In The Works: DIY Family Halloween Costumes

Jake and I went back and forth for a long time this year on what costume James would wear for Halloween. We like to dress up as a family, and last year we landed on a farmer costume because he already had clothes that could pass as a farmer, and so did we!

Being able to utilize an outfit he already had was a time and money saver, and helped narrow down the seemingly unending costume ideas for kids! The sheer amount of costume inspiration online definitely added to my indecision over what to make him this year.

Isn't he the cutest?! The overalls, shirt, and socks were already in his closet. I made the pitchfork and hat.

Braehead Farms in Fredericksburg, VA. The complete outfit (including the shoes) is from Target.

At first my ambitions were high: entirely handmade costumes for the whole family!...this thought most likely came to me after a strong cup of coffee. After coming back down to reality, I swung in the exact opposite direction and thought, "Screw it, I'll just buy us all costumes online."

A quick scroll through Amazon's costume selection left my wallet prematurely aching. Forty dollars for an obscure toddler outfit he'll only wear once, with two out of five stars and $7.99 shipping? Yeah, right.

My "aha" moment for what James would be this year came to me on an outing to a local farm here in Fredericksburg. I dressed James in a super cute pilot outfit that his "Mimi" bought him, complete with fuzzy collar and all. While chatting with another woman visiting the farm with her two young sons, we got to talking about what their costumes would be and it hit me - duh! Just make him a pilot!

Of course James grabs the most dangerous object first.

So we know what James will be for Halloween, but how do Jake and I make costumes to go with his? What other things go with a pilot besides a plane? The answer is not much! If one of us is a plane, what will the other person be? And what can we use for our own costumes that we already have at home? (That was a lot of questions.)

Well, the closest thing to a costume that Jake has is his old Coast Guard uniform. Now, when I think of the Coast Guard I usually think of ships and helicopters, chasing down drug smugglers and rescuing people. But the Coast Guard also has regular planes with regular old plane pilots, so there's our connection! James is a Coast Guard pilot, I'll be a (regular old) Coast Guard plane, and Jake will be his Coast Guard...friend? Whatever, he'll be in his old uniform and we'll all look connected somehow.

Now to the crafting!

My portion of the costume trio is the only one that requires any "making". As a plane I'll need wings at the very least, and I'll add a chest plate and back plate to pull the costume together on the front and back.

Using a reference photo off Google, I know I'll need the colors white, red, blue, black, silver, and orange. I love using these paint markers I purchased off Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ML4Q8JJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm using foam core poster board that I already had from Michaels to construct the wings and the plates. I'll use scissors and an x-acto knife to cut out the shapes. The double sided tape will secure the wings to the back plate, and the ribbon will serve to secure the costume to me when it's completed.

On top are the wings and backplate, bottom is the chest plate. James can't help but grab everything.

I "winged" (ha) this whole costume; no measuring, no tracing, just using the reference photo and going to town with the paint markers. I think it came out pretty darn good, all things considered. Cutting through the foam core board was taxing, but the vibrancy of the paint distracts from any wobbly edges.

Not pictured is the ribbon that will tie the pieces together and secure them around me. I'll make a finished product post after Halloween with the entire ensemble and family costume pictures.

James will wear Jake's Garrison cap, ribbons, and name tag...makes me a little emotional tbh.

I love James' outfit so much! And being able to share Jake's past service with our son makes it even more special. Jake was so excited to unbox the different uniform pieces and show them to James. It'll be really nice when James is older and Jake can tell him about all his adventures at sea.

Now it needs to hurry up and be Halloween already so I can share photos of all our completed costumes with you! See you soon!

xo Miche

#diy #seasonal #halloween #costumes #kids