If you are throwing a luau or planning to attend one, an important part of the party is your attire. Think of the tropical colors associated with Hawaii as you plan your wardrobe. You may not even need to head to the store --- you might be able to make it at home. Most of the attire can be constructed with craft items you may already have around the house.
Lei
Cut a piece of 25-inch string. Shape flowers by cutting out 4-inch squares of tissue paper in bright colors. Pinch each square in the middle with your fingers, then twist the pinched portion to make a small stem. Pull open the pieces of the free portion of the tissue paper and trim the edges with scissors to make petal shapes. Start at one end of the string and tie the string around the stem of one of the tissue paper flowers, knotting off the string on the stem. Continue attaching all of the flowers to the string in this manner until the string is covered in tissue paper flowers. Then tie off the end of the string to wear the lei around your neck.
Grass Skirt
Measure around the waist of the person who will be wearing the grass skirt. Then measure the person from the waist to the knee. Cut a piece of string 6 inches longer than the waist measurements and set the string aside. Fold a large sheet of paper in half that is as wide as the waist measurement and, when folded in half, as long as the waist to knee measurements that you took. Trim the paper as needed to conform to your measurements. Unfold the sheet of paper and paint the entire paper, front and back, with green or yellow acrylic paint and allow the paint to dry. Fold the paper in half again, then place the string inside the crease of the folded paper, centering the string inside the fold and allowing the ends of the string to protrude out of the paper on either side. Staple both sides of the paper together just below the string all the way across the paper to hold the string in place. Use scissors to cut 1-inch strips from the bottom of the paper to the staples at the waist. Cut the strips through both the front and back of the paper and all across the paper until you have made the flowing strips for your grass skirt.
Hawaiian Shirt
Use either a plain white button-down shirt with short sleeves or a plain white T-shirt. Use a pencil and lightly draw a flower pattern on the shirt, covering the entire shirt. Select colors of washable fabric paint that you want to use on the shirt. Lay out paper plates on a table and pour one color of fabric paint on each paper plate. Use a clean, dry sponge for each color of paint. Dab the fabric paint lightly on the flower patterns you have made to color in your flowers. Remember that flowers are rarely only one color, but may have red leaves and a yellow center, or be completely multicolored. Allow the paint to dry on one side before painting the other side. Fabric paint can take up to two days to thoroughly dry.
Headdress
The simplest floral headdress is made from vines of flowers shaped to your head size and twisted at the end. However, you can also make a floral headdress by cutting floral wire to the size of your head and twisting off the ends. Then cut the stems of fake flowers, about 2 inches below the flower, with wire cutters. Wrap the stems of the flowers around the wire until the flowers are secure. Wrap flowers all around the wire tightly.
Tags: tissue paper, fabric paint, across paper, around wire, floral headdress, flowers around, flowers around wire