Making DIY Halloween costumes for my kids and family is my absolute favorite way to celebrate Halloween and make memories with my children. Since the start of October is the usual time that my crayon craziness starts for Art 2 the Extreme® and I spend my days and nights until 3am making handmade crayons, I get a jumpstart on my DIY costumes for my two boys in September (I feel like it is the one time I actually start something early, knowing the busy holiday season is to come).
My absolute favorite costume that I have made for my boys was a piñata costume created from thrifted clothing underneath, felt and foam from Joann Fabrics, and 18 hours of sewing!
Over the past few years, the piñata costume video of my toddler makes the rounds on social media and after thousands of people asking for a DIY tutorial for the toddler piñata costume, it is finally here with photos so you can DIY for halloween!
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 1
For the basic form of the piñata costume, I used a thrifted bodysuit from Goodwill and a pair of toddler-sized pants that I had previously sewn myself from a soft, knit bedsheet. Any pair of loose pants and a onesie will work great together. My special tip here is to use a bodysuit so the piñata costume slips on and off the shoulders easily. You could make each top and bottom separate when creating the piñata costume, but it worked out so much better as one piece, so I sewed the bodysuit and pants to one another, cutting off the bottom half of the bodysuit. This made the costume warm for our midwest, cooler Halloween temperatures we receive in Indiana.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 2
I purchased felt from JoAnn Fabrics in 1/2 yard amounts in the colors I wanted for the Piñata costume look. Colors used for the halloween costume included red, yellow-gold, orange, teal, light pink, dark blue, and green. The colors chosen give the piñata costume a different look depending on your preference.
I used a rotary cutter to cut 2" wide strips and made little slits for the fringe all down the felt strips. You could make yours thinner or thicker depending on preference.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 3
Start at the bottom of the pants. Sew or glue (yes, you could easily use a glue stick for this part) each row of felt, layering/overlapping the fringe just a little with every row. It is important you start from the bottom. This part took me many, many hours, but you could use a glue gun.
As you work your way sewing each strip of felt, the piñata costume will begin to look like the above image. I used two rows of the same colored felt fringe for the costume.
I knew with all the time spent on making the piñata costume and for the materials, I wanted this costume to be sturdy and last for both of my children, so I wanted to machine-sew this halloween costume as much as possible.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Fit Check
Continue to sew or glue the felt fringe in layered rows. I did multiple fit checks with my toddler to make sure the halloween costume was fitting well. The felt layers of the piñata costume should look like the above image when done.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 5
Once the fringed bodysuit for the piñata costume is complete, it is time to move on to the piñata headpiece or "hat" for this DIY kids costume.
I purchased chair foam from JoAnn Fabrics to cut and piece together the headpiece. With a bit of cooperation from my wiggly toddler, I got a great fit using the foam and a hot glue gun to keep the shape together. It does not have to look pretty underneath because the piñata headpiece will get covered in felt again.
I glued a skinny felt strip across the top of the foam headpiece to create a chin strap just in case he decided he wanted to take off the piñata hat. Luckily, he didn't touch the top and did not mind the foam on his head since it was snug and comfy inside, but your child might try and take it off immediately, so a chin strap helps to keep the costume on.
I purchased two foam cones from the floral section of JoAnn Fabrics and attached using the hot glue gun as well. Lots and lots of hot glue was used to secure.I poked two holes in the tops of the cones to later shove the ends of tiny felt strips into for the "strings" that are shown coming out of the cones in the finished photo.
Starting from the bottom, take the felt fringe strips previously made and hot glue in similar layers to the patten used on the main part of the piñata costume bodysuit. continue layering piñata fringe felt strips until you reach the tops of the cones.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 6
Add long strips to the cones by poking a hole and glueing the ends before wrapping in felt strips.
Piece together eyes and nostril area and glue to the front and sides of the piñata costume headpiece.
DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 7
You are done creating the piñata costume for kids! Now you can enjoy making Halloween memories with your little ones and win ALL the Halloween costume contests for kids because this DIY piñata costume is adorable and will put so many smiles on faces. Reuse for all the babies and toddlers in your life for years to come or pass this Halloween costume on to a friend!
This DIY piñata costume was hard work, but with the time. When I first created this costume, there were no tutorials out there, so I had to create this piñata costume from scratch, based on my own sewing experiences and vision. I love how the piñata costume turned out and this costume won so many Halloween contests when my boys wore it. Yes, I still have the costume to pass on to family. No, I am not currently going to sell it (you would not want to pay me what it would cost for my time to make this). You could totally make this piñata costume yourself with a glue gun if you are not handy with a sewing machine!
Over the years of sharing this on TikTok and Instagram with millions of views, many of you created your own after being inspired. Please tag me at @art2theextreme on social media if you choose to try this DIY piñata costume for kids out yourself. I love seeing all the different variations each year and brings a smile to my face that our Halloween memories from the past are making your Halloween memories of the future!
