DIY Cupcake Costume

heather handmade sewing

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Learn how to make a DIY cupcake costume with felt, felt balls, and an upcycled dress. This costume is fun and cute, but it’s so easy to wear!

My youngest daughter encompasses all that is cute and sweet, and she knows it. We always tease her that we want to eat her up because she is so cute. She’s always telling someone she loves them, thank you, or how pretty they look.

I decided to make her a DIY cupcake costume because she is sweet like a cupcake. I had some white felt in my stash, and some rib knit fabric that looks like the pleated paper liner for cupcakes.

diy cupcake costume

My favorite thing about this costume is the white “fluffy” frosting, and the rainbow colorful felt ball sprinkles. I love that there’s so much texture and color all in one place. With some simple tweaks this could easily become and ice cream cone costume!

diy cupcake costume

My daughter loves this costume, but she thinks the skirt isn’t pink enough. She told me to make it pinker, but I told her I used the fabric that I had.

Do you love to make costumes? Try one of these:

DIY Cupcake Costume

supplies

  • 1 yard white felt
  • White long sleeve t-shirt
  • Pink rib knit fabric (the ribs act like the pleats of the paper liner)
  • Lots of different colored felt balls
  • Headband
  • Sewing tools
  • Sewing machine
diy cupcake costume supplies

Use the t-shirt as a guide to cut out a simple tank top from the white felt fabric. Make the sides wavy to mimic the shape of frosting. Make sure the neck hole is large enough to fit a head through.

I cut out the front up to the shouldes, then I folded it at the shoulders to cut the same shape on the back.

cut out puffy frosting tank top from felt

Cut mutliple strips of white felt fabric in wavy lines. These will become the frosting that wraps around the tank top.

Sew a basting stitch down the middle of each strip. While sewing hold your left finger on the fabric right behind the sewing machine foot so that it bunches up as the machine feeds it through. This will slightly gather the fabric, and you won’t have to pull the bobbin thread later. (It’s the same technique as sewing a sleeve in the round.)

cut out wavy strips of felt

Pin the sides of the frosting tank top together and sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

sew sides of frosting tank top

Pin the ruffled strips of felt to the tank top by starting on one side and wrapping it around. Pin as you go and start a new piece where the previous one ended.

Sew down the center of each strip to secure it to the tank top.

sew gathered strips onto the frosting tank top

Cut the bottom part of the t-shirt off to make it stop at the waist.

cut off the bottom of the t-shirt

Cut a piece of rib knit twice as long as the bottom of the t-shirt and calf length.

Pin the short edges right sides together and sew with a straight stitch 5/8 inch from the edge. If you use the selvedges of the rib knit you won’t have to worry about finishing the edges.

cut out pink rib knit skirt

Pleat or gather the top edge of the skirt. Pin it to the bottom of the t-shirt with right sides together.

Sew the skirt to the t-shirt with a zigzag stitch. Add elastic to the waist seam to cinch the waist of the dress.

Cut two pieces of the frosting top. Make it curve slightly and end in a point.

cut out felt frosting top

Sew the top two sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Trim the point and then turn the top right side out.

sew sides of top and trim corner

Fill the frosting top with stuffing.

stuff frosting top

Fold the raw ends inside and pinch it close. Pin in pinched closed.

fold ends inside and pin closed

Hand stitch the frosting top to the headband. The stitching should keep the hole pinched closed.

sew top onto headband

Divide up the felt balls into the front, the back, and the headband. Hand stitch the felt balls in a random order onto the frosting tank top and the frosting headband.

You can hot glue the felt balls on, but it won’t hold as well and you can’t reuse the felt balls afterwards.

Wear the tank top over the dress and combined with the headband this is the cutest and easiest DIY cupcake costume.

diy cupcake costume

If you make something using this sewing project, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!

diy cupcake costume
heather sewing

I believe small sewing moments can create great joy. Find your own “right” way to sew. -Heather

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