Easy DIY Kids Costumes
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I know you want to create a great kids costume for Halloween, but you don’t want to spend a fortune for something that will only be worn once. With a little ingenuity, you will find you have several options! The costumes I’ve included here can be created with ready-made, off-the-rack clothing or you can take the time to sew from scratch.
Yes, I know sewing seems to be a dirty word. But- I promise it’s a lot easier than you think. If you would rather purchase your costume, check out these ideas.
Let’s get started!
Veterinarian Costume
Things you may need:
Scrubs (store bought or sewn with love)
Stethoscope(or child’s doctor kit)
Leggings (optional)
Turtleneck (optional)
So Connor was only 11 months for his first Halloween. Since he had no idea about candy, I knew that I would be passing out candy to the neighborhood. Certainly, I was not carting around my not-yet-walking child around for something he couldn’t even chew.
I always passed out candy with my faithful English Springer Spaniel, MJ, at my side. I certainly didn’t want her to miss out on Halloween due to the baby. Thus, the idea was born. MJ would be the patient, and my son would be her veterinarian!
When you think of a doctor’s clothes you probably think of a long white lab coat or scrubs. Of course, a vet is a doctor, and guess what my vet wears?
You can check local stores for pullover animal-print shirts and pants that match or you can easily find scrubs in kids sizes at places like Amazon and costume stores.
Since I was a seamstress, I took to sewing our own scrubs. You can often find children’s patterns for scrubs at most fabric stores. However, patterns are seasonal just like clothing. You may not find what you are looking for.
If you are not yet a seamstress, I highly recommend that you learn this art, and I will likely post more about sewing in the future. A well-made clothing item you personally make will likely give you much more wear and durability than any store-bought costume. Plus, you can choose your own fabric.
You can see the design we chose below. The dog print was perfect for our purposes.
Tip: If you have concerns about the temperature for your trick-or-treat night, make sure to make or purchase your scrubs a little larger than the child. You can easily put leggings and a turtleneck underneath so that your look is authentic.
Once you have your choice of clothing, you can accessorize as you see fit.
Scooby-Doo Costume
Okay, so I may be the only grown woman who STILL has a thing for Scooby Doo. But- I do love a good mystery!
I was lucky enough that Connor’s first cartoon love was also Scooby Doo. (And even luckier that this phase lasted probably 5 years).
Things you may need:
Children’s Animal Costume Pattern-Simplicity 2855is a great choice
Brown fleece
Brown Thread
Black felt (1/2 yard )
Teal ribbon (approximately 18”)
Velcro
Dog tag
Sewing Machine
Polyfil stuffing (for tail)
Now I know you hate the idea of sewing. So I will tell you that you can still find a great Scooby Doo costume online but you may not find it readily available at your local superstore. Again, seasonal items.
I chose to make my son’s costume from scratch. I started with a pattern from Simplicity. Again, patterns will give you the approximate fabric on the back of the envelope. For Scooby Doo, you will want to go with a brown low-pile fleece.
Remember, if you are going to be layering, make the next largest size. If you are altering the pattern, you may also want to buy extra fabric.
Now I followed the basic pattern design you see here for Item C, the Monkey. However, I knew my chest piece would be different since it was going on the back of the costume, and I knew that my child would not be comfortable with the tail permanently attached. Of course, the monkey ears also didn’t really work for a dog!
You may choose to make the body as is. However, I made the tail as a separate piece. No need to alter the basic tail pattern itself. Simply ignore the instruction to insert into the seem when you get to that part.
Completing the body of the costume is the first step.
Tip: If your child is walking, I recommend not sewing the bottom of the feet on. This will enable your youngster to wear his own shoes and be more comfortable in the long run.
Once you have the brown jumpsuit sewn together, I would suggest having your child try it on for any issues with sizing. You will also notice missed seams easier this way.
While your child has the costume on, mark the back of the outfit by placing a pin at the top and bottom. You are marking the area where Scooby’s spot will be. For the back of the costume, you will cut one large oval for the spot on Scooby’s back.
If you pay close attention to the character, you will also notice that Scooby Doo has 2 more triangular spots on his front legs towards the front. So I cut 2 rounded triangles from the black felt and then made 2 slightly smaller than the first step. You will sew on 1 or each size to the top of the child’s arms.
This may seem like a lot a work, but it is so worth the reward watching your little one smile!
Next, you want to use your teal ribbon to cover the neckline of the costume. Before you sew it into place, make sure you have placed your dog tag in the desired location. The current children’s pattern has the zipper in the front meaning you can either sew the dog tag to the fabric above the zipper on one side or possible just attach the dog tag to the zipper itself. Secure the ribbon from edge to edge on the collar and sew flat.
The next step is the hood. As mentioned earlier, the rounded ears don’t work well for Scooby Doo. I simply used the base of the ear (that attaches to the hood) and made triangular shapes for the new ears. Scooby’s ears have a black triangle on the front that you will want to sew on prior to sewing the front and back of the ear together.
Once your ears are completed and attached to the hood, you will put a Velcro strip on each side to keep the hood in place on your special night.
Finally, let’s talk again about that tail. So your tail should already be cut from the brown fabric. Sew the outside together leaving just the bottom open. Stuff your tail with Polyfil but make sure not to over-stuff it as you will need to sew the bottom closed.
Attach Velcro to the tail and then place the opposite Velcro strip on the suit where you wish the tail to hang from. Be aware that this will take more than one Velcro strip as the tail will be quite heavy once filled.
There you have it! Two simple children’s costumes you can easily make to ensure your child has a great trick-or-treat! More Do It Yourself costumes will be posted soon.
Happy Halloween!
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