Easy-to-Make Costumes

What you need: 

• Graph paper 
• Cardboard 
• Pencils
• Sewing machine and sewing supplies 
• Fabric 
• Ribbons and other accessories 
• Wire and fusible webbing (for wings)

What to do:
Use the simple patterns to create an endless variety of costumes. We've listed some suggestions, but you can adapt these basic pieces in dozens of creative ways. Enlist your child's help in making your plan, assembling the basic piece, and then decorating it to best express your costume idea.

Cape
Use for: superhero, Little Red Riding Hood, vampire
Download pattern

Coverall
Use for: clown, astronaut, almost any kind of animal
Download pattern

Robe
Use for: ghost, witch, wizard, king, queen
Download pattern

Wings
Use for: fairy, angel, bird, butterfly, bat
Download pattern

Hat and beard
Use for: leprechaun, gnome, Santa Claus, elf
Download pattern

Patterns and photo from Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids ($19.95) by Leila Peltosaari. Copyright 2002. Published by Tikka Books, 1-800-363-6205, www.easyhalloween.com. A portion of the proceeds is donated to UNICEF.

The costume templates are PDF files. To print them you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software (version 4.0 or higher). If you do not have this software already installed, click here to download a FREE copy.