Pug & Pig: Glow in the Dark Skeleton Costume

Sometimes a picture book can inspire your child to dream up a super easy costume idea! My 5 year old loves this Pug and Pig Trick or Treat book where the two pets are dressed like skeletons, but the pug doesn't want to wear his costume. She asked me to make her a skeleton costume and it was really fairly easy to create with my new vinyl cutter machine!

Note: On the fence about which vinyl cutter to buy? I have the Cricut Maker but also love the Silhouette Cameo... my best suggestion is try the software for both machines first, and decide what materials you want to cut! I bought the maker so I can cut tougher materials. Plus, I'll have an extensive blog post soon on why you should buy a vinyl cutter for your school or library!

Supplies

Heat Transfer Glow in the Dark Vinyl
Black shirt and Black pants
Cricut Maker (I bought a bundle so I had lots of tools and materials to tinker with) or Cricut Air or Silhouette Cameo
Optional: Pug and Pig Trick or Treat
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Stock Account or Trial Session

Step 1: Piece Together Skeleton Using Adobe Stock

I use Adobe Illustrator in my daily work, so I thought it would be fun to use Adobe Stock to create our skeleton costumes. (You can get a free trial from Adobe stock and download 10 free images if you aren't ready to commit to the full year.) I used Bone Silhouettes by Jan Stopka to build a skeleton. It was fun to attempt to match leg bones and arm bones, but my 5 YO preferred the cartoonish style bones we found in stock titled "Anatomy" by Ellagrin. I simply had to pick the design assets I wanted to create a skeleton and erase a few hands and feet to make clean bones the vinyl cutter to cut!

Step 2: Import Files to Vinyl Cutter and Test Cut

If you are using a Cricut, save your AI file as an SVG and import the file as an image. Each bone will come through as a separate cut. If you are using the Silouhette Cameo, import the file as a DXF to bring the bones in as separate cuts. (This way you can use as much of your iron-on vinyl as you can!)

I measured the arm length on the shirt to get the right measurements on the vinyl cutter software. Make sure your child tries on the clothes before you start cutting! After measuring for each bone, I cut out the bones with some Holographic Kraftboard to make sure they would fit correctly on the outfit (again so I wouldn't waste the precious iron-on vinyl!) Now, we have a cool orange skeleton we can hinge together as a door decoration!) Plus we have bone stencils the kids can play and draw with for hours!

Step 3: Cut and Iron on Vinyl

If your test cut looks good, then cut out shapes with the iron-on vinyl. Follow directions from your vinyl to iron on bones to the outfit. (Or use a heat press.) I used an iron to adhere each bone to the outfit. If using an iron, make sure to get the fabric warm with the iron first, then place the iron-on vinyl, use a piece of fabric or cotton napkin to protect your iron, and press firmly on the iron to adhere the vinyl to the clothes. Make sure to press hard for 20-30 seconds and not move the iron around a lot.

Once applied, peel off the clear layer, and let your little one try on the outfit to see how it glows in the dark! So cool!

We are ready to trick or treat just like Pug and Pig!