15 DIY Classic Halloween Costumes

Get inspired and excited for a DIY costume by making one of these scary and classic Halloween costumes. They work for both kids and grown ups!

There are so many fun Halloween costume ideas to choose from. It’s fun to create characters from books, movies, and shows, but it’s also fun to make up a costume that one of my children has chosen. I love finding a way to make whatever costume my child dreams up.

One of my children has chosen to be almost every single classic Halloween character throughout the years so I have a lot of tutorials and projects to create all the classic Halloween costumes. Go through the list to see all the ideas and then tell me which one is your favorite!

Do you like making costumes and sewing for Halloween? Check out these ideas!

Why Make DIY Costumes?

I love to make DIY costumes for my kids for lots of different reasons. I love that I can make something unique that they want and that they’ll love. We live in a cold area so I always have to plan costumes to be warm so that they don’t have to wear a jacket or coat over it.

I almost always save money by reusing fabric and clothing from my stash and around our home, and I have found that reusing clothing saves me time.

Homemade DIY costumes use stronger and more durable fabric that will last through months and years of dress up and play time. I love that the costumes will last longer than one night of trick-or-treating.

Where to get solid clothes?

I have a couple of different places where I look for solid clothing for children. It all depends on what I’m looking for and what I need.

When I need a solid matching set (like a t-shirt and leggings or a sweatshirt and sweatpants), I first look at primary.com. There are so many basic options in all the styles I love.
When I need a t-shirt or sweatshirt in a very specific color, I first look at Jiffy Shirts. There are so many colors in different t-shirt blends.
When I need something fast and I’m not picky about the color, I look at Walmart* either for my pickup or shopping in person.