On Halloween, you can’t help wondering, “What kind of costumes is everyone going to wear?” But store-bought outfits can be pricey, and you might end up matching with someone else.
That’s why I recommend handmade costumes! With just a bit of creativity and easily gathered materials, you can make a wonderfully original outfit.
In this article, I’ll share DIY costume ideas perfect for Halloween.
How about creating a one-of-a-kind costume and making this year’s Halloween a memorable, special day?
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DIY Halloween Costume Ideas! A roundup of costumes you can make with everyday materials (1–10)
Pikmin hat
Let’s make hats inspired by Nintendo’s Pikmin series.
Among the many different Pikmin shapes, this guide introduces four types of hats.
All the materials can be found at 100-yen shops, and the outer fabric is easy-to-handle felt, so even beginners can make them with confidence.
The patterns are available for a fee, so be sure to make use of them.
The main body of the hat is sewn with a sewing machine, and the eyes are attached with fabric adhesive.
It seems the pointy parts are supported using a balloon stand.
Stuffing is placed around the stand to prevent injury when wearing the hat.
Minecraft head
Let’s make a character head from Minecraft using cardboard.
You’ll need cardboard, black mesh, tape, a ruler, a pen, and paint for coloring.
First, create a square cardboard box with the bottom removed.
Since the world of Minecraft is built from blocks and the characters are, of course, represented with blocks, use a ruler and pen to draw a grid all over the cardboard.
Once the grid is drawn, paint over it with white paint, then layer on colors to match the character.
After the paint dries, cut out the eye areas and attach black mesh from the inside—and you’re done!
tulle skirt
This skirt can be finished without any sewing, so even beginners can easily make a neat shape.
The materials are soft nylon tulle, ribbon, and woven elastic.
Cut three colors of tulle into 15 cm-wide strips to make bands; be sure to include orange and black for a Halloween-like color scheme.
The construction is very simple—just tie each band onto the woven elastic! After tying on all the tulle, adjust the widths slightly to improve the overall balance.
Dracula cape
This is a genuine cape with a well-structured collar.
It uses two colors of satin fabric, with vermilion for the lining.
If you use a fabric called “Pression interfacing” to bond the outer and lining layers, you can easily attach them with an iron.
After sewing around each piece, press it with an iron.
Since you’ll be turning it right side out at the end, don’t forget to leave an opening when you sew.
Add a ribbon at the neck, and you’ll have a very elegant cape with a rich atmosphere.
Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
This is a cute costume inspired by Kiki, the protagonist of the Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Start by cutting the navy fabric into parts and sewing them together.
For the sleeves, give them a slight puff to create a puff-sleeve look—it’ll make it even cuter! Add gathers to the skirt portion to give it a stylish finish.
For Kiki’s iconic large red bow, take a plain store-bought headband, attach red felt to it, and add a bow made from felt.
Prepare a broom and a plush toy to represent Jiji the black cat, and get into character as Kiki!
Alice
This is a costume made with a 70 cm × 60 cm piece of felt that looks like something a Disney princess would wear.
It also uses lace, hook-and-loop fasteners, and safety pins, but you can make a cost-effective costume for under 1,000 yen in total material costs.
If you make it in white and light blue, it can look like Alice in Wonderland, and using orange, black, and purple felt could give it a fun Halloween vibe.
You can create not only the ruffles on the hem and shoulders but also the bows entirely out of felt!
black cat
The black cat, which is quickly becoming a cosplay staple, pairs perfectly with Halloween.
You can make the cat ears, paw pads, and even the tail entirely out of felt.
For the ears, you can use a headband or hair clips, and create them by layering and sewing triangular pieces of felt.
For a more realistic look, don’t make the inner and outer felt pieces the same length—leave the inner piece slightly longer.
The tail doesn’t need a fixed length either; just freehand it.
Be sure to leave some extra material at the base so you can sew it onto the back.