This was our first year of all DIY Halloween costumes – but probably not our last! I want costumes that are cute and comfortable, and that is hard to find (at least affordably) with commercial outfits! I knew I wanted to make these butterfly costumes for my girls as soon as I saw them on ikat bag – one of my all-time favorite blogs – and, luckily, my girls agreed!
DIY Butterfly Costumes
LiEr’s blog post includes a tutorial with pattern pieces, making this project very approachable. The costume is basically a shrug with a hood (including antennae) and wings. It is the only butterfly tutorial I have ever seen where you aren’t worrying about keeping wings in place, or wings poking another child in the eye, or having to wear an elastic around your wrist. Very clever!!!
I made a few sizing adjustments (our kids’ sizes don’t match up exactly), and we were set! The seam at the top of Emma’s Monarch butterfly inspired wings was supposed to be on the inside but I thought it looked cool this way (and removing stitches from fleece is a pain). I built some extra give into Emma’s sleeves, and I think it makes the wings drape more nicely, but the snugger fit of Lily and Anna’s wings might be more practical for small children.
If you have children who don’t like to dress warmly even when they should, and/or have sensory issues, this costume is perfect! All three of my girls love their costumes, and I am sure they will get a lot of wear long after Halloween is over.
Thank you, LiEr, for yet another brilliant tutorial! If you haven’t visited ikat bag, you NEED to. Brilliant sewing, cardboarding, and birthday party inspiration!
DIY Halloween Costumes for Children
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Inspirational! Have not been on your blog fo a looooooooong time. Hope you are all well!!!
So cute! They look so comfy!
They are super comfy! I love comfy costumes!
I love her tutorials.
Your butterfly wings turned out great.
Thanks, Ticia! LiEr has an incredibly inspiring blog!
Yeah, MaryAnne! Thank you for the shoutout! Your kids are going to be warmer than we are tonight, and not because you’re in a warmer state – we’re dressed in Tshirt fabric! Argh! What have I done?? Must dig out turtlenecks later today and make the kids agree to layer. Lots of layers.
I’m sure your girls feel that those gorgeous dresses are worth the cold – they turned out beautifully!
Perfect idea, especially to keep the kids on cold Halloween night. I bookmarked it for future use. :)
WOW!! Those are fantastic! I love the detail! We did a family theme this year for the first time..and I LOVED IT! I hope to do it every year!
I love family themes!
Such cute costumes and such sweet pictures!
Thanks, Catherine!
Those butterflies look both beautiful and comfy. What a wonderful result! All your girls are getting so tall, too!
Thank you! They are all growing up so fast – I can’t believe it!
So cute! I would love to do more homemade costumes.
What beautiful butterflies! I especially like how they are warm. It’s always cold here in Boston for Halloween and most costumes are flimsy. They turned out beautifully! Just a little sewing?
Love the costume, and the picture of a big butterfly holding a somewhat disgruntled baby butterfly :) We have homemade too, but Papa is in charge of that :)
Lol I’m not sure the baby butterfly wanted to be held. Actually, I’m pretty sure she wanted to escape into the street!
I am always impressed by Papa’s crafting skills, in your home!
These are absolutely adorable and I can’t believe how big Anna is! I think this may be the first photo you’ve shared of her walking?? Very sweet!
She is growing up! She doesn’t walk yet, but it sort of looks like she is in this picture. Still working on that, and getting closer!
Gorgeous!
Thank you, Cathy!
Beautiful! I really need to learn to sew.
The girls and the costumes are simply adorable! My son has so many sensory issues I really have to hunt each year for comfortable costumes. I made bat wings this year from Cintia’s blog – My Poppet – http://mypoppet.com.au/2011/10/how-to-easy-bat-wings-for-halloween-or-dress-ups.html. Luckily they were really easy because my sewing is not that great.
Oh wow, those batwings are great! And the same basic idea, minus the hood. Thanks for sharing Cintia’s tutorial – I pinned it!