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Coolest Homemade Cleopatra on a Litter Costume

This is a Homemade Cleopatra on a Litter Costume being carried by four Egyptians. All my clothes and jewelry came from garage sales. I got the boxes, cardboard, & boards from the neighbors’ trash, so all I had to buy were some bolts.

I wore a long gold skirt and cut the sleeves off a gold pull-over shirt. Then I wrapped a piece of gold fabric over that and secured it with a big safety pin in the front. I wore three necklaces, two bracelets, one up high on my arm and two ankle bracelets. My headpiece was a metal vest held on by a narrow headband, with a gold snake belt wound around it. My “litter” was a box, with a box lid for a footrest, which was taped on with package tape an bolted on for good measure. The backrest was a piece of cardboard with a gold pillow sham over it.

I cut holes in the box to slip 1×2 boards through. I cut out men from cardboard and attached them to the boards with bolts. The men originally had legs, but I couldn’t set the contraption down, so I cut off the legs and added long skirts made out of an old sheet. I had paper-mache legs & feet (paper mache done over my own legs and feet) left over from a previous costume, and I put bubble wrap in the top of the legs & over the top of the box (dressed in gold pants with elastic ankles) for the thighs, but this could be done simply with a skirt, shoes, and stuffing.

Then I disassembled and painted everything. Last, I attached black fabric to the bottom (with bolts) to hide my legs and feet. To wear, I simply stepped into the box and draped my gold piece of fabric that I wore over the legs. I held up the box with handholds cut from the box just under the boards. My entrance to my workplace contest was done to Egyptian music. The men swayed back and forth as I walked in time to the music. I also set the box down and did an Egyptian dance with my arms and hands.

It was a big hit!

Cleopatra Costume

Cleopatra Costume



Coolest Homemade Costume Contest 2023

2 thoughts on “Coolest Homemade Cleopatra on a Litter Costume”

  1. Gale – this is a fantastic costume that i am going to try to recreate.I was wondering how you made your paper mache legs? what did you put on your legs before applying the paper mache? how long did it dry? When dried, did you cut it off or did they slide off? Thanks!! I love it!

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