30+ DIY Halloween Costume Ideas | Have Clothes, Will Travel

This year, I’d like to attempt to make my Halloween costume…instead of just buying it from a store. My mom would make our costumes when we were kids, and we absolutely loved them! (But if you like buying your costumes, check out this post featuring funny Halloween costumes you can buy online.)

I’m the princess wearing the hat below. I wore this costume my mom made 3 years in a row before I switched to another variation of a princess costume! (My little brother is the cowboy on the far end, and the other princess and cowboy are my cousins! Halloween was so much fun for us!)

An older film photo of four children dressed up for Halloween. Two little girls on the left are dressed up as princesses, and two little boys on the right are dressed up as cowboys.

I’ve been out of the Halloween costume game for a few years now, though. So, I enlisted the help of fellow bloggers who have some AMAZING DIY Halloween costumes for the whole family – even your pets. There are SO many good ones for your kiddos as well! I hope you love their ideas as much as I do!

Note: Many of these DIY costumes will be much easier to do if you have a Cricut, hot glue gun, and your own sewing machine.

DIY Family Halloween Costume Ideas

Where’s Waldo Costume for a Family

A family of three - mom, dad, and baby - dressed as Where's Waldo in red and white striped shirts, jeans, and red and white hats.

Most of the pieces for this cute Where’s Waldo Family Costume are items you may already have in your wardrobe, as it mainly consists of comfortable everyday clothing (like striped shirts & beanies)!

Firefighter-Themed Halloween Costume for the Family

A young child dressed as a firefighter plays in the back of a wagon, spraying a woman dressed as fire with a "firehose".

A toddler sits in a wagon dressed as a cute little cow for Halloween. She's wearing a black-spotted onesie, white tulle skirt, and a cow ears headband with a white bow.

How cute is this firefighter-themed costume for the family?! This idea is from blogging friend Arianny of Prep & Shine – we actually met when we were both in Jamaica for last year’s Sandals Resorts press trip!

In-N-Out Burger Group Halloween Costume

A family of four - mom, dad, and two young children- stand outside of an In-N-Out restaurant, dressed in DIY Halloween Costumes. The dad and little boy are dressed as fast food workers, the mom wears a dress that looks like a burger, and the little girl is dressed in a French fries costume.

While we don’t have any In-N-Outs by us, I still can’t get enough of this DIY In-N-Out Burger family costume by Lovely Indeed!

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Adults

DIY Mermaid Bra + Chiffon Skirt

A handmaid mermaid bra for an adult Halloween costume. The bra is decorated with seashells and fish netting.

A woman models a long, flowy turquoise maxi skirt, which would be perfect for a mermaid Halloween costume.

Making a mermaid bra is not as complicated as I thought it was! Natasha does a great job of breaking down the process. Plus, she is also sharing how to make your own DIY chiffon skirt to go with your mermaid bra! (Or buy the skirt above.)

DIY Sexy Steampunk Costumes

A couple dressed in steampunk-themed Halloween costumes. The man wears a black velvet suit, red vest, and top had. The woman wears a black corset over a white off-the-shoulder blouse and blue satin skirt.

Trina breaks down how to make these awesome DIY Sexy Steampunk Costumes. I absolutely LOVE the hat she created!

Easy DIY Unicorn Costume

A woman poses in front of Cinderella's castle in Disney, and she's wearing a DIY unicorn costume made from a rainbow skirt, white top, pastel colored wig, and a unicorn horn headband.

This super cute DIY Unicorn Costume is great for adults but could just as easily work for a kiddo!

DIY Bo Peep with Cricut

A woman is dressed a Bo Peep, wearing a DIY'd shirt created with a Cricut. She poses with a little boy dressed as Buzz Lightyear in front of a pastel pink wall.

Are there any Toy Story 4 fans out there? This adorable DIY Bo Peep Costume is for you! Plus, you could just as easily make this a family costume (or a couple’s costume with a Buzz Lightyear costume).

DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig (Under $5!)

A man and woman pose together as Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein.

I am seriously blown away by how cool and inexpensive this DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig is!! All the supplies are less than $5!

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Kids

Easy & Adorable DIY Scarecrow Costume

A little boy is dressed in a DIY scarecrow costume, wearing a red plaid shirt, patch-work overalls, and a little straw hat.

This easy & adorable DIY Scarecrow Costume by Christine is perfect for kiddos or adults!

Awesome DIY Jellyfish Costume

A teenage girl is dressed as a jellyfish, created as a DIY costume. The DIY jellyfish hat has long fabric tentacles hanging down around her body.

Not only is this DIY Jellyfish costume awesome – but it’s also quite affordable to make! This is another costume that works great for kids or adults. (I’m seriously thinking of attempting this one for myself this year!)

Miss Muffet & Her Spider

Two children sit on leafy grass in their DIY Halloween costumes. The baby is dressed as a fluffy spider, and the young girl is dressed as Miss Muffet.

This is Miss Muffet & Her Spider costume idea is seriously the cutest thing ever!

