Need a cheap and easy Halloween costume this year? I made this DIY bat costume with an XXL black t-shirt I bought at a thrift store for $6 😃 I already owned the halter top and black leggings (both hand me downs) so all I had to do was make the wings! 👍 For bat ears, I made two mini buns with my hair—no waste there! 😆
Since I’ll be wearing this costume to a Latin dance event, I needed something that would be comfortable and easy to move in. This lightweight, stretchy costume idea would also be great for kids!
What will you be wearing this halloween? 🎃
DIY bat costume for Halloween
Materials
Black cotton t-shirt*
Fabric scissors
Sewing machine or serger
Black thread
2-3 hair elastics (optional)
* With one arm stretched out, measure the distance from the middle of your neck to your wrist. Shirt must be this length or longer.
Instructions
1. Lay the shirt flat then cut out the wing shape (white lines) as show below. The length of the straight line should match the distance from the middle of your neck to your wrist. To make it easier, I first traced an curve (shown with the orange line) then used a small plate to trace the scallops since I didn’t trust myself to do that freehand!
2. With right sides together, wew the bottom edges of the t-shirt using a zigzag stitch (this will keep the material stretchy) or serge the edges together if you have a serger. This seam will be the “spine” of the costume and connect the two wings.
3. Determine how you’ll attach the wings to your body or clothing. Since I’m wearing it with a halter top, I just needed a loop through which to tie my shirt. If you’ll be wearing a tank top, you could attach ties at each shoulder (made from leftover t-shirt material) to tie to your shirt straps. Another option is to attach a long tie (or use the neckline from the t-shirt) to the middle then put it around your neck. Fold the fabric over the tie and zigzag stitch into place.
3. To attach the wings to your arms, add ties to the ends of the wings (I used elastic hair ties, but you could cut the ends off the t-shirt sleeves and use those). Fold the fabric over the tie and zigzag stitch into place.
