The first Halloween with our twins came when they were two months old. I think there is a picture of them in giant pumpkin bibs somewhere, and that was about the only thing to mark the occasion. Honestly, I can’t even remember it. (Anything before four months is a fuzzy blur.)
The second time Halloween came calling, I was ready. Twins offer some unique costume opportunities, and given that the Summer Olympic Games of 2012 had just occurred, and me being the superfan I am, I had some inspiration. October 31 rolled around and found our boys dressed as Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps. They were tiny, barely walking, and oh-too-adorable. They even won a Yahoo! costume photo contest.
Thus began my foray into homemade and unconventional costumes. Often what I dreamed up, there wasn’t an inexpensive option to buy. So I began to make what I wanted. Now, I wouldn’t consider myself a Pinterest person, or even an excellent crafter, but after managing my first few unconventional costumes, I realized it was more about imagination than talent. So if you’ve ever wanted to branch out for Halloween costumes, but don’t know where to start, I have a few tips for you!
- Embrace the “no-sew” phenomenon. For the first few years, I relied on sticky felt, no-sew glue, hot glue, and duct tape to fashion costumes. This got me pretty far, especially with smaller kids. Sewing is NOT a requirement.
- Use regular clothing items when possible. Budgeting is part of everything these days, and I love when I can reuse costume items as regular clothes. The twins wore their Team USA hoodies until they outgrew them, and we’ve managed to reuse many pieces of costumes for regular life.
- Up your Google search game. I quickly learned to specify in my Google searches: “DIY mermaid costume,” “homemade puppy costume for kids,” “no sew tiger costume,” or “easy car costume.” The more details or qualifications, the more likely you are to have a doable suggestion. I also only look at the image results in the beginning. Often several pictures lead me to my own hybrid of DIY design.
- Sewing for costumes isn’t the same as sewing clothes. Y’all, I can’t sew a straight line, but with the help of a sewing machine and solid colored pajama bases I CAN at least make costumes that will last 12 hours. I’ve managed a pretty sweet crocodile tail and an impressive pair of mermaid pants that lasted through both the school festival and taking pictures at my aunt’s pumpkin patch!
- Costume suggestion > costume perfection. When you make a costume, people are automatically impressed. Even if the skunk tail is hanging on by a thread, other parents (and your kids) think you’re a wizard. I’ve learned that if it’s close, it’s good enough and everyone agrees, so don’t be worried if the end result doesn’t quite match the inspiration photo.
I never intended for this to become a tradition or even a big deal, but somehow it has. The boys love to come up with ideas that are a little different and make suggestions for how to execute them. I like that they think outside the typical TV show characters box and use their imaginations. They spend most of the year dreaming up different costumes. Sometimes, they talk about a different one each day. This year I had to mark a deadline on the calendar for when they could submit their final costume design drawing. Ridiculous I know, but somehow it works for us. It’s what makes Halloween special in our family.
What started out as a mother putting in a bit too much effort to make a clever Halloween costume for her twins has turned into something else entirely. But each time they have a new idea, they say, “Mommy, can you make me a . . . ?” and I smile.
Do your kids like costumes that are somewhat unconventional? Are you a make ’em or buy ’em mom?
