How to Make a Halloween Costume

Co-authored by Alina Bokovikova

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

1
Decide how much work you want to do. 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
Evaluate how much time you have to complete the project. 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
Brainstorm your favorite characters. 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
Think about current events. 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
Start with your accessories. 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]
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- You might consider building your costume around a DIY latex mask if you are up to the challenge or want a unique look.
6
Decide on an individual or group costume. Costumes that require multiple people can be fun and impressive if they are executed well.^{[2]
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- 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.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Picking Your Materials

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Brainstorm material choices. 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]
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2
Pick a fabric that’s easy to work with. 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]
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3
Take your measurements. 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]
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4
Visit a thrift or recycled clothing store. 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.
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Think about possible embellishments or accessories. 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]
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- 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
Check out what you have at home. 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]
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Repurpose a cardboard box. 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]
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- Box cutters work best for cutting through cardboard.
- Decorate your box after you’ve cut out the holes for your arms, head, and body.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Putting It All Together

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Gather your materials. 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]
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2
Double check your measurements. 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]
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- 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
Create a template. 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
Make the clothes of your costume. 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]
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Add embellishments. 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
Add accessories. 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
Try it on. 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.

Expert Q&A

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.
Question

How do I choose my costume?

Community Answer

Dress as a character you like, or look online for some ideas.
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.