Mardi Gras: What costumes to sew for the kids?
Mardi Gras is just around the corner! On March 4, it’s time to get out the costumes and donuts to celebrate this special day.
If your kids want to dress up for the occasion, we’ve got some ideas for do-it-yourself costumes.
A princess costume
If you’re lacking inspiration for Mardi Gras, princess costumes are always a big hit with kids. And it’s an easy garment to adapt to the time and materials you have available.
If you feel like spending a few hours on this sewing project, you can make Kandix‘s medieval-inspired princess dress, available in beginner or advanced versions. For the best results, you’ll need to invest in a pretty satin fabric.
If you’d rather opt for something simpler and quicker to sew, and don’t want to invest in a pattern that will only be used for sewing costumes, you can start with a dress pattern you already have or would like to reuse (like the Patrones Porquerolles dress) and sew it with a shiny satin fabric, or by adding a layer of tulle, a velvet bias and embellishing the outfit with a pointed hat and a little tulle train.
A pirate costume
In the children’s masquerade costume department, the pirate is a timeless favorite. As with the princess outfit, you can choose to DIY this carnival get-up with patterns and fabrics you already have, or invest in a pattern.
For a DIY approach, takea pattern for pants or leggings and sew them with black cotton or jersey. Once the pants are sewn, you can match them with a white t-shirt and sleeveless cardigan, using Snaply magazine’s free pattern for example.
All that’s left to do is cobble together a headband to slip over the eye and a large belt cut from leftover fabric, and you’re done!
If you have more time and prefer to follow a pattern, head for the Lilikou website, which offers a complete pirate disguise with pants, shirt and black jacket.
A Roman centurion disguise
If your child is a history buff, you can easily sew a Roman centurion costume following this Gasparine pattern.
You’ll need two colors of fabric, white and red, preferably a cotton fabric, and brown or black imitation leather, depending on what you find in stores. The pattern is simple to assemble. It consists of a cape and a tunic, and has no particular technical points. So it’s ideal if you’re a beginner looking for a quick costume to sew!
Our article from last year, with more original costume ideas!
A dragon disguise
If you don’t have the time to make a full costume, you can choose to sew a dragon cape instead. Simply use green woollen cloth and orange felt for the wings and scales.
The cape is very easy to assemble, and you can choose to add felt details to make your dragon more original. Spots, colors, scales of different shapes… Be creative!
An astronaut costume
Does your child dream of being the next Thomas Pesquet? Why not sew him an astronaut costume?
On Viliv’s blog, you’ll find a complete step-by-step guide to making a larger-than-life jumpsuit. To reproduce it, you’ll need to use one of your child’s outfits as inspiration for the size.
You can also start with a spacesuit pattern, like the free one from Hemmers Fabrics. And sew it in a thick white fabric reminiscent of a spacesuit. If you’re looking for a more original result, opt for a silver lamé fabric. Then sew black stripes and patches onto the suit to recall the original.
For the helmet or diving suit, you’ll need to do a bit of DIY, following this Doctissimo tutorial for example .
Do you enjoy sewing costumes for children? What costumes would you like to make this year?
