Homemade Halloween Costumes

Homemade Halloween Costumes or Store Bought…Both Can Be Hauntingly Good!

The leaves are gone from the trees, the pumpkins have been harvested, carved, and now sit grinning on the porch. The air is crisp and cool.  All of this can mean only one thing….it’s almost Halloween!  Soon adults and kids alike will be deep in thought imagining that this year they will have the cutest, most clever, spookiest or most creative Halloween costumes EVER!!!!

There are many online shops where you can buy really original and unusual Halloween costumes.  The trick here is to decide what you want and order early.  If you would rather make your own homemade costume, here are a few tips to help you get started.  You can use some of suggestions in the first section to also help you make the decision for a purchased costume as well.

The first question to decide upon is who or what you want to be.  You can draw inspiration for this from many things; books, TV, movies, magazines, and even the community.  You can be the hero or heroine of the story, a famous person in history, a cartoon character, a celebrity, an author, an airline pilot or garbage collector….even an alien from another planet.  Look to the things you like to do for inspiration. Plan a trip to the local library or do some searching online to get ideas that are really unique.

Once you have decided who or what you are going to be, start searching online for that character’s costume in as many places as possible to source the best price and availability.  If you are making your own costume, your next step should be to get a good image or photograph of that person or thing.  This will provide a good visual starting point for your homemade costume . Homemade Halloween costume patterns are also available online.

Using the photograph, now make a list of everything you can think of that you’ll need to make your costume.  The picture will provide details of the materials, clothing items, supplies and accessories that you’ll need.  As you make the list of required items try to think of things that you may already have on hand, or things that you can re-use and recycle to create a needed item.  For example, fabric or old sheets, old items of clothing, string and yarn for hair and things like that.

When making your own costume, your best bet for bargains is the local thrift, goodwill or second hand store.  Items here are always inexpensive and in some cases, you’ll also be making a contribution to a good cause.  It’s a great place to find clothing items, shoes, hats, shawls, and costume accessories like sunglasses, masks, belts, and even toys like swords, batons, and tools.  The next great place to find inexpensive items is discount and dollar stores.

Just remember to shop early if you’re buying online, and re-use, re-cycle and shop discount, if you are making costumes for yourself and family!