DIY Toddler Costume for...

...$7.49!!!!

Amazing right?

So my mom always made our costumes on Halloween, we NEVER had store bought ones and I LOVED it as a kid. It meant that nobody else had the exact same costume as mine! I plan to carry this tradition on, last year Bear was a pitiful looking cowboy because I completely ran out of time. This year he will be...drumrollllll...a tiger!

This costume can be ANY animal just add the proper tail and ears. I got orange fleece (1 yard) at 50% off at JoAnn Fabrics - all solid colored fleece was 50% off so I got a yard for $4.49. I bought a black fabric paint pen for $2.99 and I have a sewing machine, white thread, two buttons and scissors at home.

Instead of buying a pattern, i traced a hat bear already owns, cut it out and sew it together. I did the same with the coveralls, but I have to give credit to my mother for helping with the pattern as it was my first time making baby sized pants. But after I got it down I could make 100 pair almost effortlessly! We traced a pair of loose fitting pants on a piece of paper and then cut it out and traced it onto the fabric. We added the length of the bib to the top and the length of his legs to the bottom. Cut out all four pieces and pretty much sewed 4 straight lines and voila! Done. No need to hem the edges of fleece because it doesn't unravel. Then I drew stripes with the fabric paint pen. I also cut out a tail to safety pin on and drew stripes on that as well and let it dry, then ironed to heat set the ink, sewed on two buttons by hand and that was it. Total probably took 2 hours.

When the time comes I'll use eye liner and make his nose black and give him some whiskers and he'll be the cutest kid on the block!!

Buy black fleece for a cat, brown for a monkey, grey or a dog or wolf, etc! I am going to put him in a long sleeve white shirt and may also end up making him mittens to match with the scraps.

We decided to go as a pack of tigers so I got orange dye for Tim and I to dye one of our white shirts orange ($2.29) and I'll use a sharpie we already have for the stripes.

Have a safe Halloween :)

Love,

PlusPeace