Start by cutting out patterns for the eyes and mouth. The eyes will be made of fabric and glued to the tunnel while the mouth will be cut out and covered with mesh.
Stand the tube upright (you may need an assistant) and make a mark where your face is on the tube. Trace the mouth pattern where your face is, as this is where you will see.
Be careful when cutting the mouth. Nylon has a tendency to grab and keep ripping if you push too hard. Take your time.
Cut two white ovals (approximately 6" x 4") and two black circles (1-1/2" x 1-1/2") and hot glue them together. This can be scrap fabric or something new. A bit of nylon in the same color as the tube is used at the top of the eyes for the eyelids.
Use hot glue to adhere the eyes above the mouth. Next, cut a large piece of black mesh to glue behind the mouth. This can be tulle, screen door material, interfacing or netting. Make sure you can see through it without too much trouble, especially if you plan on trick-or-treating at night. To make sure the net is securely fastened, apply blue nylon to sandwich the glue and net to the nylon.
Mark and cut two holes for the arms below the face. Add a few centimeters to the circumference of the arm size. You must place yourself between the metal rings of the tunnel. Once cut, measure the circumference of the holes using the flexible tape measure.
Cut two lengths of blue ripstop nylon 48" long and X" wide. The X is equal to the circumference of your armhole. Ours is 26". Since this is ripstop nylon, you only need to make a small cut and then rip the rest. This will produce a few strands of fabric. Just peel them off so the hot glue doesn't grab them.
Working inside the tube is very challenging. If you have some clamps (or an assistant), gather the extra fabric and secure it. This will make the build much faster.
Attaching the arms is just a matter of glueing the arm tabs together and connecting them to the inside of the armhole. Do this one tab at a time so the glue doesn't dry out. It will take a bit of work but it goes pretty fast. Start with the arm tubes seam facing down.
It's time to put your costume to the test and work on your moves. I couldn't find the 6' infant tunnel so I opted for the 9'. This meant that there was additional space at the top and the tunnel would not stand straight on its own. So, I added a backpack with a PVC rod inside it to keep my head up. It also adds a lot of height and interest to the piece.
