Thursday 31 October 2013

Mum - I need a Halloween Costume - for tonight! Ideas for Quick Costumes

Picture of young boy in home made Under the Sea Lobster costumeThey always do it to you don't they? Tell you they want a costume last minute.

And if it's not the kids themselves, it the school - how many of you have had a letter saying "Your child has been chosen to be a Sheep / Alien / Christmas Parcel /Lobster (delete as appropriate) for our School Show. Please can you supply a costume for tomorrow's dress rehearsal."

And yes really, I once had to do an  lobster costume. It was for a dance show routine "Under the Sea" - the girls wore mermaid costumes but the only boy was Sebastian the Lobster.  

Today is the last day for entering the Get Crafty with Creative Connections October Challenge which has a Spooky theme. So if you've made any fabulous Halloween costumes, or if you have got some fantastic spooky themed makes you'd like to share, just follow the link: October Challenge - Spooky (Halloween, Ghosts, Ghouls). Our favourites will be shared on this blog next month and the winner will get a set of Funky Fabric Coasters from The Old Button. 

And if you need need to create a Halloween theme costume really quickly with stuff you may have at home or can find at local supermarket or high street shops, you might find the following ideas helpful:
  • Harry Potter - you can do any of the characters in a school uniform - get your child to draw a Gryffinor (or Ravenclaw etc) badge onto an old white school shirt with felt pen. Add a wand (or a clean stick from the garden). You could run up a quick cloak if you have the time - a rectangle of fabric can be fastened with an old fashioned brooch or button.  And don't forget to draw Harry's scar in eyeliner pencil. And tie up a few old books with string for Hermione and give a "Quidditch" broom to Ron. Or maybe you can make some cardboard Radish earrings (use thin cord elastic or hair bobbles to loop round non pierced ears) and a "Butterbeer" cork necklace for Luna Lovegood.Picture of scowling green faced man in hand made Grinch costume
  • The Grinch - if you have an old Father Christmas outfit and hat, you can use green face paint to create a this really lovable creature!
  • Black Cat - tight black tights or leggings and a long sleeved crew neck tshirt, jumper or old dance leotard. Black furry or cardboard ears sewn or glued onto an old headband. Add a tail made from black fur trim or sew a narrow fabric tube stuffed with cotton wool or old tights.  
  • Or you can adapt this into a Black Bat by swopping the tail for shaped wings cut from black fabric or a thick black bin liner and tacking or safety pinning to the back of neck and the sleeves once the costume is on.
  • Pumpkin - got a big orange t-shirt? And a black sharpie or felt pen? Just draw thin curved lines and then go crazy with blacked out pumpkin designs. Faces, bats, witches - much easier to draw than to carve on a real pumpkin! And you can tie a couple of pillows round the tummy if you want the to show the roundness of the pumpkin.Picture of children wearing light up accessories  
  •  Hunches from Seussical / Crazy Hair Creatures - I used some Crazy Hair with flashing lights to create Hunches for a local production of Seussical. I made huge black bat-wing tunics and the kids wore black leggings.  They also wore flashing gloves and looked brilliant on a black stage.   I bought these flashing assessories on-line but you may be able to find similar in the super market Halloween section or from a fancy dress shop.


Keep an eye out over the next couple of months as we share some more design ideas for costumes as well as lots of other makes, craft tips and tutorials.



No comments:

Post a Comment

We love comments on Get Crafty with Creative Connections so please leave some love below!