At kindergarten and school events where children perform plays, dances, and songs, many kids and parents look forward to wearing wonderful costumes.
But sewing costumes completely from scratch can be a real challenge! So this time, we’re introducing costume ideas made from colored plastic bags.
Colored plastic bags come in a wide variety of colors, pair well with colored tape and ribbons, and are easy to shape just by cutting with scissors and sticking together with clear tape.
They’re also more cost-effective than fabric, which is a nice bonus.
Even if you’re not good at sewing, you can make adorable costumes easily by making the most of the shape of the bags.
Give it a try and create costumes that are perfect for the children.
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Easy! Costume ideas made with colored plastic bags (1–10)
One Piece
Normally, making a dress requires cutting fabric according to a pattern and carefully sewing it together, but if you use plastic bags, it’s done in no time! Make the top and bottom pieces separately and stick them together at the end to create a cute dress with a soft, fluffy design.
If you’re using it for something like a school play costume, it’s recommended to leave the sides open on purpose so the children can easily take it off and put it on by themselves.
Once the base is finished, use tape or stickers to turn it into a sparkly costume.
skirt
Even skirts that are hard to cut and sew can be finished in just a few minutes if you use plastic bags! Cut a plastic bag in half, open it up further, and tape it into a large loop.
Fold back the raw edges and tape them down to create the waistband channel for the elastic.
Thread the elastic through and cinch it to fit your child’s waist, and you’re done in no time.
The overlapping plastic bags look like frills, resulting in a very cute skirt with lots of volume!
pumpkin pants
Even puffy, cute pumpkin shorts can be finished in no time without sewing if you use colored plastic bags! Instead of stitching the fabric seams, just stick them together with double-sided tape to form the shorts.
The crotch area you cut with scissors can tear easily, so after securing it with double-sided tape, reinforce it further with cellophane tape.
Once everything is taped together, thread elastic through to finish.
Add patterns with markers or stickers to customize them into costumes for various roles in a school play.
Snow White
Using white, yellow, and blue plastic bags, you can make a Snow White–style costume inspired by the Disney Princess that’s so popular with girls! Make the skirt, the top, and the sleeves separately, then attach them at the end to complete a Snow White–colored dress.
Decorate it with sparkly tape or polka-dot masking tape to match the character’s image.
Once you get the basic shapes down quickly, you can adapt them for all kinds of princesses—that’s the charm of costumes made from plastic bags, isn’t it?
Yukata dress
You can make a colorful yukata-style dress just by cutting and taping! All you need are plastic bags in your favorite colors, tape, and stickers or other decorations.
Cut the plastic into parts and attach them with cellophane tape or double-sided tape.
For areas where you want more structure, like the collar, apply vinyl tape, and use masking tape and other materials for decoration.
If you layer several bags to add volume, the skirt will become fluffy, almost like it has a petticoat! If you make it carefully, you’ll end up with a costume so well-made it would be a shame to wear it only once for a school performance.
trousers
Making pants from scratch can be quite a hassle, right? But if you use a plastic bag, you can whip them up in no time by just cutting and sticking! Cut the connected side of the plastic bag so it becomes a tube, make a slit in the middle, then secure it with a stapler or double-sided tape to create the leg openings.
If you use a stapler, be sure to cover the staples with vinyl tape so they don’t touch your skin.
Fold and secure the waist and hem, then thread elastic through to finish.
vest-style costume
You can easily make matching vests—perfect for choir or ensemble performances that require coordinated outfits—using colored plastic bags! Lay a T-shirt that the children usually wear over a colored plastic bag and cut the bag to just the right size.
Then cut around the neck and back to make it easy to put on and take off.
To finish, add button-like decorations down the front center with vinyl tape so it looks like a vest.
A true vest shape might flip up and slip off, but if you make it a pull-over design, you won’t have to worry about it coming off midway.