DIY Halloween Costumes

My daughter was a month old for her first Halloween. I remember people asking in the week leading up to the holiday what her costume was going to be. I guess between the sleepless nights, trying to get through the rigors of breastfeeding a newborn for the first time in my life, and planning my shower schedule so I could get at least one in per week, I hadn't thought about making or buying a Halloween costume. Besides, I wasn't really into the idea of dressing up my daughter if she couldn't participate in the festivities. It seemed like too much effort just so other people and I could watch my daughter do what she normally did (eat, sleep, and poop) while dressed as something silly like an elephant or caterpillar. I did, at least, put my daughter in Halloween-themed pajamas that night.

For her second Halloween, my daughter was thirteen months. She was already a walker (had been for three months at that point), so I knew I wanted to take her trick-or-treating, even if it was only to a couple of houses. But I really did not want to spend $20 (or more) on a costume from a store that she would wear once, maybe for five minutes, but definitely not for more than a couple of hours. I finally settled on a Red Riding Hood theme.

I bought a homemade red cape that was stylish and not so costume-y that she could wear it on other days, with regular clothes. I dressed her in a plain dress with cute leg warmers, then I gave her a small basket I pulled out of storage that she could use to collect candy in. It was perfect. The only money I spent was on the cape, and it was a piece of clothing I could have her wear again and again, for as long as it fit.

I wanted to go a bit bigger with this year's Halloween costume, and I decided to make it myself. I looked through costumes at a few different stores, and I couldn't find anything I liked very much. Besides, many costumes seemed to be designed more for warmer weather, and I wanted something that I could throw a jacket over without completely losing the look of it. 

I finally settled on the idea of making a cute ghost costume. I had a few white, short-sleeved onesies I hadn't used, so I painted a ghost face onto one of them with fabric paint. Then I followed a no-sew tulle skirt tutorial, and created a tutu of sorts, using white and black tulle. To make the costume warmer, I layered a white, long-sleeved shirt under the short-sleeved one, and I put black leggings on under the skirt. I also have a black jacket I keep on hand to throw on if it gets particularly chilly. And since my daughter is only two years old, I'm able to attend daytime trick-or-treat events with her, allowing her to be outside during the warmer parts of the day. 

I think I am going to try to make my daughter's Halloween costumes each year from now on, at least until she gets older and vehemently opposes the "uncoolness" of a homemade costume. And I now have a sewing machine, which will hopefully allow for more versatility in deciding what to make.