How to make children's Halloween costumes

Halloween is a time of celebration in America every October 31. This custom was brought to us by the Celts and later accepted by the Christian church as All Saint's Day when they honored the saints of the church. At any rate, we still celebrate this occasion and dress up in costume. Although most children today buy their costumes, they once had to be homemade. Most working mothers today do not have time to make their children's costumes but some still insist upon it. Below are a few tips for making your children's Halloween costume:

To sew Halloween costumes:

· Choose the right size pattern for your child. Try to get all your supplies such as thread, material, lace or any other accessories you might need all at the same store. This will make everything much easier for you - the seamstress. After all it will be you that make sure this project goes well from start to finish. If any extras are needed such as hats, shoes, etc. Try to buy them at this time also.

· If you don't sew but want a homemade costume, find a local seamstress who can sew it up for you in no time or you might want to try the following instructions.

Instructions for non-sew costumes:

These are so simple children can make them and you won't have to sew a stitch.

Snowman costume:

Materials needed:

One white sheet

One brown grocery bag

Construction paper (white, black, orange)

One yard ribbon (red, green, or blue)

Scotch tape

Stapler

School glue (white glue)

Old newspapers (for stuffing)

Directions for head and hat:

· In the middle of one side of the grocery bag, cut an eye opening.

· To make the crown of the hat, glue black construction paper to the top of the bag above the eye openings.

· Cover the rest of the bag with white construction paper, but do not cover the eye openings.

· To make the brim, place the bag on a large sheet of black construction paper. Using the bottom of the bag as a guide cut a hole in the center of the black paper. This creates your brim. Slip it over the bag and tape or glue it in place.

· To make the nose, cut a long narrow triangle out of orange construction paper. Fold and tape or glue in place.

· To make the eyes, cut circles out of black paper. Do the same for the mouth and glue them in place.

The body:

Make a basic sack:

· With the child's arms extended, measure a length of cloth as wide as the distance from elbow to elbow. Make sure it is twice as long as the distance from neck to knees.

· Fold the material in half, with the wrong side out. Staple the sides together and don't forget to leave holes for the arms. At the bottom fold, cut out 2 holes for the legs to go through.

· Turn the sack right side out. At the top, make slits about 3" apart and thread a ribbon or string through the slits.

· Glue black paper circles down the front of the sack.

To get into the costume:

· After the child steps into the sack, stuff it with old material or newspapers and pull the ribbon to gather the sack at the neck and tie in a bow.

· When ready to go, put the mask on and add a red, blue or green scarf around the neck. Add matching color boots, mittens, and a small child's broom.

Ladybug costume:

Materials needed:

2 large pieces of cardboard

Construction paper (black)

Heavy string

Scotch tape

One pack of Pipe cleaners (black)

Stapler

Paint (red and black craft paint or spray)

The body:

· Cut 2 large circles out of the cardboard for the front and back of the body.

· Paint the circles red, paint a black line in the middle and make 3 large black dots on either side.

· At the top of each circle, poke 2 holes for your string. Tie the front and back circles together.

The headdress:

· With the construction paper, cut out a 2" band large enough to go around the child's head with an overlap of about 1".

· Staple the band together.

· To make antennas, staple pipe cleaners to the front of the band. Use one pipe cleaner for each antenna or twist some together for larger effect.

The face Mask:

· Cut a 3" x 6" strip of black construction paper.

· Fold the strip in half and cut.

· Tape the facemask to the headband.

How to buy a Halloween costume:

· If you are shopping online you can enter the words "Halloween costumes" into your search engine box and many websites will appear for you to click on. Whether you order from online, catalogs or in department stores always remember to check the correct size. When you shop in a department store you have all the advantages. You can check things out for yourself. If your costume tag says size "small" don't forget to check inside the costume for the size tag and make sure it agrees with the tag attached to the costume.

· Make sure you know what accessories come with the costume. Sometimes a hat, sword, wigs, or even a mask will be included. If you are ordering you will have to make sure what does or does not come with the costume.

· If ordering don't forget to calculate shipping and handling charges. And if you do order, make sure you place your order early so your costume will arrive in time for the Halloween holiday.

How to make a costume from the Thrift Store:

· A white sheet creates the perfect ghost costume. For an added touch buy an old hat to place on the ghost's head.

· Flannel shirts, jackets and jeans for a cowboy costume. Add a hat, scarf, and boots.

· Prom or evening gowns make an excellent princess, queen, or your favorite movie star. Add jewelry, gloves, high heels, purse and shawls.

· Oversized clothes make a clown costume. Add hat, wide tie and face paint.

· Flowing dresses and bright shoes make a gypsy costume. Add lots of jewelry such as bracelets, necklace, beads, earrings and scarves.

· You can add any accessories you like and make up or face paint to spice up your costume.

Hat recipes:

The Basic Band:

Cut a 2" wide strip of paper long enough to go around the head with an overlap of about 1". Staple ends together.

Indian Headdress:

· Make a basic band.

· Tape or staple feathers to the band.

Royal Crown:

· Make a basic band about 4" wide.

· Cut points in the top.

· Decorate the crown with beads, buttons, braids, sparkles, etc.

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Cone Hats:

The Basic Cone:

· Fold a 12" x 24" sheet of newspaper in half.

· Cut out a quarter circle and open the paper into a half circle.

· Roll the half circle into a cone to fit the head. Tape or staple the cone together.

Witch Hat:

· Make a basic cone out of black paper.

· Make the brim. Place the cone on a sheet of stiff paper and draw around it.

· Draw a larger circle around the first circle and cut it out

· Draw 5 tabs inside the inner circle.

· Cut out the inner circle around the tabs.

· Fold the tabs back.

· Slip the brim over the cone and glue to tape the tabs to the cone.