Are DIY fancy dress costumes just not the done thing anymore?

[Tangle]

Just been to our 1st halloween party and out of 20+(?) kids only 2 were wearing anything that had been home made - I'd expected her to be in a minority, but not such a small one! She's only 19 months at the moment so unlikely to have felt too stigmatised by it yet...

I think it's just easier to buy them.
I'd love to say I make them but DD was one of 4 Asda Skeletons in her class today.
Of the 47 kids we've had at the door tonight (I know as I made 60 bags, there's 13 left) maybe 5 had home-made costumes.

I almost always make costumes for/with dd and she loves it (she's 7) We are in a minority though, there's hardly ever anyone else in home made costumes.

Oh and they were either wrapped in bandanges or loo roll to resemble Mummies.
Nothing oroginal here I'm afraid.

Maybe we'll keep going then . Looking back I have hazy recollections of trying to create costumes from whatever we had to hand when I was young and I was looking forward to doing something similar with DD.

Today she was a bat - found a bat costume in a charity shop for £2, which was customised with (much) bigger wings from an old umberella (nearly bigger than she is and some DIY ears. I had fun, anyway .

I am way too lazy to make costumes.

Having said that DS went to his wearing a cardigan that my mother knitted for him that is a violent green and with colourful dragon spines down the back and pretended to be a dragon.

Most of the kids had bought costumes on, but I have to say at 4 none of the kids noticed or cared.

The bat outfit sounds great
Dd and I have great fun making her costumes but I suspect I enjoy it most

I more or less followed the instructions here, but used craft foam and an alice band to do the ears. She even wore them some of the time (as did I - my excuse is it was wear them or loose them...)

There's so many ideas on that site, though - should keep me entertained for years

It's cheaper and much easier to buy a costume - cannot imagine why you are surprised that people choose the easier, cheaper, quicker and more pleasant option. But I think people admire the effort of homemade costumes, just aren't interested in doing it themselves. I did make ds a ghost costume out of an old sheet once. Nightmare. The sheet kept moving about so he couldn't see out!

Tangle, that site is great, i really love the 'old people' costume photo.

My dd's are 2.7 and 17 months,and last year i made then cat costumes (dd1 had a mouse on a string and dd2 had a ball of wool stitched to her arm). I was gutted when they lost a costume competition to a Tesco's pumpkin

I have made them both pirate costumes, which they wear surprisingly often!

I really like doing it, even if my attempts are often a bit crappy. unfortunately dd2 has been poorly so I didn't get round to making the monster costumes I had been planning, so they spent the day dressed in their pirate costumes, wearing bunny ears.

I am going to use that costume site for inspiration next year

I got an outfit for just £2.50 (and a 5 min trip) from Sainsbury's. Some of us are just tight and lazy .

I make dd1's costumes myself.Her book day and halloween costumes were both made out of an old ballgown of mine that had languished in the loft for years.It took an evening to do each one but probably would have been quicker if I had a sewing machine.As both costumes cost me 0 pence and the nearest shops are a 16 mile round trip away,it is the easy option for me.I don't really care what anyone thinks tbh,as long as dd1 likes her outfit.

I made a spider outfit for ds (dyed black babygro and vest, unpicked seams, added stuffed tights) - felt so pleased with myself. But it has to be said that dd's witchy dress and hat was a fiver from Woolies - it's harder to reuse/recycle/create when things are sooooo cheap nowadays.

I used to buy dd her costumes but since p1 have made them, It is cheaper and she loves being different to anyone else

So far she has been Corpse Bride, Vampire Princess, Vampire Cat and this year a Demon Princess...... Can you see her theme?

I love making my DS fancy dress, but do a bit of both, sometimes its quicker/easier to buy it (especially when he wants to be sportacus rather than a bat for todays party!!) I think most people buy now as there are some really cheap outfits out there and so cheaper sometimes to buy, but i get a lot of pleasure from making them too. I don't think there is a done thing, if you like making them then make them, its more unique too :-)

G

I have a three year old boy who needs a pirate costume - want to do something stress free and home made and comfy and easy to wear. Please send ideas on to me - be v grateful!

This thread is 3 yrs old

Linah i dressed my ds as a pirate yesterday just bought the pirate bandana from a fancy dress shop and put it with a stripey tshirt - thats fairly piratey and very easy! he also had a telescope and hook from the shop but im sure you could do a homemade version of those if you wanted it homemade, like make telescope from kitchen roll tube, make a hook from a clothes hanger and tin foil maybe??
Get a black cloth and make an eye patch too?