DIY Network

Costume Creations Simplified DIY's Michele Beschen shares her simplified Halloween costume creations.

A solid colored piece of clothing is the perfect starting point for a costume (leotards, body suits, long underwear, sweat suits, turtlenecks, etc.), and be sure to play off its natural color for your costume inspiration. For example, red clothing can be turned into ladybugs, devils, etc.

Green clothing is perfect for Mother Nature, the jolly green giant, turtle, etc.

Black clothing can be a spider, witch, etc.

Stock up throughout the year by visiting second-hand stores so you have an inexpensive stockpile to pull from, and then all you have to do is embellish the clothing with items that tie in with the theme of your chosen costume.

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A great way to embellish any costume is to top it off with a fun headpiece full of accessories. Seen here is a grapevine headpiece to top off the girl's "Mother Nature" costume, below.

Here are some great ideas:

Girl's Costume

For girl costumes, simple skirting can be tailored to any theme and is an easy addition to solid colored clothing.

Materials:

tulle or shear fabric
ribbon
themed accessories
sewing machine or needle and thread
hot glue gun and glue sticks

1. Cut fabric to desired length and width.

2. Measure around the child and multiply by three to figure width. Determine how long you want the skirt to be and multiply by two (because you'll need to double the material over) to figure length.

3. Sandwich lightweight items such as petals, leaves, confetti between the doubled over fabric. You can scatter items loosely in the bottom of the skirt, or secure some of them in place by stitching or with glue.

4. When you are finished adding your embellishments, fold it up to sandwich the items in between the two layers, and stitch up the ends.

5. The folded side of the fabric is now the bottom of the skirt.

6. Fold over the top of the skirt to create a sleeve to run ribbon through. Stitch or glue.

7. Run ribbon through to cinch and tie.

8. Wear over dance leotard or bodysuit and tights.

Note: Glue or stitch items to the outside of the clothing to add pattern and design.

For the following ladybug costume, we glued black dots to red clothing. And for the Mother Nature costume, we glued small twigs, artificial leaves and petals to the clothing. The possibilities are endless.

Finish off by adding accessories such as headbands, wigs, wings, tails, glasses, etc.

	Michele Beschen, the host of DIY's popular B. Original craft series, demonstrates...
	...how to create this eye-popping Lady Bug costume!

Unique Ladybug Costume

Materials:

solid red bodysuit
black fabric (any material will work; can use felt, landscape cloth, duck cloth)
hot glue gun and glue sticks or fabric glue

1. Take a red piece of clothing and cover with various sized black circles. Stitch or glue in place.

   Note: The hot glue gun is a wonderful tool when it comes to throwing together quick costumes.

2. Add ready-made wings or ones you create yourself out of coat hangers and tights.

3. Add glasses (large sunglasses, or quirky reading glasses)

4. Add a silly wig. (We used a gray haired wig found at a second hand store.)

5. Add antennae made out of a headband. Take a wide black headband, paint white polka dots, drill two holes thru and add coiled wire with a bead at the top.

6. Add a tail.

Important: When creating your own costumes, you have the liberty to change things up if you want. Use your imagination and embellish however you like. A costume should be fun; it doesn't always have to be to specs.

Creating a Tail

Materials:

strip of fabric cut to desired length and width
needle and thread
glue
batting
wire
Velcro

1. Cut strip(s) of fabric. Can cut a piece twice the desired width and fold in half, so you only have to stitch or glue one side.

2. Stitch or glue the strips together; leave an opening in one end in order to stuff with batting. You can stuff with plastic shopping bags, as well. To add stiffness, run wire through the center before stitching shut. Can also wrap wire around the outside, as an option.

3. Form the tail by simply bending the wire.

4. Attach to the backside of the costume with Velcro, glue or by stitching in place.
   Be careful not to create a tail with too much weight to it, or it will pull down on your clothing when you attach it.

Wear Proudly!

Your little girl will love this beautiful "Mother Nature" costume!

Mother Nature Costume

1. Start with a green dance leotard and green tights.

2. Add a skirt (as directed above), filled with artificial leaves.

3. Glue nature elements to the leotard such as leaves, petals and small twigs.

4. Add a silly wig.

5. Add a headpiece created out of a small grapevine wreath. Glue artificial birds, flowers, bugs and leaves to wreath.

6. Secure with pins to the wig.

Handmade costumes are a cinch when you start with solid colored clothing and build off of it!