DIY Child Ghost Costume

You can sew a child's ghost costume.

Create an spooky ghost costume for your child that will make trick or treating on All Hallows Eve extra special. A bit of sewing skill and a little imagination can transform an old bed sheet or a few yards of white fabric into a custom-made apparition of the night. Your little one will delight with excitement and will want to wear the costume long after the holiday is over and the goblins have gone to bed.

Things You'll Need

• White youth bed sheet
• Youth white pillow case
• Scissors
• Sewing machine and thread
• Straight pins
• Gauze, wide strips
• Permanent marker, black

Instructions

1. Open the white sheet and place it on top of your child's head so it hangs around his body fairly evenly. Much of it will probably rest on the floor. Mark the top of his head--on the sheet--with a black dot or an "x" with the marker.

2. Remove and bunch up the sheet where the black dot or "x" was made. With scissors, cut a hole just large enough to fit over the child's head. If unsure, cut a small hole and see if it will fit over her head. If not, cut a little more.

3. Put the sheet over the child's head and have him extend his arms out to measure and mark for sleeves and length. Use the black marker to make small marks where the sleeves should end. Use straight pins to mark both sides of the sheet--about 10-inches up and at an angle--where to sew the sleeves (like an angel's costume). On the length of the sheet, mark all around just above the floor.

4. Remove the sheet from the child. Fold it in half, using the sleeve marks as a guide, to create the front and back. Lay it on the floor or large work table. Fold it in half at the hole for the head so the sleeves and the length are aligned.

5. Cut the sleeves where the marks were made for the child's hands to come out. Cut the bottom (front and back) of the sheet where the marks were made for length. Cutting does not have to be straight; ragged or uneven will work fine.

6. Sew, using straight stitches up from both sides, where the sheet was marked with straight pins toward the shoulder area, leaving ample room for the child's arms. This helps keep the costume in place while the child is wearing it.

7. Fit the youth pillow case over the child's head and mark where it should be cut to cover the hole on the costume for the child's head. Mark where the child's eyes would be. Remove the pillow case and cut the opening (bottom) jaggedly with scissors where the marks were made. Cut little holes for the child's eyes, each about 2 inches in diameter.

8. Turn the youth pillow case inside out. On the sewing machine, create a curved line with straight stitches near the corners, so they are rounded when the pillow case is turned right side out.

9. Embellish the costume with long strips of wide gauze, secured with a few stitches on the sewing machine.

Tips & Warnings

• Shop at thrift shops and garage sales for white sheets suitable for ghost costumes. Discount stores and clearances are other good options for inexpensive material.

References

• Costumzee: Ghost Costume
• Kaboose: Ghost Costume