Halloween costume ideas in upcycling sewing
Tired of spending your money on Halloween costumes that will only be used once a year? Why not try upcycling? This recycling technique consists of reusing fabrics from clothes, sheets or tea towels instead of throwing them away!
Here are a few costume ideas for a greener, more economical Halloween!
A skeleton disguise
The skeleton is one of the great Halloween classics, the kind of costume you can’t go wrong with. And it’s very easy to sew, recycling clothes you already have in your closet.
All you need is an old black T-shirt andleggings in the same color. Then sew on the bones, which should be a contrasting color, preferably white. Look through your old sheets or shirts to see what you can salvage. Then cut the shape of the bones according to your inspiration or by looking at patterns on the Internet and sew them onto the t-shirt, stitching close to the edges. This could also be your chance to try your hand at appliqué sewing.
A ghost with old sheets
Everyone has old sheets lying around in their closets, bed linen with a few holes in it that they no longer use but don’t want to throw away either. Halloween is a great opportunity to give them a second life by turning them into ghost costumes!
To do this, you can cut two rounds and the shape of a mouth from a dark, contrasting fabric and sew them onto the white sheet at face level. Be sure to cut holes for your eyes too, to avoid bumping into all the furniture.
You can also cut the bottom of the sheet to a point and make a small hem to add a finishing touch to your ghost. Of course, it’s best if the sheet is white, but you can also have fun making ghosts with flowers or polka dots and different mouth shapes for a change from the traditional white spectrum.
A witch’s costume from the closet
To dress up as a witch, the first thing you need is a nice pointed hat. The rest of the costume can simply be made up of layers of black clothing: black skirt, black tights, black t-shirt or sweater…
For the hat, you can reuse fabrics you have in your closet. For example, look for an old coat made from black wool, a jacket, or denim pants… Any fabric that’s stiff enough will work well for this project. To sew your pointed witch’s hat, you can follow our homemade tutorial on YouTube.
Disguise yourself as a Frankenstein’s creature at low cost
Frankenstein’s creature, as depicted in pop culture, is recognizable by his green face, scars, bolts protruding from his head and patched clothes.
For cosmetic elements, you can invest in colorful make-up from a joke store.
Patched and damaged garments can be made from old clothes. You can, for example, cut squares of fabric from old shirts and sheets and sew them onto a jacket you no longer wear, using contrasting thread and a zigzag stitch and making a few rips.
For children, using an adult jacket will accentuate the deliberately grotesque side of the disguise.
Dress up as a mummy by recycling old sheets
The mummy costume is also one of the most popular Halloween costumes. You’ll find versions made from toilet paper, paper towels… But you can also make a more eco-friendly version, by cutting strips from a white sheet, a white shirt… Depending on what you have on hand and the size of the person you’re sewing the costume for.
You’ll need some tight-fitting clothes to serve as a base for the disguise, such as leggings and a t-shirt, or old skinny pants and a fairly close-fitting shirt. Then sew strips of unthreaded fabric around the garments, in a spiral pattern. You can let some strips fall down the body to give the costume a more “realistic” feel.
Are you planning to sew Halloween costumes for the children or adults in your life?
