Halloween is a favorite time of year for kids, but for parents, it can be expensive. A National Retail Federation survey found that consumers could spend a record $13.1 billion this year on the holiday—and $4.3 billion on costumes alone.
But dressing up for the holiday doesn’t have to break the bank. Parents can easily pull together a fun DIY Halloween costume from items they already have. Since inspiration is often the hardest part, we’ve rounded up some great homemade options, complete with instructions on how to help your child create their own unique look. Happy Halloween!
Rainbow
A great way to repurpose pool floatie noodles (or an excuse to pick up some new ones), this DIY rainbow is a cheap and easy way for your kids to brighten up trick-or-treat time.
Materials: 7 pool noodles in the colors of the rainbow, ink pen, string, scissors (to trim noodles, if needed), ribbons, white balloons.
Directions: Using your scissors, trim the noodles into stair-stepping lengths, if needed. Then, attach an ink pen to a string and drop it into the noodle, using the string to help you feed it through. Bend the noodle to create an arch. Once bent, remove the pen and tie the string together (note: it will need to be slightly longer than the noodle). Repeat with each noodle and arrange the bent noodles smallest to largest. Create backpack straps with the ribbons and attach white balloons to the bottom of the noodles to create clouds for your rainbow.
(Source: HGTV)
Ghost
A spooky take on a Halloween classic, you don’t need a sheet to create this ghost costume—just some face paint, sweats, and tulle.
Materials: White sweatshirt and sweatpants, white tulle, white or light colored sneakers, a fake chain, fabric glue, scissors, white thread, white ribbon, black and white face paint.
Directions: Cut the tulle into strips and attach it to different parts of the sweatshirt and pants using fabric glue. Then, cut a large rectangle from the tulle that is one and a half times as large as your child’s shoulders, and slightly wider than their frame. Using your thread, sew a white ribbon to the top of the tulle, so they can tie it around their neck like a cape. Cut the bottom of the cape into strips for a fringe-like effect.
To finish the costume, add white sneakers, a fake chain, and paint your child’s face white. Add black eye paint around their eyes for an extra spooky effect.
(Source: HeatherHandmade)
Scarecrow
Whether your child is doing a Wizard of Oz themed costume with friends or loving the idea of a thrift store DIY costume, this scarecrow costume is an easy way to repurpose old flannels and overalls.
Materials: Denim overalls, a plaid shirt, fabric scraps to use for patches, sheets of felt, burlap, raffia, faux flowers and leaves, hot glue gun and sticks, scissors, brown eyeliner, straight pins.
Directions: To make the overalls, cut the felt, burlap and fabric scraps into squares. Fray the edges for a vintage/weathered look. Using hot glue, attach the squares to the overalls, along with bunches of raffia and leaves for a “scarecrow” look. Glue raffia in the pockets as well so it resembles hay.
To make the scarecrow’s hat, cut a large circle of felt about 16 inches across. Grab one of your child’s baseball hats, lay it on the felt, and trace another circle around it with chalk. Cut out the smaller circle and place it on your child’s head for size. If the hole is too large, glue another strip of felt for a more secure fit. Use straight pins to attach a cone of felt to the inner circle, adding glue to it and the seam if needed. Chop off the top of the hat, and add raffia, flowers, and twine to give the hat character.
(Source: WhereTheSmilesHaveBeen)
Pinata
Made from a romper and tissue paper, a pinata is an adorable way to add some color to your child’s Halloween costume. The candy they collect that day completes it!
Materials: Cardboard, one-piece romper, hot glue, tissue paper in various colors, scissors.
Directions: Insert pieces of cardboard inside the romper, so they line the front and back of it. Cut the tissue paper into several stacks of strips. Attach the tissue paper strips to the romper using a hot glue gun. Let it dry completely before your child wears it! Add coordinating sneakers and a hat or hair ribbon to complete the look.
(Source: CountryLiving)
Mummy
A Halloween classic, this costume is an upgrade from the ones you’ve probably tried to make with toilet paper.
Materials: White long sleeved t-shirt, gray sweatpants (turned inside out) or white ones, package black tea for dyeing (not just one bag), at least one yard of white cotton fabric with a ribbed or crinkly texture, cotton lace, off-white tulle, elastic, needle and cream thread, scissors, pins.
Directions: To tea dye your t-shirt, sweats, fabric and lace, dump a box of tea bags into a tub filled with hot water. Dunk and submerge the items in the water, and let them sit for several hours. Rinse with cold water and line dry.
Once the cotton fabric is dry, start cutting it into strips ranging from 2-4 inches. They don’t need to be exact; just chop it up to create the mummy bandages. Then, layer the bandages on top of your shirt in a crazy pattern, wrapping some around the front and back. Pin each strip in place. Stitch down the patches with the needle and thread, removing the pins as you go. This can be done by sewing machine if you have one, but if not, be sure to run your stitches closely up the seams of the shirt.
To make the pants, turn your gray sweatpant inside out (an unnecessary step if you have white ones). If the pants have an elastic cuff, cut it out. Cut the inseam of the pants so they open, then lay the strips at the inseam, wrapping it around front to back and pinning it in place. For the waistband, lay strips over the front and back. Stitch all of the fabric into place, and sew the inseam closed.
Add a piece of fabric to your child’s head to complete the costume. If it’s a cold Halloween, they can wear leg warmers or another layer of sweats underneath to keep warm.
(Source: PolkadotChair)
After you have finished making your costume, check out these fun Halloween crafts.
