Easy DIY Costume Animals for Halloween (Free Patterns)

Make Easy DIY Costumes for Kids this Halloween using a free animal pattern, a hoodie, and some felt! Choose from 10 different animals or adapt the free pattern to make any animal you'd like!   

Jump to:

• Cute Craft Alert: Easy DIY Costumes!
• Supplies to make Easy DIY Costumes
• Steps to Make Kids Animal Costumes for Halloween
• Make a Hood from a Hand Towel
• Craft Tips for Easy DIY Last Minute Costume
• Craft Variations for Easy DIY Costume
• FAQ
• More DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids
• Come join the fun at WTN!
• Easy DIY Costume Animals for Halloween (Free Patterns)

Cute Craft Alert: Easy DIY Costumes!

Making DIY easy Halloween costumes was something our family enjoyed doing while my kids were growing up. A little thrift shopping here, a little sewing there and we put together a great collection through the years!

I still have a little stash of costume pieces down in the basement. The grandkids rummage through them for their Halloween and theater costumes.

If you are on the hunt for a simple costume for the kids, this is the DIY for you! It's easy to pull together and the kids can help you make their own animal costumes with the free downloadable patterns and instructions.

Choose from 10 animal ideas like a fox, panda, raccoon, and of course a dog that looks a whole lot like Bluey!

Supplies to make Easy DIY Costumes

You don’t need many supplies to bring these cute animal costumes to life!

• Felt- Most pattern pieces can be made from felt that comes in squares. But felt can be purchase by the yard if you need a larger piece. Purchase felt in the colors needed for the animal you are making.
• Fabric glue- Use glue made to attach felt together such as Ailene’s Fabric Glue. It might be necessary to use a few hand stitches with needle and thread to secure the felt pieces together.
• Hoodie or hand towel- Choose a hoodie in a color that is good for the animal in the costume.

Steps to Make Kids Animal Costumes for Halloween

General directions for an Easy DIY Costume

I’ve drawn a series of animal noses, eyes, ears, face shapes, and ideas for tails and tummies. You can mix and match these pattern pieces to make a variety of animal costumes. 

You make pieces to attach to the hood of a hoodie or hooded pajamas for a younger child.  

Video help

I have created three costumes on the video just to give you an idea of the process.

On the video you see the process of creating the bird, the fox, and the dog (Bluey). To watch the full-length video tutorial, click this link: Easy DIY Costume Ideas Free Pattern Full Length Tutorial.

Which animal costume to create?

First, decide what animal you would like to create.

I have included sketches and instructions for ten animals. You’re welcome to use one of those if you’d like or come up with more ideas for your own animal.

Print off the Free Easy DIY Costume Ideas Pattern.

Link: Easy DIY Costume Ideas Free Pattern (pattern).

I’m not saying that there is a pattern for absolutely everything and every animal. But I do think you can easily mix and match and adapt these pattern pieces. Then you will find options for the animal costume you’d like to make.

Make a sketch

Draw a simple sketch of your animal idea using the pattern pieces shapes (like in my examples). Go online and look at a picture or drawing of the animal to help you.

You find a face shape that you’d like to use. Then, layer up the different pieces that you will need to make the features of the animal that you’ve selected. As you see in my examples you may layer up several pieces.

Label each piece with the color of felt that you will use.

Cut the pattern pieces out of felt

Trace the pattern pieces onto the correct color of felt (or hand draw them on). Cut the pieces out and glue them together. The glue held some of the pieces well, but I had to take a few hand stitches with thread to hold most of the pieces together.

Attach the pieces onto the hoodie.

Place the face on the front edge of the hoodie. I recommend hand stitching. Locate the tail on the back, bottom edge of the hoodie. Stitch the tummy pieces on the front of the hoodie.

Placing a bit of a fold or tuck in the ears before sewing them on will help them to stand up.

Make a Hood from a Hand Towel

If you don't have a hoodie or hooded PJs, you can make a hood from a hand towel.

Use a towel in a color that compliments the animal if possible. Fold the towel in half.

Hand or machine sew the edge next to the fold. Curve the seam down from the top edge towards the fold. This will keep the hood from having a strong point in the back.

Turn the towel inside out and fold back the front edge to fit the child. Attach the animal face to the front edge as if it was a hoodie.

Attach velcro to the neck to hold the hood on.

Craft Tips for Easy DIY Last Minute Costume

• Pattern piece adaption- Choose pattern pieces that are similar to the animal’s features. And pencil them into the sketch. Experiment until you like the look. Adapt pieces by making them shorter, longer, or wider if needed.
• Hand stitching- Use hand stitching to secure the pieces together at key points. Sometimes the glue lets loose.

Craft Variations for Easy DIY Costume

• Decorating items- Use additional materials to decorate your animal. Make your own pom-poms for ears. Attach feathers, pom-poms, buttons, googly eyes, yarn, or a pieces of a chenille bath rug. This is optional.
• Hand towel hood- Make a hood out of a colored hand towel if you do not have a hoodie. That will take either some sewing on a machine or some hand sewing, but it’s minimal. If handstitched, you can take out the stitching and use the towel again later.

FAQ

More DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Here are a few favorite Halloween costumes for you to try:

• How to Make Easy DIY Animal Masks from Craft Foam
• DIY Black Cat Halloween Costume
• Woodland Deer Halloween Costume
• Woodland Owl Halloween Costume
• DIY Buckskin Halloween Costume  

Come join the fun at WTN!

Try this craft, leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.