Introduction: Make a Pizza Costume
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About: Founding Editor of DollarStoreCrafts.com - a site all about making cool crafts from dollar store materials. Top 3 supplies: hot glue gun, spray paint, googly eyes.
My four year-old son had a few ideas for his Halloween costume this year, but he finally settled on dressing as a piece of pizza. YA piece of pizza is a great costume: it's funny, instantly recognizable, you can customize it, and of course, it's easy! It's also comfortable and easy to move around in, and you can remove it in a jiffy if necessary (perfect for a school or work costume!)
I made this costume out of felt yardage (the kind you get on the bolt at the fabric store, as opposed to the small sheets of craft felt). I love making costumes out of felt! It's inexpensive, easy to work with, and you don't have to finish it by hemming. Perfect for a one-time-use costume.
These instructions are for a sewn costume, but check the end of the post for no-sew instructions.
I made this costume out of felt yardage (the kind you get on the bolt at the fabric store, as opposed to the small sheets of craft felt). I love making costumes out of felt! It's inexpensive, easy to work with, and you don't have to finish it by hemming. Perfect for a one-time-use costume.
These instructions are for a sewn costume, but check the end of the post for no-sew instructions.
Step 1: Project Materials & Construction Notes
Project Materials:
Total: I spent $13.98, but you could make it for about $8 (if you have batting on hand, or if you skip the batting)
A note about materials: Usually, I would have the felt sheets and batting on hand, but I am out of batting, and I wanted to make sure I had the right colors of felt. Your felt purchase may vary, depending on the desired pizza toppings. One yard of felt will be fine for any size of pizza costume, including an adult costume, because it is 72" wide. You will have leftover felt if you make a pizza costume for a preschooler, like I did.
Construction notes: Hot glue toppings on AFTER you sew the pizza slice together!! I learned this the hard way. This costume should have taken me about 15 minutes to sew together, but the hot glue gummed up the needle and I had to re-thread about 12 times. It ended up taking an hour of frustration to finish!
The costume is basically a giant pizza-shaped bib.
- 1 yard each of cream-colored and tan felt (72" wide), $3.59 per yard
- 1/4 yard of dark red felt, $.90
- 1 sheet each of black, brown, green craft felt, on hand or $.25 each
- A piece of batting, 24x24", on hand or $4.95 (I bought a bag of crib-sized batting at Wal-mart)
- Sewing machine & thread
- Hot glue gun & glue
- Velcro, on hand
Total: I spent $13.98, but you could make it for about $8 (if you have batting on hand, or if you skip the batting)
A note about materials: Usually, I would have the felt sheets and batting on hand, but I am out of batting, and I wanted to make sure I had the right colors of felt. Your felt purchase may vary, depending on the desired pizza toppings. One yard of felt will be fine for any size of pizza costume, including an adult costume, because it is 72" wide. You will have leftover felt if you make a pizza costume for a preschooler, like I did.
Construction notes: Hot glue toppings on AFTER you sew the pizza slice together!! I learned this the hard way. This costume should have taken me about 15 minutes to sew together, but the hot glue gummed up the needle and I had to re-thread about 12 times. It ended up taking an hour of frustration to finish!
The costume is basically a giant pizza-shaped bib.
Step 2: Step 1: Cutting the Fabric
1. Cut two triangles out of felt for the body of the pizza costume - one tan, one cream-colored; cut one triangle out of batting. My triangles were 18" wide and about 20" long. Adjust measurements to fit your costume wearer.
2. Use a bowl to make a neck hole about 3" below the top of the pizza. You will cut a line straight down from the edge of the pizza and cut the hole out. The resulting tabs are the place where the bib will fasten.
2. Use a bowl to make a neck hole about 3" below the top of the pizza. You will cut a line straight down from the edge of the pizza and cut the hole out. The resulting tabs are the place where the bib will fasten.
Step 3: Step 2: Sewing the Pizza
Sewing Instructions: (No-sew instructions at the end)
1. Sandwich batting and felt in the following order: batting on bottom, then tan crust piece face up, then cream-colored top piece face down. Sew around perimeter, leaving a 6" hole on the side of the pizza for turning.
2. Turn right-side out, being sure to fully turn the bib pieces. Use a pencil to push corners out, if necessary. Fold 6" unsewn hole under, and topstitch closed. Topstitch around perimeter, if desired, and quilt across the pizza a couple lines if you want.
3. Sew Velcro to bib tabs, with scratchy piece facing up on the right tab, and fuzzy piece facing down on the left tab.
No Sew Instructions:
Skip the sewing, and the turning inside out (Steps 2 & 3). Instead, sandwich the tan piece, the batting (trimmed 1" shorter around the edges), and the cream piece and hot glue around the edges. Press to seal. Hot glue velcro on as instructed in Step 3.
1. Sandwich batting and felt in the following order: batting on bottom, then tan crust piece face up, then cream-colored top piece face down. Sew around perimeter, leaving a 6" hole on the side of the pizza for turning.
2. Turn right-side out, being sure to fully turn the bib pieces. Use a pencil to push corners out, if necessary. Fold 6" unsewn hole under, and topstitch closed. Topstitch around perimeter, if desired, and quilt across the pizza a couple lines if you want.
3. Sew Velcro to bib tabs, with scratchy piece facing up on the right tab, and fuzzy piece facing down on the left tab.
No Sew Instructions:
Skip the sewing, and the turning inside out (Steps 2 & 3). Instead, sandwich the tan piece, the batting (trimmed 1" shorter around the edges), and the cream piece and hot glue around the edges. Press to seal. Hot glue velcro on as instructed in Step 3.
Step 4: Step 3: Adding Pizza Toppings
Now for the fun part! Toppings! Cut out your desired toppings. Our pizza was combo-style with pepperoni and veggies.
Pepperoni: I traced a large bowl onto dark red felt for pepperoni.
Olives: I traced a small saucer and a ramekin with chalk onto black felt to make olives.
Mushrooms: I folded brown squares of felt in half and cut out mushroom shapes.
Green Pepper: I went for diced green pepper and just cut squares of green felt.
Hot glue toppings on. I glued the pepperoni first, then the olives, the mushrooms, and finally the green pepper.
Gluing tip: I placed the pepperoni down on the cream-colored side to get a placement I liked. The best way to glue the pepperoni was by folding half of it up, covering the folded half with hot glue, placing it on the surface, then folding the second side up and gluing it. Trim any overhanging pepperoni (just like on a real slice of pizza!)
Pepperoni: I traced a large bowl onto dark red felt for pepperoni.
Olives: I traced a small saucer and a ramekin with chalk onto black felt to make olives.
Mushrooms: I folded brown squares of felt in half and cut out mushroom shapes.
Green Pepper: I went for diced green pepper and just cut squares of green felt.
Hot glue toppings on. I glued the pepperoni first, then the olives, the mushrooms, and finally the green pepper.
Gluing tip: I placed the pepperoni down on the cream-colored side to get a placement I liked. The best way to glue the pepperoni was by folding half of it up, covering the folded half with hot glue, placing it on the surface, then folding the second side up and gluing it. Trim any overhanging pepperoni (just like on a real slice of pizza!)
Step 5: Wearing the Costume
Wearing the costume: Wear black pants and a shirt or sweatshirt, or put the pizza costume over any street clothes. If desired, make a themed hat and treat bag.
It could also be fun to add a huge mustache. 'At'zza Spicy Pizza!
For more fun craft ideas, check out my site Dollar Store Crafts.