Halloween Costume Patterns

Patterns are readily available for anyone wanting to hand-make an entire costume, pieces of a costume, or even just costume accessories. Making these items at home can save a bundle of money, and can even encourage a person to get his or her creative juices flowing.

Pre-Made Patterns

There are hundreds of pre-fabricated costume patterns that are available for just about every character under the sun. Many of the patterns require the use of a sewing machine, but others are simple and require only a pair of scissors and some glue.

Popular costume patterns are available at many craft stores – either online or in physical stores. Joann Fabrics and Crafts carries everything needed to complete Halloween costume patterns. Normally, patterns require pins, thread, scissors, buttons, zippers, Velcro, and possibly other sewing notions. Joann normally offers a 40 percent off coupon for one regular-priced item purchased from either a physical store or from the company’s website. The coupon can be found in most major cities' Sunday newspaper advertising section, and it can also be found online.

Print Costume Resource

• Sew News is a magazine that is written for people who enjoy sewing. It’s a publication that provides ideas for anyone ranging from a beginner to an expert, and it is filled with many ideas and pattern recommendations for clothing as well as Halloween costumes. The printed version of this magazine is not free, but the magazine’s website is filled with information on recommended patterns.

Online Costume Patterns

To browse the largest selection of costume patterns available, visit one of these three websites. In addition to regular patterns for clothing and accessories, there are many Halloween patterns available.

• Butterick
• McCall’s
• Simplicity

Hand-Made Patterns

For original ideas, it’s possible to create a hand-made costume pattern that can be converted into a great-looking outfit. One potential issue with hand-made costume patterns is that they can be difficult to create for a person who has never before made a pattern. Luckily, with Halloween costumes there is usually some leeway on how loose or tight the costume fits, so the resulting outfit does not have to be perfect.

Do-It-Yourself Advice

If creating a Halloween costume pattern, it’s a good idea to look at similar patterns available online or in stores prior to sketching a hand-made pattern. The ideas and techniques that can be learned by looking at manufactured costume patterns can help a novice.

Inspiration

When taking on the task of hand-making a Halloween costume by using a pattern, there are few steps that should be considered in order to make sure that the best possible outfit is created.

1. If the desired costume pattern is very complex and will take a significant amount of time to finish, it’s a good idea to determine whether the costume can be worn more than once. If it’s a one-time outfit, a simple pattern may be more time-efficient.

1. If hand-creating a pattern, sketch it on a piece of large paper prior to purchasing fabric and other decorations. In other words, try and make sure the project is do-able before spending too much money.

1. Once a costume pattern has either been purchased, downloaded for free, or hand-created, make sure to study it before starting the project. Knowing the pattern very well will help prevent cutting fabric in the wrong place – which can be difficult to fix!