DIY No Sew Halloween Owl Costume
Even though there’ll be no trick or treating or fancy dress parties this year I really wanted to make Peggy her first-ever Halloween costume. I’m hoping this will be an annual thing as I had so much fun putting this sweet no-sew owl costume together for her. It’s incredibly easy and inexpensive to make, so keep reading if you would like to know how to make this super cute bird cape.
If you’re looking for a costume project that you can finish in an evening, this one is for you! Peggy’s middle name has owl symbolism attached to it, so it was the perfect Halloween outfit for her. I actually think this cape could be used for any bird, hedgehog, and perhaps, even part of a fairy costume too.
YOU WILL NEED
– A hot glue gun and plenty of glue
– Scissors
– Card
– Ribbon
– Assorted felt sheets ( bought mine here)
– A top or dress your child no longer wears
How to make a no-sew owl costume
Step 1
Select an old top or dress to use as the base of the cape. I used a second hand one Peggy no longer wears which made this costume very budget-friendly. Make a feather template out of a piece of card and cut out all of the felt “feathers”. My template was around 6cm wide but feel free to make yours any size you like. As long as you have enough to make into a cape, you’ll be fine!
I also cut out the shape of a peter pan collar to add to the front of Peggy’s cape. I did this by tracing out the shape of the neckline of the top I used and added on a collar shape.
Step 2
Cut off the side seams and sleeves of the top you’ve chosen. Shorten the front of the top to create a “bib”. See the image above to use as a reference. You want to end up with a cape-like shape to stick your felt feathers onto.
You will also need to separate the top at the shoulder seams. You should now have one long back piece and a shorter bib for the front - this is the piece I attached the peter pan collar to.
Step 3
Starting at the bottom of the back piece, begin sticking down the felt feathers with hot glue. If you’re using a mix of colours you can place them randomly, or do tiers of specific colours, the choice is totally up to you! Do the same thing with the shorter front bib piece and glue on the collar last, aim to half cover the top layer of feathers.
Step 4
To make sure all the patterned fabric of the top was covered, I traced around the neckline of the back piece with a sheet of felt and glued that down, similar to a yoke you’d find on a shirt. Feel free to skip this step but I think it looks neater this way. Trim down the sides of the cape to make sure it’s nice and neat, you don’t want any odd feathers sticking out!
Step 5
The final step is to connect the two pieces together to make it into a wearable little owl cape! I decided to use ribbons to make two straps which I think looks so cute.
I cut four lengths of ribbon, approx 15cm long each. I hot glued the end of each ribbon to the inside of both cape pieces, near the top of the shoulder. Now, you should have each cape piece with two ribbons coming off the top of both shoulders.
Tie each pair of ribbons into bows to make two straps. These can easily be undone to get the cape on and off.
The thing that makes this costume so great (aside from the fact that it’s so quick and easy) is the fact that Peggy was not bothered by it what-so-ever. She’s had in on a fair few times and even wore it to her nursery’s halloween party.
If you’re making this for an older child I think that a matching mask or ears would also go a long way. I know that owls don’t have visible ears but some of them look like they do! Again, this cape could work for many woodland creatures so I really hope you give it a try.
If you do make this I would absolutely love to see. Come over and follow me on Instagram, tag me in any costume pics too!
Hi I'm Nancy!
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