>Make a Spider Costume in Less than an Hour

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Was he really this little?

This post was first published in 2007, back when Bubba was about to turn four.  This costume came together in really short order.  He wore it over and over and over again long past Halloween.  It was so easy, and I’m getting a few hits on the original post, so I thought I’d revive it for all of you today.  

As I mentioned in my “crafty” post, often I get these ideas someone else has already done. In this case, I may well have read this one years ago, and retained it or maybe I’m a costuming genius, either way, I thought some might like an easy costume idea (and this could be easily modified for an adult costume as well!) I just created a Spider Costume for my son.

I bought a pair of black sweatpants, a black long-sleeved shirt, a pair of black gloves, two pair of black dress socks (men’s crew length;  use tights for an adult costume) . I had kicking around the house a BUNCH of plastic grocery sacks (I use them for packing material when I ship for eBay) as well as a length of elastic, a sewing needle and black thread.

First, I stuffed the four men’s socks with grocery sacks, all scrunched up. The heel of the sock makes a natural bend so these really look like spider’s legs when they are evenly stuffed with the grocery sacks. The sacks are easy to stuff in the socks, and are easily squeezed into the right shape once you’ve filled the sock. I stitched the top of each sock onto the sides of the shirt under the sleeves (see the photos).

Then I sewed a short bit of elastic running from the bottom of the bend on the top ‘leg’ to the top of the bend on the bottom ‘leg’. Another short bit of elastic went from the cuff of the shirt sleeve to the top of the bend on the top leg. I stitched it all by hand–messy, nasty stitches that Martha would NOT be proud of, but they are firm, they’ll stay put, an accomplishment that most MOTHERS would in fact be proud of. Especially since with black on black, no one’s the wiser!!

Now you have a shirt, with two real sleeves, and then four additional ‘sleeves’ (the socks). With black sweatpants on, black gloves and black shoes or sneakers, your spider is nearly complete. Take a black knit hat, and hot glue eight large pompoms or googly eyes, evenly spaced around cuff of the hat. (2011 note:  this hat is *still* a favorite.  It’s the only part of the costume that we still have kicking around.)

Voila…a spider costume in less than an hour. Now, if I could just get the boy out of it, so that it’s still presentable for Halloween!!


Final 2011 note:  You can modify this idea for different insects–lose a pair of socks and add a pair of wings and you have a butterfly.  Change up colors…whatever inspires you!  Oh, and come back and share a photo, too!
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Supply List for Spider Costume:

• Black Sweatpants
• Long sleeved Black T-shirt
• 2 Pair Black men’s dress socks
• Stuffing for four spider legs (I used plastic grocery sacks, but you can use batting, or other filling as well)
• 1 pair of black mittens/gloves (optional)
• Black knit hat
• 8 pompoms or Googly Eyes
• 24″ elastic or cording
• Glue/Hot Glue
• Black Thread
• Needle