Over time Halloween has grown into marking a secular end of harvest, shorter days, and the approaching slumber of winter with fun, at times slightly scary family activities such as trick-or-treating, walks through corn mazes and hay rides. Many teens and adults engage in the carnival atmosphere of dress-up parties, craft festivals, visits to spooky haunted houses, pumpkin carving, as well as the fun of indoor and outdoor decorating for the season.

Some non-scary costume ideas to create besides the traditional ghosts, pumpkins, witches and pirates:

Many easy to make costumes use a hooded sweatshirt as a foundation for the costume:

Rainbow-like Pony – Sew many long, long strands of multi-colored yarns or strips of fleece down the center of the hood of a child’s white hooded sweatshirt. Add felt pony ears.

Emoji Faces – Cut out many yellow felt circles to glue or sew all over a black sweatshirt.
Glue black felt emotive facial expressions onto the circles.

Pink Flamingo – Cut out many feather shapes from pink felt to sew or glue all over a pink sweatshirt. Add pink tights to complete the outfit.

Simple to make brief costumes can also start with a baseball cap:

Lion Hat – Sew a new cotton string mop to the top of a baseball cap, add felt ears.

Woodland Nymph – Glue onto a brown or green baseball cap many felt leaf shapes in shades of greens and browns or fall colors. Glue a few real acorns in various places on the felt leaves.

Spider Web – On a black cap, using white puffy paint (dimensional fabric paint), draw a spider’s web that encircles the entire cap. Add to the brim a purchased Halloween glittery spider or make a simple one of black felt circles sewn together, stuffed with poly fill, glue on googly eyes and add fuzzy black chenille legs.

For the adventurous with additional time to sew:

Rey (Star Wars) - Sew a simple sleeveless tunic in grey or light brown knit fabric, add a long scarf crisscrossed over the body and belted. Add coordinating tights and suede-like boots for a charming look-alike.

Mermaid Tail – Sew a slim pencil skirt using a shiny metallic blue/green fabric.
Attach layers of gathered tulle to the bottom.

Wild West Girl – Out of a suede-like fabric, sew a fringed vest and circle skirt.
Add a prairie blouse, cowgirl boots and western hat.

These are just a few of the many ideas for simple costuming that Halloween time brings. Imagination and creativity when thinking up this year’s costumes for little ones give to sewers a great fun boost. Hang handmade cheesecloth ghosts to sway from tree branches, sew replicas of black cats and bats to peek out from carved jack- o’-lanterns smiling or scowling, and be sure to have on hand the candy Trick or Treat visitors will surely ask for on Halloween night.

Sew happy, sew inspired.