Witch Costume

Witch's are getting more colorful and trendy every year! Got to town with
your homemade witch's costume and your child will not only look gorgeous but
enjoy her costume too!
Traditional or Modern Witch?
A traditional witch costume consists of a long black gown or robe, a black
cloak, black hat and wig, a broomstick and some really ugly makeup. When I was a
child my mother made me a witch's costume just like this, and I loved it - but
even so I have to admit it was hot and uncomfortable, especially with the wig
on! These days little girls tend to prefer a more modern style, so we have given
you plenty of suggestions below. Whichever you choose, you will need a witch's
hat. Why not make your own?

Witch's Hat craft
Traditional Witch's Costume
If you want to create a traditional witch's costume, you can make a simple
no-sew robe out of a length of black cotton which your child can wear over a
T-shirt and pair of tights or leggings. Download instructions here:
Traditional Witch's
Robe Template
Modern Witch's Costume
These days, witch's are much more likely to wear bright colors
- particularly orange and purple - and have stripy stockings or multi-colored,
trendy skirts!
Triangular layered skirt:
A layered look works very well and can be achieved by stitching
or safety pinning triangles of netting and voile (or even crepe paper) onto the
waistband of an existing skirt of pair of leggings, as in the photo below.

Puffy net skirt:
I've just made my daughter a really cute, puffy mini-skirt (photo coming soon)
with some spider web netting in a purple and black design from my local fabric
shop. I used just under 3 yards, cutting it from selvedge to selvedge into
strips twice the length that we wanted for a skirt which ends about 6 inches
above the knee. I then folded the strips in half so that the selvedges were
still together and the edges wouldn't fray. I cut a length of 1.5 inch wide
black elastic to a couple of inches more than Tilly's waist. I think tacked the
fabric to the elastic (the two raw edges together) gathering it into large,
irregular folds as I went and simply overlapping the strips slightly as I came
the end of each. We then safety-pinned the elastic around her wait and added a
pretty bow tied quickly out of leftover fabric to the front, to cover the safety
pin. She wears black leggings and an overly long black T-shirt underneath and
looks gorgeous!
Simple gathered skirt:
Measure from your child's waist to below her knee (or whatever length you
require.) Then measure right around her waist. Cut 2 rectangles of taffeta-like
fabric to these measurements. Join the side seams, hem if you like (or use
pinking shears to cut some jagged points into the bottom of the skirt), and turn
the top of the skirt over twice and stitch to form a channel. Thread elastic or
a strong ribbon through the channel, and fit to your child's waist. Now cut some
triangles of black netting and tack loosely to the waist band so that they hang
down and around the skirt (see photo below).

More Ideas:
Pin or sew strips of black lace or net to the shoulders of your child's
outfit, loop out, and then catch again at the elbow - as in the photo above.
Very glamorous!

Cut rectangles of black lace or netting and gather loosely to fit around the
elbows of an existing long sleeved T-shirt or top, or attach them quickly with
an elastic band.

Tie a colorful sash (made out of a stiff fabric or even cardboard) around a
black dress and add laces at the front or back. This is a great way to update
last year's outfit, or to pull in a dress which might otherwise be too big for
your child.
Cut draping triangles out of pretty voile and tack lightly to a long-sleeved
T-shirt so that they hang down as shown in the photo.
Add stripy stockings!
This dress is a very simple shape cut out of a stretch material, with a round
neckline and a jagged hem. Minimal sewing required!
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