10 Tips for DIY Costumes with Felt

Only a few days until Halloween, last minute costume preparations are underway and most of them involve felt! Felt is easy to cut, sew and glue plus with the variety of colors, any animal, popcorn box or monster costume can be created. I make costumes every year for the grandlittles.

A great basic costume is a cape. Just by changing the color, a costume can go from Super hero to a woodland animal like this fabulous fox cape above. This cape is made from our new Pumpkin Plush felt, a soft plush thicker felt.

Along with sharing this cape pattern I am also sharing my top ten tips for DIY costumes with felt.

TIP 1: Sharp scissors designated for felt and a soft cloth. If cutting large pieces of felt, some fiber will accumulate on the blades, wipe excess carefully away.

TIP 2: No sew, choose a fabric, felt glue or hot adhesive. The fabric or felt glue will dry softer than a hot adhesive.

TIP 3: Draw patterns on wrong side of plush felt.

Now let’s get to this cape!

You will need:

  • Kunin Plushfelt: 1 ½ yards Pumpkin, ¼ yard White
  • 1 ½ yards of 1” satin ribbon
  • Fabric glue, glue gun and glue sticks
  • 8 oz. polyester fibrefill
  • Wonderclips by Clover or pins
  • Scissors, measuring tape, ruler, chalk or pencil, sewing machine and matching thread, heavy duty thread and embroidery needle.

TIP 4: Plush felt has a nap, feel the nap by brushing hand along the fibers.

1. Measure child or adult from neck to midcalf for length of cape. Use a hood from a rain or winter coat for hood pattern. Fold plush piece in half with right side inside. Measure along fold for length. For a five to seven-year-old the cape length is 32”. Draw across bottom 20” and across top of cape 15”. Draw a line from the bottom to top. Round at bottom corner and cut along the bottom, side and top through both layers. TIP 5: Use a black marker, medium point to draw the pattern. Cut just inside mark line when cutting out the pieces.

2. Place hood pattern on raw edge of folded plush. Draw around hood pattern by an extra inch. Cut through both layers.

3. Right sides together sew hood curved seam leaving straight side and bottom open. Fold front edge of hood under 1”, use fabric glue to hold in place.

TIP 6: Use clips to hold plush or felt while drying.

4. Pin or clip center seam of hood to center of cape. Pin ends of hood to cape ends. Adjust excess cape evenly between clips. Sew, gathering cape into seam and trim. (This can be hand sewn or glued.)

TIP 7: Use clips instead of pins when holding seams together before sewing.

5. Cut ribbon in half, fold over ends and glue one end to inside edge of cape as shown.

6. Draw on a folded piece of plush two triangles as shown 4” by 5”. TIP 8: It is easier to sew around ears and then cut out them out. From white cut two inner ear pieces 1” smaller than outer ear pieces.

7. Turn ears right sides out. Glue inner ear piece to each ear front.

8. Make a pleat in each ear bottom and hot glue to top of cape as shown. Hold in place till dry.

9. For the tail cut a rectangular shape approximately 7” by 18” curving the bottom to a center point.

10. Add details to front of tail before sewing. Sew tails right sides together and turn.

11. From white sew a half tail, cut the upper edge with a wavy edge. Insert over bottom of main tail. Glue in place.

12. Gather open ends of tails. Pull threads tightly and secure.

13. Place glue on the sewn end of tail. Press in place on cape back. Make sure tail is centered and is glued at least several inches from the bottom of the cape.

TIP 9: For different sized capes add or subtract from cape lengths. The fox cape is for a teen or small adult and measures 40” in length.

TIP 10: Embellishments, trims, lace, pom poms all glue very easily to felt.

Check out this cutie cape in white glitter felt.

You can now find an expanded color line of Kunin® ClassicfeltKunin® Premiumfelt and ShaggiChic non-wovens fabrics in cut by the yard at your local Walmart; please inquire as to what is available in your area.

Thank you for crafting with Kunin!
Happy Halloween!
Debra