This month, we’re diving into ways to upcycle and enhance the apparel you already own. As we inch closer to Halloween it’s the perfect time to think creatively about your wardrobe. Instead of buying a brand-new costume or seasonal outfit, why not transform something you already have into a fresh, standout costume?

We have a project thread for our October prompt, but we felt Halloween costumes deserved a thread of their own. Click below to share your handmade and DIY costume ideas with us, we can’t wait to see your creativity.

Upcycled and homemade costume ideas

We found a few awesome and easy to execute upcycles to get you started. But the possibilities are endless! Whatever you end up making, we hope you’ll share it with the community.

Upcycled monster masks

A bit of cardboard and creativity and you’ll be the talk of the Halloween party. Remember when Halloween was about being scary? Don’t forget the eye holes!

Things you already own that you can use to make this: toilet paper rolls, leftover packaging, empty pizza boxes

Fabric scrap witch hats

Any black dress can be a witch outfit — or any dress at all really! But to embody the spirit of a witch what you really need is a witch hat, and perhaps a broom. Here’s a super simple tutorial for a handsewn hat.

Things you already own that you can use to make this:  a dress of any kind, a broom, any leftover fabric scraps, or clothing in disrepair

Colorful clown costumes

This article by The House That Lars Built reminded us that colorful clown costumes can be easy to produce using things we have already on hand. Pull out safety pins and a bright patterned outfit. Use scrunched up scarves as temporary pom-poms, tulle as a neck piece, and felt or even paper for a party hat. When you’re pinning it together, it’s all reusable, so don’t hold back. You can pull this one apart at the end of the night and return all of the supplies back to their rightful places.

Things you already own that you can use to make this: a patterned dress or jumper, felt or paper, colorful scarves, scrunchies, pom-poms, safety pins

Knock it off, no seriously

The Top 25 Trending Halloween Costumes of 2024, According to Google

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Incredible (and Sustainable) Halloween Costume Ideas

Gabriela shares her take on Halloween’s disposable costume culture, while celebrating the creativity of dressing up, she explores more sustainable alternatives for Halloween costumes, encouraging readers to embrace the fun of the holiday without contributing to consumer waste.

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Halloween Decor: Handmade, Thrifted and Upcycled

From hats to shiny pumpkins, the shelves full of holiday items are often meant to be bought again year after year. Instead of following the cycle of buying and discarding, Molly encourages readers to rethink their Halloween decor by choosing handmade, thrifted, or upcycled alternatives.

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From the community:

Contributor Gabriela seeks a bit of advice. Drop it for her in the Mends thread, or reply here and we’ll forward it along.

In this together,