No-Sew Jack O' Lantern Costume
save
It's so fun carving pumpkins with the kids on Halloween, and you can help your child be a jack o'lantern for Halloween with this adorable No-Sew Jack O'Lantern Costume. The costume is simple enough to assemble in less than an hour with just a few materials. Because it's made out of a t-shirt, this costume is comfortable and is a great outfit to wear to school for the Halloween party!
What you'll need
- 1 orange t-shirt (a few sizes larger than your child)
- 1 sheet black felt
- 1 sheet green felt
- 1 sheet green self-stick craft foam
- 1/4-inch wide elastic (length depends on the size of the shirt
- 1 green pipe cleaner
- 1 green pom-pom
- scissors
- safety pin
- hot glue gun and glue sticks (adults ONLY) or craft glue
- recycled corrugated cardboard (6x6-inch piece)
- recycled plastic grocery bags (optional)
- Reusable Shirt: If you want to reuse the orange shirt, skip the felt and hot glue, and just use self-stick craft foam for all the facial features. Remove elastic and craft foam pieces after costume use.
- What to Wear Underneath: Wear neutral pants or leggings (black, green, or white) or tights (black, white, green, or striped) and black shoes. If your weather is cold, wear a black, white, orange or green turtleneck, long-sleeved shirt, or hooded sweatshirt underneath pumpkin shirt.
- Baby Pumpkin: This costume will work well for infants or toddlers, just adjust t-shirt size (use toddler t-shirts) and avoid plastic bag stuffing.
How to make it
Make the T-Shirt: Cut eyes, nose, and mouth shapes out of black felt. Make your Jack O' Lantern facial features any shape you like. I cut 2 triangles for eyes and 1 triangle for the nose; I used a half-moon shape for the mouth, with a rectangle cut out of the flat side of the half moon to form a tooth. (See photo.)
Cut triangular pieces from the green self-stick craft foam to border the t-shirt collar. Cut 4 to 5 triangles, depending on the size of the collar.
Attach the green triangles around the collar of the t-shirt as a border.
With hot glue (adults ONLY) or craft glue, attach the facial features on the front of the shirt, just below the green triangles.
Cut a small slit in the inside layer of the waistband of the t-shirt.
Attach the end of the 1/4-inch elastic to a safety pin, and thread the elastic through the waistband until it goes all the way around and comes back out through the slit.
Then, cut the elastic at the end so the length fits the t-shirt. Cinch the elastic so the waistband is slightly gathered, but not uncomfortable. Tie the ends of the elastic together and clip excess. Tuck the knot inside the waistband.
Gather the sleeve in the same way you did the waistband, but cut two slits, one on either side of the seam on the bottom of the sleeve. Thread elastic into one hole and out the other, and tie knot over seam. Repeat for second sleeve.
When your chid child wears costume, stuff the shirt with recycled plastic grocery bags for a rounder pumpkin shape. Avoid this step for younger children.
Make the Hat: Cut a 6-inch circle out of recycled corrugated cardboard (I used a bulk cereal box). Use an old CD or plastic lid for a template, if desired.
Cut an 8-inch circle out of green felt. Use a bowl for a template, if desired. This circle doesn't have to be perfect, because the edges will be hidden.
Express a circle of hot glue (adults ONLY) around the outside of the cardboard circle, close to the edge. null
Fold felt over around the entire edge.
Measure a piece of the 1/4-inch elastic around your child's head going under his chin. Cut so the elastic is snug but not too tight. Glue raw edges of elastic flat to middle of cardboard circle.
Cut circle of black felt slightly smaller than the cardboard disc (about 5 inches). Hot glue over exposed cardboard and elastic.
Wrap green pipe cleaner around a pen to make it curly. Hot glue pipe cleaner curl to the green top of the hat. Hot glue pom-pom over the center of the pipe cleaner.