Headless Costume

A young boy is dressed in a brilliant DIY Halloween costume. He looks headless, wearing a long beige trench coat and brown cloves, his head floating in the middle.

This wins, hands down, for the most creative kiddo Halloween costume on this list! This DIY Headless Costume is also completed by putting a Cheese Puff jar over his head to make it look as though he’s carrying his head in a jar – it’s awesome!

Steve Irwin Costume for Kids

A little girl is dressed like Steve Irwin, in a khaki outfit, holding a stuffed croccodile toy.

I also think this Steve Irwin costume is genius! You can use khaki clothes from your kiddo’s closet and have them carry around a stuffed crocodile… and you’ll be good to go!

DIY Bat & Butterfly Costume

Two kids pose on a sidewalk, dressed in all black as a bat and butterfly. The butterfly costume has bright yellow wing.

How cool are these DIY bat and butterfly costumes made by Nathalie? The wings she created are gorgeous! Plus, her step-by-step guide for this DIY is easy to follow!

DIY Gnome Costumes

Two young kids stand outside under a tree, dressed in DIY garden gnome costumes.

Gah! These DIY gnome costumes are SO cute! Plus, Mandy made them for less than $15! (Even if you’re not looking to make gnome costumes this year… I highly recommend checking out her post just to see the adorable photoshoot she did with her kiddos and these gnome costumes!)

Minecraft Creeper Costume

A little boy is dressed as a Minecraft Creeper, a DIY halloween costume made from squares of green and black papers, meant to look pixilated.

I had to look at that photo for a second before I could spot the Minecraft Creeper, haha! Minecraft is a popular video game and this DIY Minecraft Creeper Costume is not only fun to make, but it’s also comfy for the kids to wear!

DIY Pirate Costume for Kids

A child's pirate costume - red and white striped shirt, black vest, pirate's hat, and eye patch - all laid out on a white surface. A little pouch of "loot" (chocolate gold coins) sits next to the clothing.

This DIY Pirate Costume also comes with a free pattern! My brother was a big fan of pirate costumes growing up as well!

Halloween Ghost Bride Costume

A little girl is dressed in a ghost bride costume -- a white tissue paper skirt and veil paired with a white shirt and white tights.

This Halloween Bride Costume is fun to make, plus it won’t break the bank!

DIY Monsters Inc Shirts

Two young girls pose together wearing matching Mike Wazowski and Sully-themed t-shirts as a DIY Halloween costume.

Are there any other Monsters Inc. fans out there? (This is seriously one of my favorite movies!) I love how easy these DIY Monsters Inc. Shirts are!

DIY Lilo and Stitch Costumes for Mom + Kids

Cute polaroid pictures show a mom and son dressed in DIY Lilo and Stich Halloween costumes.

These DIY Lilo & Stich Costumes are such a cute idea for a “mommy and me” costume!

LEGO Costume

A little boy poses excitedly, wearing a DIY yellow LEGO block costume for trick-or-treating.

This DIY LEGO costume is such a great idea! Plus, it’s not too difficult to make! (I can see my nephew liking this one.)

DIY Maui Costume

A young boy is dressed as Maui from Moana -- he wears a full-body tan onesie with a tattooed pattern all over, and a tropical grass skirt.

Maui is a character from the Disney movie “Moana.” This DIY Maui Costume is a little more complicated than some on this list, but the end results are worth it!

DIY Skeleton Costumes for Kids

Two young boys are dressed in all black with white bone cutouts attached to their clothes to look like skeletons.

These DIY Skeleton Costumes are great last-minute Halloween costumes… as they take hardly any time at all to make!

Miraculous Ladybug Costume

A little girl plays on a jungle gym, dressed as a ladybug. She's wearing a red sweatshirt and pants dotted with black dots, and a DIY red and black mask over her eyes.

“Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” is a superhero show on Disney (and also streaming on Netflix). It’s a great show! I love this DIY Ladybug Costume that also comes with a pattern for Cat Noir’s mask!

(Upcycled) Batman Costume

A cute little boy walks down the stressed dressed as Batman, holding a stuffed bunny toy.

Using some old clothes in your home, you can easily create this Upcycled Batman Costume!

DIY Tutu Skirt

A little girl wears a sparking pink tutu skirt, made with layers of glittery tulle fabric.

You can never go wrong with a tutu, in my opinion! This DIY tutu skirt is quite easy to make too.

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Pets

Now that I’m a crazy cat lady, I can’t write this post and not include a few costume ideas for your pets! I personally love the stuffed animal costume tutorials below!

Which of these DIY costume ideas is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Read next: Funny Halloween Costumes You Can Easily Buy Online (for the Whole Family!)
Read next: Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas
Read next: Spending Halloween in NYC: What to Expect

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One Comment

jodie filogomo says:

September 5, 2020 at 6:49 pm

That headless one is so amazing! I have one I want to put together, I’m just stuck how to do it!!
Xoxo
Jodie
www jtouchofstyle.com

30+ DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for the Whole Family!