halloween costume for a toddler

Unleash your spooky skills with this crafty costume from Love Your Clothes.

Disclaimer: We recommend that you avoid using highly flammable materials and if the product is intended for use by a child that particular care is taken with small parts. The products shown in our guides are not intended for use by under 3’s. If children are involved in the making process, adult supervision is recommended at all times.

You will need:

– Old light coloured double bedsheet (elasticated fitted sheet works best)
– Dark coloured fabric (e.g. an old shirt or pillowcase)
– Fusible webbing suitable for applique
– A length of string and a pen
– Sewing kit
– Sewing machine (if available)
– Iron and ironing board

Fold the sheet into quarters and lay it flat on a clean floor or large table.

Tie a piece of string (that measures slightly longer than the quarter edge of the sheet) to the pen.

Hold the string in the folded corner of the sheet (the centre point) and mark the widest arc you can with the pen.

Cut the sheet along the marked line through all 4 layers. This will make ¼ of a circle (it will be a full circle when unfolded).

Measure the head circumference of the person wearing the costume and add 5cms on to this measurement. Divide this measurement by 4 (to give ¼ head circumference + allowance for ease) and make note of this measurement for step 6.

To make the neck hole for the costume, measure the length of the ¼ head circumference along the fold from the remaining corner (the centre point) and mark another arc. Cut the sheet along the marked line through all 4 layers.

FOR THE HOOD

Use the excess piece of fabric that you cut off when you were making the circle, matching seamed edge, place 2 pieces of fabric together.

To get the correct size, take the full head circumference measurement (including the 5cm allowed for ease), halve this measurement then add on 1cm. Measure a square of this size from the seamed edge and cut the square out.

Placing the seamed edge at the bottom, cut a curve from the bottom left side of the seamed edge to the opposite corner, to shape the back of the hood.

Match the two halves of the hood right sides together and pin, so that when the hood is sewn and turned all of the seams will be on the inside.

Sew the hood together along the curved edge (corner to corner), removing the pins as you go. Use a 1cm seam allowance and a straight stitch (or a backstitch if you are sewing by hand). See our skills sheet for instructions on how to do backstitch.

INSERTING THE HOOD INTO THE MAIN BODY OF COSTUME

On the neck hole of the costume mark the centre back, centre front and two sides using pins. By dividing the neck hole into quarters you can distribute the hood evenly, easing where necessary.

Note: To make it easier, you can also divide the hood edge into quarters working from the centre back.

Match the hood to the costume (placing right sides together), and pin the hood in place. Use the divided quarters of the neck hole and hood edge to do this evenly, easing where necessary (the hood will be on the outside of the costume while you are doing this).

Using a 1cm seam allowance, stitch the hood in place, removing the pins as you sew.

FOR THE DECORATION

Sketch a suitable design such as a spooky face, or write something suitable for Hallowe’en on a piece of paper.

Note: You can draw your design on an A4 sheet of paper but you will need to size it correctly for the costume in the following step.
Using a hot iron carefully fuse the webbing to the wrong side of a suitably sized piece of dark fabric. Make sure you iron on the paper side and not the sticky side.

Note: You can protect the fabric with a pressing cloth or tea towel if your fabric isn’t 100% cotton. It is worth doing a small test piece first as some fabrics can burn or melt when they are ironed at high temperatures.

With a pencil, sketch your design on to the fusible webbing paper, ensuring the design is the right size for your costume. You will also need to ensure you draw any letters in reverse.

Cut out each part of your design and then remove the paper layer from the webbing.

Position the design pieces on the costume (sticky side down) and carefully press in place with a hot iron, using a pressing cloth or tea towel if necessary.

Stitch each shape or letter down carefully using matching coloured threads on your sewing machine (or by hand, using a backstitch).
See our skills sheet for instructions on how to do backstitch and on how to use fusible web.

Finally, you can snip along the bottom edge of the costume to make a ragged edge.