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It’s October, so today I’m sharing 10 creative costumes you can sew easily, and the exact patterns you need to make them.
So if you feel like you have no time, I’ll do some of the legwork today. I’ll share specific costume ideas I found and how I’d make them, but also give you inspiration for transforming regular patterns into costumes yourself.
Movie Popcorn
The first outfit is a little bit campy, and it would be so fun to wear.
Turn yourself into a life-size movie popcorn!
To make this look, sew up a basic, boxy top and glue a bunch of big, yellow and white pom-poms all over it. Then pair it with a fitted, striped mini skirt or shorts.
For the shirt, you could use the Bo top. It’s boxy so it will give you lots of space for your popcorn.
For the skirt, you could sew up Leonora in a red railroad denim or even red ticking. If you find it hard to find a good striped fabric you can sew it up in white denim and paint red stripes.
If you prefer shorts, the Effie shorts would look great in striped linen or denim.
The next costume idea is a little more classy.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
It can be so fun to dress up as one of your favorite characters from a film, and it helps to pick a movie everyone will recognize so you don’t have to explain who you are all night long.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a classic example that most people will recognize.
To get this look, sew up a fitted black dress. Then, all you have to do is find some costume jewelry and gloves inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s iconic look for Holly Golightly.
For patterns, I’d recommend the Luxsy dress. It’s knit, so it will be comfortable to wear. It has princess seams, and you could lengthen the skirt.
You could also use the Aaronica dress and add a slit.
Both of these dresses would work in a black jersey, ponte, or even a stretch velvet.
Cher and Di From Clueless
The next costume is another nod to a vintage movie character, although this one is from the 90s.
It’s Cher from Clueless!
You can easily recreate one of her iconic looks, and then when it’s not Halloween, you can wear any of these pieces on their own.
For the jacket, use the Liliana pattern and look for a yellow plaid.
Layer the jacket over the Otto vest in a yellow cotton or linen. Be sure to only button the center button.
You probably already have a white tee in your closet, but if not, I’d sew up Jane or Orlando.
Then for the skirt, use the same yellow plaid that you used for the jacket. You can sew up the Kenzie pleated skirt and shorten it if you’d like.
If you don’t want to sew pleats, use the Everly skirt or the Christina pencil skirt.
And since I’m talking about Clueless, I have to mention Di’s fashion.
You can get her iconic look with a black and white plaid.
Instead of the Otto vest, sew up the member bonus version of the Sable cardigan in a red knit.
And instead of the Liliana blazer, sew up the bonus version of the Chip jacket.
A Sailor
Here are two garments you can sew up for Halloween, but they’ll also fit seamlessly into your wardrobe.
Sew up a sailor-inspired outfit with the Marret pants and the Callen sweater.
Callen was designed to help you get a nautical look. Just pick some stripes and see if you can find buttons with a nautical theme, like anchors or stars.
The Marret pants are palazzo-inspired, and they’d look great in navy or bright white.
A Costume in One Garment
Next, I have a bunch of suggestions for the Mercer flightsuit.
This is another pattern you can accessorize for Halloween but then wear every day.
Plus, it’s an entire outfit in one garment!
Some ideas for this flightsuit include….well, a pilot. You’ll look ready to take flight.
Pick an orange fabric for a nod to your favorite Star Wars pilots. I’ll let you choose if you fly for the Resistance or the dark side.
Pick a green fabric and go as Ripley from Alien.
You could also don a red bandana for a Rosie the Riveter look and sew it up in a classic denim.
Pick a khaki colored denim and decorate a backpack for a Ghostbusters look.
Or, become an honorary host on the Mystery Science Theater 3000!
French Clown
You can get this vintage French clown look by accentuating the collar on the Meadow blouse. You could sew multiple layers or create a detachable collar made out of organza or tulle to wear underneath.
If you want, you can lengthen it to a dress, here’s a tutorial that shows you how: Make a Dress from a Top Sewing Pattern.
A Prickly Cactus
This cactus costume is so much fun, and it would be really simple to make.
Sew up the Devon dress in a green knit and decorate it with white tailor’s tacks.
Devon has a cocoon shape that would be so cute as a cactus, plus it’s really comfortable to wear. It will also keep you warm if it’s cold outside.
I love the little floral accessories too.
Bubble Tea
Another easy costume to make is this bubble tea outfit. You can get this look with any fit and flare or a-line dress.
All you have to do is sew the dress in your favorite tea-colored neutral and attach some big black pom-poms to the hem.
For patterns, Luxsy has an option with and without sleeves.
If you want to go maxi, check out the new Greer dress. It’s got a subtle trumpet shape you could exaggerate.
Beetlejuice
Since Beetlejuice is getting a reboot, you can easily dress as the man himself. Errr, I guess the poltergeist himself…
Pick up some striped fabric and sew a set using the Keaton Blazer and the Ani trousers. It would look best if you sized up for the blazer to get that signature Beetlejuice fit.
Easy, Two-hour Project Ideas
And finally, if you don’t have a lot of time, I have a pattern that you can sew up in a day, and it can be the base of so many looks.
The pattern is the Lito dress and it’s what I am wearing in this video. It’s inspired by a classic ringer tee, with a little bit of a retro vibe. It has a relaxed fit, and it’s super quick to sew.
Here are a few ideas using this dress.
Get a some fabric paint, create a little hat out of tin foil, and go as your favorite bottle of soda.
Get some orange knit and applique a jack-o-lantern face.
Add some black zigzags above the hem and you can be Charlie Brown.
Add the letters TNT and make a cute sparkly head band for a dynomite look.
And with a little bit of color-blocking, you could be a piece of candy corn. I’ll put a link below to an article that teaches you how to color block any pattern.
One More Tip
I have one extra tip for coming up with ideas for costumes you can sew:
I like to start with the concept first, then find the right pattern, then look for fabric last. I do it in that order: concept, pattern, fabric.
That helps me to build a costume from an idea really easily, because I start with the shapes I need, then look for different fabric options that will work with that pattern.
Are you making your own Halloween costume this year? Or have you made any really fun costumes in the past? Comment and share!
