Easy Homemade Pirate Costumes for Girls
If your little princess decides she wants to be a pirate for Halloween, you'll need a costume. She can be ready for the high seas with a some inexpensive fabric and household items. There's minimal sewing and the outfit can be completed in a short time.
Items Needed:
- Tape measure
- Newspaper or butcher paper, taped together to the width of the felt.
- Pencil
- String
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- 2-3 yards of black felt
- 1 yard of brightly colored net fabric
- Shoelace
- Duct tape
Color Schemes
A typical pirate costume is black, but you can add red or bright pink to the black for a more feminine costume. Orange and yellow are other accent colors you can use. Stripes are a popular pattern for pirates.
Measurements
You'll need to measure your future pirate girl for the following dimensions:
- Waist
- Skirt length. from the waist to the desired hem
- Chest circumference
- Corset length, from the waist to about 2 inches above the navel
Skirt
- Lay the newspaper flat on a table or on the floor and mark the center with a pencil. Cut string the same length as the skirt plus 1 inch and tie the string to the end on the pencil. Use the pencil and string as a compass by holding the end of the string in the center of the newspaper and using the pencil to draw a circle on the newspaper. Cut the circle out of the newspaper.
- Divide the waist measurement by 3.14 to find the diameter of the waist. Divide this number in half to determine the radius. Cut the string to this length. Use the pencil and string again to draw the waist opening in the center of the large circle. The waist opening should have the same circumference as the waist measurement of the child. Cut the waist circle out of the newspaper to finish the skirt pattern.
- Tape the pattern to the felt and cut the fabric. After you have cut both circles, you will have a circle skirt with a waist opening. Cut a 2-inch slit in the waist opening and sew a hook and eye for easy closing. Because felt does not fray, you do not need to hem the skirt.
- Cut the net into 3-inch strips. Arrange the strips into simple pleats. Baste the pleats with a needle and thread to hold them in place. Baste the pleats with black thread on the bottom inside edge of the skirt so the pleats look like a ruffle. If you need to use two or more pleated strips, have them meet at the side or the back.
Corset
- Cut a strip of black felt according to the chest measurement, adding 1 inch for overlay. Cut two strips of duct tape slightly less than the height of the strip; the tape will reinforce the corset lacing holes.
- Attach the tape to the inside of the ends of the strip. Mark two to three spots on each strip of tape and cut small holes in the felt and tape to serve as lacing holes. Use the shoelaces to lace the corset. Wear the corset over a solid colored blouse.
Accessories
For the finishing touches, use one or all of the following accessories:
- Bandana or solid scarf for a headpiece, tying the knot on the side
- Sword cut out of poster board
- Black or striped leggings or tights
- Black boots
Variations
- For a cold Halloween, you can use black pants instead of a skirt. If possible, cut the hem into strips for a ragged look. For warm weather, black shorts are a good choice.
- A skull and crossbones is a traditional pirate symbol. Use white fabric to paint the symbol on the skirt.
- Instead of using the net, you can cut the hem into strips to create a tattered pirate look. Cut the strips in varying widths and depths.