Whether it's for Halloween, a party, or an afternoon spent together, here are 4 fun-to-make and inspiring costume ideas perfect for you and your little ones.
You’d love to make your own costumes and disguises, but your time is limited and you lack inspiration. With just a little imagination and an afternoon of free time, you can make one of these inexpensive outfits for yourself or your little one.
1. A starry sky
Rummage through your closet for any blue clothes you have. Jeans matched with a blue sweater will do nicely. Got them? Perfect, the stage is set. Now, just stitch on a few clouds you’ve cut out of white felt, plus a few gold fabric stars and a silver fabric crescent moon.
- Your blue sky at night will be everyone’s delight!
2. A pumpkin
Your costume will be a breeze with this pumpkin you can craft from orange and green velvet and black fabric scraps. Use any dress pattern to give life to the pumpkin. The idea is to add a hem around the bottom of the dress so you can slide in a length of wire which, when tightened, will give the round shape to your costume.
- Add a green collar, mouth and eyes made from your fabric scraps for the finishing touch.
3. A little mermaid
The trick to a sensational mermaid costume is to make a really good tail.
- Choose a shiny or glittery stretch-fabric and some organza. The latter, which is used for making ballet tutus, will be perfect for the tail fins.
- Sew the glittery material into a simple skirt that narrows at the ankles.
- Cut a V shape in the bottom of your outfit and sew the fin-shaped organza pieces on.
For this occasion, you’ll be happy to feel like a fish out of water.
4. The mummy
To make your own costumes and disguises, you don’t always need to have sewing experience. If you don’t want to sacrifice your white sheets to make this costume, go to a fabric store and buy several metres of white fabric. The cheaper the better for this mummy costume!
- Cut or tear strips of fabric about 6 cm wide so you can fray the edges.
- Soak the strips in a bath of tea or coffee to make them look as though they’ve been languishing in a sarcophagus for centuries.
Now, everything is ready to wrap the mummy in these shredded bandages. Ew!
No need to fret
If you like the thought of a sewing project but don’t have the skills or the machine to do the job, don’t worry. You can assemble your suit with a staple gun or special fabric glue. Or you can always ask a fabric shop seamstress (or a handy friend or relative) to give you a helping hand.
