PREVIOUS ARTICLE
Halloween is almost here! Do you have plans? If you’re looking for kids’ costume inspiration, here are three easy-to-make costumes, using our favorite clothes from Primary…
Jodi Levine (remember her week of outfits?) is the former crafts editor for Martha Stewart Living and an all-around creative genius. We challenged her to put together three make-at-home costumes that were good even for people who are hopelessly uncrafty (like us). She came up with a spider, frog and lion, using solid-colored kids’ basics from Primary as the base.
FROG
“We caught frogs in a pond once once,” says six-year-old Ivy. “They felt so gross!” What about her favorite Halloween candy? “I like all the candy. I like licorice. I love chocolate. I don’t even know!”
You’ll need:
Primary’s green kids long-sleeve T-shirt
Primary’s green kids leggings
Primary’s green kids winter hat
Fabric or tacky glue or “Heat n’ Bond” (for adding felt spots)
2 ping pong balls
Black paper or felt or a black Sharpie (to make pupils on the eyeballs)
Scissors
White glue
Velcro dots for fabric (or hot glue)
Assorted shades of green felt for stomach and spots
First, make the eyes. Draw two circles by tracing a coin on black paper or felt, then cut them out and glue each one onto a ping pong ball. Or, just draw the circles directly onto the balls with a Sharpie. Attach the eyes to the hat using Velcro dots or hot glue. Next, cut assorted felt spots and an oval stomach patch and adhere to the shirt using fabric glue, or create felt patches using Heat n’ Bond (per package instructions). Alternatively, you can lightly stitch patches on with a simple running stitch and then remove the patches after Halloween.
NOTE: If your child isn’t feeling very frog-like, this costume can easily be adapted into an alien/monster/cyclops costume. Just add or subtract eyeballs as you wish!
LION
“Lions are both scary and cool,” said Samo, doing his best to channel both of those things. What about his favorite Halloween candy? “I like bubble gum.”
You’ll need:
Primary’s kids yellow hoodie
Primary’s kids yellow long-sleeve T-shirt (optional, for layering)
Primary’s kids yellow leggings
Brown and/or orange twisty balloons
Balloon pump
Scissors
Yellow or regular masking tape
Glue dots
Yellow and tan or light brown felt (for stomach and ears)
Fabric glue or “Heat n’ Bond” (for adding felt)
Yellow and brown twisty balloons (for a tail)
Face paint (optional)
First, inflate about 16 twisty balloons so they are around 5″ long. TIP: To get the right length, inflate the balloon fully, twist off a five-inch segment at the tip and deflate the rest, tie and cut.
Next, add a strip of tape to the edge of the hood where the balloons will be attached. Add a glue dot to the smooth tip of each balloon and adhere to the tape strip. Keep adding more balloons to encircle the hood. Adhere the balloons to each other near the base with a glue dot on either side. Cut a felt belly and adhere to the shirt using fabric glue or Heat n Bond (per package instructions). Finally, create the tail. Knot the closed end of an un-inflated yellow twisty balloon, then inflate it, and knot off the other side. Knot a smaller brown twisty ballon, or some brown un-inflated balloon “fur” to one of the ends, to resemble the fuzzy end of a lion’s tail. Use the knot on the other side of the balloon to safety pin or sew the tail to the back of the sweatshirt.
NOTE: If lions aren’t your child’s thing, you can easily adapt this tutorial into a sweet flower costume! Affix balloons to the hood in whatever color you’d like, for “petals,” and swap out kids green leggings for “stems.”
SPIDER
“I literally have three books about spiders!” said Anton, who was jazzed to play this role. “They’re actually good because they eat mosquitos.” He especially loved the moving legs and the fuzzy faux fur tummy. “It’s so cozy!”
You’ll need:
Primary’s kids black long-sleeve T-shirt
Primary’s kids black leggings
Primary’s kids black hat (optional)
2 pairs of child’s black tights
Scissors
Batting (stuffing)
Safety pins
Thin fishing line or string or button thread
Long sewing needle (helpful but not essential!)
Two black hair elastics
Faux fur (optional)
Fabric glue or “Heat n’ Bond” or a needle and thread (optional, for adding faux fur)
First, create four spider legs. Cut the legs off the tights to about the same length as the shirt sleeves. Cut off four equal pieces of batting, roll them up, and stuff them into each of the legs. If you’d like, you can cut to taper the batting rolls before stuffing them in, to make the legs pointy, then cinch by tying thread around the midpoint of the legs, to make them look segmented. Tuck the cut ends of the legs inward and either safety pin, hot glue, or sew them to the shirt. (TIP: Try the shirt on your child before doing this, to find the right spots for the legs!) Thread your needle with at least 15″ of the fishing line/string/thread. Knot the end and sew through the bottom stuffed spider leg, then straight up through the next leg, and finally, tie onto a black hair elastic. (When looped onto the arm, this will allow the legs to move when your child lifts his or her arms.) Repeat on the other side.
Optional: Cut a faux fur belly and adhere to the front of the shirt either with fabric glue, Heat n Bond, or with a running stitch.
How cute are they? If Halloween is cold where you live, these looks are super easy to layer for warmth. And the best part is, Primary makes the most comfortable, high-quality clothes (we love love love them) that kids will enjoy wearing them, both on Halloween and long after. See their full selection here.
Are you excited for Halloween? If you have kids in your life, what are they dressing up as this year?
(Photos by Christine Han for Cup of Jo. This post is sponsored by Primary, a brand our family loves and wears all the time. Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep Cup of Jo running.)
