts or around the top of your chest, and then wrap a second piece around the widest point of your hips. Add 1 inch (25 mm) to the measurements for each and cut the elastic. Tie the ends together in a knot to create 2 separate elastic bands. You could also use super stretchy headbands or something similar if they’ll fit around your waist and chest. If you can’t match the color or find the exact size of elastic, just use something similar. Round elastic will work better than flat elastic, but you can definitely still create a fabulous costume with a variety of supplies. If you’d rather not use elastic, you could always safety pin the bundles of tulle to your clothes directly.

Tie the bundles of tulle to the elastic bands using the string from before. Remember to tie 4 bundles to each band. Use the ends of the string leftover from when you initially created the bundles to double-knot each one to its band. Space the bundles out so that there is about equal distance between each one. When you’re done, each elastic band will resemble a tutu.

Fluff each bundle to make the tulle fuller and more loofah-like. This part is fun and simple—take each bundle and gently pull the tulle in different directions. Use your hands to separate the folds and spread the fabric out so that it takes up more space. You’ll do more fluffing once your costume is on, so don’t worry about making sure it looks picture-perfect at this stage. You can always make more adjustments!

Putting on Your Costume

Put on whatever clothes you’re planning to wear under the tulle. Depending on the weather and on your personal preference, there are a few different options for what you can wear underneath. Consider these outfit variations: Wear a strapless bodysuit that is the same color as the loofah for a seamless costume. Wear black spandex shorts and a tube top if you want a little more coverage for your legs. Wear black leggings and a long-sleeved black top if the weather is cooler.

Position the elastic bands over your chest and waist and fluff the tulle. Don’t worry too much about the tulle getting messed up when you pull on the bands—just focus on positioning them in the right places. Then, take a few minutes to fluff and manipulate the tulle so that it’s super full. You may need a friend to help you fluff and arrange the pieces of tulle in the back.

Braid 3 long pieces of white rope to create the loofah string. Make sure the pieces of rope are long enough by wrapping them around your neck and letting them hang down to your costume. Cut the pieces so they’re long enough to tie to the top elastic band. Braid the rope into a simple 3-strand braid. White rope resembles a classic loofah, but you can absolutely use colored or patterned rope if you’d prefer.

Place the braided rope around your neck and tie the ends to the top band. Simply knot the ends of the braid next to each other around the piece of elastic. Position them so they’re in the center of your chest. If your elastic bands are a little loose, this can also help hold that top section up.

Adding Finishing Touches

Add faux bubbles to your costume with polyfill and rhinestones. Purchase polyfill, a common material used as stuffing, and rhinestones from your local craft store. Pull out a fist-sized piece of polyfill from the bag, and use a hot-glue gun to place rhinestones all over it. You can attach the bubbles directly to your costume using with the hot-glue gun, too. The rhinestones will glitter and give the “bubbles” that sparkly, wet look. You can also wear the bubbles by gluing them to a piece of elastic wrapped around your wrist.

Create real bubbles by bringing a small bubble machine with you. This would be a really fun addition to your outfit! Just make sure to find a battery-operated bubble machine so that you’re not stuck standing next to an outlet all night long. Plus, a bubble machine will be a great addition to any party! People will love taking photos with bubbles as a backdrop.

Carry a rubber ducky for an additional whimsical bath-time element. You could simply carry the ducky around with you, or you could superglue it to your costume. You could even try attaching it to your shoulder with double-sided tape or some other kind of sticky material, like eyelash glue. Don’t use superglue to attach the ducky to your skin. This could cause serious irritation.

Use extra tulle to create a headband or bracelet for a cute accent. Wrap the strip of tulle around your head or wrist and tie it in a big bow. Fluff the pieces of the bow with your hands to make them fuller. You could even use several strips of tulle to create a fuller, fluffier bow.