Pilgrim Costumes

Pilgrim Costume Components

Pilgrim costumes are pretty basic and generally the same no matter where you buy them.

Costumes for Females

Costumes for women and girls usually consist of:

• Black or gray dress
• White apron and collar
• White cuffs
• Bonnet

Costumes for Males

Male pilgrim costumes are similar, with black pants and shirt, white cuffs and collar, and a wide black belt. The classic pilgrim bucket hat is sometimes part of a purchased costume or may be purchased separately.

Finish off your pilgrim costumes with white tights for men, women, and children, and black shoes. You can add a buckle to the shoes if you like, or wear plain black dress shoes.

Sources for Pilgrim Costumes

There are many online shops where you can buy pilgrim costumes for your holiday events, but the following are a few favorites:

• Anytime Costumes
• Annie’s Costumes
• Costume Craze
• Class Brain
• Costumes for Less
• United Mask and Party

Make Your Own Pilgrim Costumes

If you don’t want to buy pilgrim costumes, you can always make your own. Look through the pattern books at your local fabric store, especially around Halloween, and it’s likely you’ll find some patterns to purchase and use that are much like the costumes listed above.

Alternately, you can just purchase or make a plain black dress or pants and a shirt for your pilgrim costume. Add a white collar and cuffs (which can be made of felt and pinned to your costume), and a white apron for the ladies.

The men’s pants on pilgrim costumes usually hit just below the knees, so you might want to hem your pants, or use Velcro or some other means of gathering and holding the pants up on the leg. Then finish the costume with white tights or socks.

You can also make your own pilgrim hats out of felt or construction paper. Here are some basic instructions for a hat for boys and girls.

Again, add black shoes, with or without buckles (you could make buckles out of cardboard or construction paper), for the pilgrim costumes and sandals for the American Indians. Consider props like a basket for your pilgrim girl. With a little creativity you can make great Thanksgiving costumes for your class play or other presentation.