Spooky season is here and my kids are so excited! How do you handle Halloween costumes? Are they store bought? Do you make elaborate handmade masterpieces? Or are you all about using what’s already in your closet for a low effort ensemble? With seven kids (and therefore seven costumes) we switch between elaborate family costumes and “make it work” years. Although this is not a family costume year, I still ended up making a couple of simple tulle ghost costumes for two of my girls. However, I’m saying it’s fine because they were so low cost and low effort! Check out how I pulled these easy DIY costumes together in plenty of time for Halloween!
how to make tulle ghost costumes
If you don’t have a sewing machine–or even basic sewing skills–you can still make these simple tulle ghost costumes that are perfect for kids! I did use a sewing machine for one short part, and then hand-stitched on the ghost face, but I’ll cover other alternatives later in this blog post. When researching DIY ghost costumes I first came across one this style on the frugalnavywife.com.
materials for tulle ghost costumes
- elastic headband ribbon
- grosgrain ribbon
- 6″ inch width tulle roll in white
- 6″ inch width tulle roll in ivory
- black felt
- black and white thread
- fabric scissors
- footless tights (for wearing under the dress)
- white tank top (for wearing under the dress)
step 1: make your “waistband”
We’re going to call it a “waistband” even though it actually goes around your child’s chet at their armpits. For the “waistband” you will use elastic headband ribbon. I was only able to find 30 mm width at my local craft store, but I don’t think it matters what width you use. Measure the circumference of your child’s chest (not waist) for the length to cut. I would consider cutting it about an inch shorter because it will stretch, and the tulle weighs it down. I did not do this and it’s a bit big, although with the straps holding it up it works fine.
To attach the ends of my elastic headband ribbon together I used 1.5″ grosgrain ribbon. Cut a short length of the grosgrain ribbon and sear the edges to keep them from fraying. Then, wrap the grosgrain ribbon around where the ends of the elastic headband ribbon meet and sew a stich over this area to secure. Note that it does not need to look pretty, ha ha.
Sew Simple Alternative: Skip the sewing machine by hand sewing a few quick stiches. Or, skip the grosgrain ribbon and just double knot the two ends of the elastic headband ribbon together. This will not make as secure of a fit, but since you’re attaching straps it would work okay for a costume that’s only worn for a few hours.
step 2: attach the tulle for the skirt
Measure the length of your child from their armpits to the floor, then double that number. That is the length to cut your tulle strips for the skirt. I used strips of white tulle and ivory tulle for my skirts and alternated colors. Personally, I just didn’t want a stark white ghost, and wanted a more “aged” look. I could definitely tell the difference, but it’s so subtle that you could just do all one color if you wanted to.
Decide which holes you want to place the tulle in on the “waistband”. Holding the tulle strip in half, push the middle part of the tulle through the first “waistband” hole, and then pull the ends through. Repeat this process all the way around the “waistband.” Again, be sure to alternate tulle colors if you’re using two different ones.
| Read: DIY Brother and Sister Superhero Costumes |
You can stop at one layer all the way around, but I opted for a second layer where I only filled in every other hole on the elastic headband ribbon. This helped the skirt be more full and helped cover the legs a little bit more. Note that depending on the size of your child, you might not be able to get two full skirts with just two rolls if you complete a second row. I ended up having to order one more roll of tulle.
step 3: attach the tulle straps
The straps of this ghost dress is definitely the easiest part. They’re no sew and totally adjustable! I just cut two strips of tulle the same length and thread them through the top of the elastic headband ribbon in the same style that I attached the tulle to the skirt. I just eyeballed a spot that lined up with the tank top being worn under the dress.
This part is a little hard to explain in words, but I promise it’s really easy to do! Just take the ends of the tulle piece from the front and bring over the shoulder. Then thread into one of the holes in the back of the elastic headband ribbon. Do this on both the right and left sides. The last step is to bring the two ends together and tie in a bow in the middle of the back.
step 4: add the faces on the tulle ghost costumes
I used construction paper for templates and freehanded some friendly ghost faces onto black felt for the front of the skirts. I sewed a few hand stitches in each corner of the eyes and the mouths to attach the felt face pieces through a couple lengths of tulle. It can be a little tricky to make sure everything is lined up, so I made my five year old daughter wear hers as I quickly stitched the face pieces into place. Then I used her for reference to finish my two year old daughter’s tulle ghost costume.
Sew Simple Alternative: If you really want to skip sewing altogether for this project, you could use a hot glue gun or fabric glue to secure the felt pieces on with a few dots of glue.
This technique would also work well to make a cute tulle pumpkin costume–just use orange tulle and a green elastic headband ribbon instead of white!
You can find my Haunted Mansion Ride Operator Costume in my Amazon shop!
Would your kids like these tulle ghost costumes?
