How to Make a Halloween Costume

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Some of the best costumes you will see on Halloween are made by the people wearing them. Making your own Halloween costume can seem like a lot of work, but if you select a costume idea that you really love, pick the right materials for the costume, and give yourself some time to make it, you can make a great costume, too.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Choosing a Costume Idea

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  1. Before you decide what you’re going to be for Halloween you have to decide how much work you’re willing to do on your costume. Do you want something you can just throw together or are you planning on making something elaborate?
  2. If you are attempting to make a costume the day before Halloween, you probably want to create a last-minute costume that can easily be thrown together using items, clothing, and supplies that you already have lying around your house.
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  3. Once you know you how much time you want to spend on a costume, you’ll need an idea. A good place to start is to make a list of your favorite characters: from books, movies, or TV shows. Dressing up as your favorite character always make a great costume.
  4. Another good place to find inspiration for your costume is in current events. Recent news stories, celebrity mishaps, or current pop culture references always make a great costume.
  5. If you’re still stumped for a costume idea, start by picking up some great costume accessories that you love – a hat or a cape or a tiara – and build a costume around the accessory. [1]
    • You might consider building your costume around a DIY latex mask if you are up to the challenge or want a unique look.
  6. Costumes that require multiple people can be fun and impressive if they are executed well. [2]
    • A few examples of group costumes include: bands, superhero groups, celebrity couples, or a set of characters from a book, movie, etc.
    • Make sure everyone in your group is committed to the group costume. If anyone backs out, it might ruin the costume.
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Part 2
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Picking Your Materials

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  1. Arts and crafts stores are great places to look for costume materials, even if you don't know exactly what you want before visiting the store. As long as you go in with a costume idea, you should be able to find fabric to make it work. [3]
  2. If your costume requires you to sew clothing, you will want to pick a material that is easy to sew or piece together, particularly if you are a beginning crafter.
    • For example, felt is inexpensive and can be glued together using a hot glue gun or even stapled together to create clothing. Basic cotton fabric is easy to sew with a sewing machine or by hand. [4]
  3. Before you visit a fabric store, you'll need to take exact measurements of your costume. If you’re unsure how much you need for your costume, ask for assistance. [5]
  4. If you’re not up for sewing your costume, secondhand clothing stores can be great places to find cheap, wacky clothes perfect for a costume. Sometimes these stores actually have homemade costumes for sale if you choose not to make your costume from scratch.
  5. When you’re choosing your materials, think about embellishments and accessories you can add to it. Many accessories can be purchased cheaply at arts and crafts stores. [6]
    • Look for accessories like crowns - from big tiaras to small flowers crowns - or capes or feather boas.
    • Good examples of easy to add embellishments include fake flowers, buttons, and glitter glue.
    • For example, if you're going for an evil witch look, you might choose accessories like horns, gloves, or fake long nails.
  6. When you’re searching for costume materials, look in the back corner of your closet or the drawer you never open in your dresser. You might have the stuff you need right at home! [7]
  7. If all else fails, a cardboard box can serve as a good base for a costume. The boxiness lends itself well to robots, washer or dryers, cars, or a TV. [8]
    • Box cutters work best for cutting through cardboard.
    • Decorate your box after you’ve cut out the holes for your arms, head, and body.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Putting It All Together

