Cute DIY Flamingo Costume

heather handmade sewing

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Learn how to make a DIY flamingo costume with felt and scraps of fabric. The cape and hat are so cute and easy to wear over regular clothing!

About a year ago I thrifted a couple of yards of light pink felt fabric. I knew it would make the perfect Halloween costume! I love using felt since it’s so easy to cut and sew.

Felt is a great fabric for costumes because you don’t have to finish any seams! As I looked at this felt it reminded me so much of a flamingo, I decided to make a DIY flamingo costume for my daughter.

diy flamingo costume

My daughter was so so so excited for this costume! She asked everyday if it was done. She’s in a pink loving stage so having a pink costume was all she needed to be happy.

I made this costume for a child, but it would work for any age since it’s just a cape and a hat. It would be easy to make in any size!

Cute DIY Flamingo Costume

She loves playing with the cape and pretending to fly and flapping her “wings”.

The great thing about this costume is that each piece can be played with and enjoyed individually. The clothes are from her closet, and the cape and hat can be used as dress ups all year long.

Cute DIY Flamingo Costume

Do you love making costumes? Check out some of these ideas:

Cute DIY Flamingo Costume

Cute DIY Flamingo Costume

supplies

  • 2 yards of light pink felt fabric (more is needed depending on who you’re making it for)
  • Scraps of pink fabric – woven and knit both work
  • 1.5 yard of pink bias binding – how to make bias binding
  • Scraps of pink, black, and white felt
  • Sewing tools
  • Sewing machine
  • Pink dress (use the Babydoll Dress Pattern) and pink tights
DIY Flamingo Costume supplies

DIY Flamingo Wings Cape

Spread your arms or your child’s arms out straight in a “T”. Measure from wrist to wrist. This measurement will be the long, straight edge of a half cirlce.

Fold the felt in half and mark half of the wrist measurement as the length. Mark a small radius at the top corner for the neckline.

mark a half circle

Cut out the half circle of felt that will become the cape.

cut half circle

Cut two more half circles of felt the exact same size.

cut two more half circles

On two of the half circles mark out three rows and then draw zigzags or scallops along the bottom edges. These will become rows of feathers.

mark rows of feathers

Cut out all the rows. You should have six rows of feathers in slightly different sizes.

cut six rows of feathers

Cut out a bunch of triangle or scallop feathers from the scraps of pink fabric.

cut feather scraps of fabric

Pin the scrap feathers onto the feather rows switching up the colors and the placement.

Sew the feathers onto the rows by sewing along the top curve.

pin and sew feathers onto rows

Pin the rows of feathers onto the base half circle of felt. Layer them so that each layer goes over the one below it.

Sew the rows of feathers onto the base by sewing along the top curve. Make sure you move the previous row so that you don’t sew over it.

pin and sew rows of feathers to base cape

Cut two pieces of elastic that are 6 inches long. Pin them onto the outer corners of the cape.

Sew the elastic loops to each corner but only to the base cape and not through the feathers.

sew elastic loops to corners

Cut a piece of pink bias binding 18 inches long. Find the center of the bias binding and pin it to the center of the cape’s neckline.

Pin the bias binding around the nekcline to bind it. Sew from one end of the bias binding, around the neckline, and to the other side. Leave the edges raw.

pin and sew bias binding to necklinc of cape

DIY Flamingo Head Hat

Measure around the widest part of you or your child’s head. Divide this by two. This is the width.

Measure from the shoulder to the top of the head in a straight line. This is the height.

Cut out rectangles from felt and lining fabric with the width measurement and the height measurement. Cut a curve in the top corner for the back of the head.

cut four hood pieces

Pin the curved seam right sides together and sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

pin and sew back seam of hood

Place the hood lining inside the felt hood with right sides together. Match up the front of the hoods and the top seam allowance.

Pin and sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

pine and sew front of hoods together

Turn the hood right side out with the lining inside.

Pin the remaining bias binding onto the bottom of the hood. Make sure the center of the bias binding line up with the center back seam.

Sew from one end, across the hood, to the other end. This will enclose all the raw edges.

pin and sew bias binding to bottom of hood

Cut two pieces of pink felt circles. Cut two pieces of black felt slightly smaller. Zigzag the black felt onto the pink felt to create the eyes.

Cut a piece of black felt and white felt 6 inches wide and 4 inches tall. These are the beak pieces. Sew the black to the white on a long edge with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

cut and sew eyes and beak

Fold the beak in half matching up short edges with right sides together. Start sewing on the white side and when you get to the black side curve down until you end in a point.

Trim the curves and point. Turn the beak right side out. Stuff the beak with stuffing to make it firm.

turn beak right side out and stuff

Sew the eyes and beak onto the hood. I sewed the eyes with a straight stitch on my sewing machine, and I sew the beak on by hand.

sew eyes and beak to hood

To complete the costume pair the cape and hood with a simple pink, black, or gray outfit underneath.

Cute DIY Flamingo 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!

Cute DIY Flamingo Costume
heather sewing

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

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What was the dimension for the radius for the neck please?

What was the dimension of the radius for the neck?