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  1. Even if you’re not sewing together your costume, you should still gather the materials you’ve decided to use. Lay everything out and start to make a plan for how you’re going to put them together. [9]
  2. Once you have your materials together, make sure you have the correct measurements for the clothes you're creating. Double checking these measurements before you create a template and begin cutting out fabric can save you a lot of wasted time and money. [10]
    • For pants, you will need the following measurements: waist, hip, crotch depth and full leg length from waist to floor.
    • For shirts, you will need the following measurements: neck, chest, shoulder width, arm length, armhole length and shirt length.
    • For shorts, use the pant measurements you have, only shortening the pant length to the desired length.
    • For skirts, you simply need waist and hip measurements. The length and fullness of the skirt will vary depending on what type of skirt you want to make.
    • Make sure that the material you choose to use is not see-through or itchy if you are making clothing as part of your costume.
  3. Creating a template for your costume on paper first gives you a chance to double check measurements. This is a good technique regardless of whether you're gluing or sewing your costume Transfer the template to a piece of felt with a pen and use scissors to cut out the template before gluing it together.
    • For example, to make a sheet ghost costume, put a bedsheet over your head and mark 2 holes for your eyes.
  4. Using your template, make clothing for your costume out of fabric. This might require either sewing or gluing material together. It's best to take this step slowly as you double check measurements and try things on as you make them. [11]
  5. Using a glue gun, paste on objects or embellishments to the clothing you've made or the existing clothing you're using for your costume. For example, you and a partner could cover a green outfit in real or fake leaves, wrap a toy snake around your neck, and hold an apple in your hand for a quick and easy Adam and Eve costume.
  6. Once you’ve got the base of your costume, add your accessories. This might mean gluing or sewing additional material, or simply draping a cape over your shoulders or adding a tiara.
  7. You’ll want to check out how everything looks together at least once before you wear your costume on Halloween. Once you have everything put together, try it on with all of the accessories and make sure you're happy with the result. You should do this a few days before Halloween so you have time for changes if they're necessary.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How can you make a mummy costume?
    Alina Bokovikova
    Costume Designer
    Alina Bokovikova is a Costume Designer from California. With over 15 years of experience, she specializes in designing costumes for stage productions. Alina earned an MFA in Costume Design from the University of California, San Diego and her Master of Education from the Novosibirsk Pedagogical University. She’s won two Outstanding Costume Design awards and her costumes have been displayed in Moscow, Prague, and San Jose, California.
    Alina Bokovikova
    Costume Designer
    Expert Answer
    One way to make someone look like a mummy is wrapping them with sheets that are an off-white or yellowish color. Use rope to tie and hold the sheets in place.
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  • Question
    How do I choose my costume?
    Community Answer
    Dress as a character you like, or look online for some ideas.
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  • Question
    If I am already a cyber-goth, could I still dress as one for Halloween?
    Community Answer
    Of course, you can. It's your costume, and you already have a grasp on what it should look like.
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      Tips

      • Be sure to include seam allowances in your measurements when you make a fabric template if you are sewing your costume.
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      • If you don't want to make a costume yourself but you want the homemade look, you can buy a homemade costume online from a website such as Etsy.com or check a recycled clothing store in your area for homemade costumes.
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      • If you are making clothing, be sure that it will not fall off of you or fall apart unexpectedly. You may want to wear clothing or spandex underneath your costume as a precaution.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.care.com/c/stories/3695/10-tips-for-picking-the-right-halloween-costu/
      2. ↑ https://www.ebay.com/gds/The-Complete-Halloween-Costume-Buying-Guide-/10000000177631091/g.html
      3. ↑ https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/2013/1025/Halloween-Costumes-5-DIY-materials-that-won-t-break-the-budget/Wrap-up-a-fun-fabric-costume
      4. ↑ https://so-sew-easy.com/fabrics-for-beginners/
      5. ↑ https://so-sew-easy.com/fabrics-for-beginners/
      6. ↑ https://www.care.com/c/stories/3695/10-tips-for-picking-the-right-halloween-costu/
      7. ↑ https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/2013/1025/Halloween-Costumes-5-DIY-materials-that-won-t-break-the-budget/Get-your-MacGyver-on-with-duct-tape
      8. ↑ https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/2013/1025/Halloween-Costumes-5-DIY-materials-that-won-t-break-the-budget/Get-creative-with-cardboard
      9. ↑ https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/easy-halloween-costumes-adults.html
      1. ↑ https://weallsew.com/3-tips-sewing-halloween-costumes/
      2. ↑ https://weallsew.com/3-tips-sewing-halloween-costumes/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      You can easily make a Halloween costume with materials from your house! For example, to make a ghost costume, drape a white sheet over your head so it covers your body. Use a marker to draw an “X” where your eyes are. Then, remove the sheet and use scissors to carefully cut the eyes out. If you need to, ask a grown-up for help. You can also make a devil costume by wearing all-red and taping red cones to a headband to make devil horns. Alternatively, you can be an angel by wearing all white and cutting a golden circle to be a halo. To be an M&M, simply wear clothes that are all the same color, like all-blue or all-orange, and tape two white “M”s to the front of your shirt. For a slightly more complicated costume, you can dress in sparkly clothing and bright colors to be a rock star, or dress in all black with fangs to be a vampire. No matter what costume you choose, just remember: the most important part of Halloween is to have fun! To learn how to start designing and putting together your Halloween costume, scroll down!

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