DIY Halloween Skeleton Costume

Running out of time to sew a Halloween costume for your kid? Don’t worry, here is a quick way to transform a footed pajama into a Skeleton Costume. If you can get a black color footed long sleeve body-suit, it is even faster because you don’t have to dye it into black color as I did 😉 You can find more Halloween crafts to make, here.

Want to make Skeleton Costume spookier, add some glow-in-the-dark powder in the white acrylic and your kid will sure “boooo” in the dark!!!!

I even prepared the skeleton stencil artwork for you, just print it out onto sticker papers or freezer papers (the non-waxed side), cut it out and stick onto the black footed pajama, and you are ready to paint it up. If you are using freezer paper, you need to iron with the wax side down and stick it on the pajama. It is fast and easy to do! Get the how-to with photos for stenciling method after this jump.

Also, if you wonder how to make the sock skeleton in the photo, click here.

If you don’t like to paint, this skeleton costume is also perfect to be done in applique technique, here are the steps:
1. Applique Technique
1. print it on the paper side of the fusible web or heat ‘n bond,
2. fix the fusible web on a piece of white fabric (must be thick enough so that it can cover the black background) as per instruction
3. cut all the “bones” out from the white fabric
4. arrangement the “bones” on the black pajama,
5. Iron to stick them

2. Stencil Technique

DIY Halloween Skeleton Costume

Download: Skeleton Template

Material:
1. Footed Pajama (preferably plain without any applique, printing, embroidery etc)
2. Dye, Black ( I prefer cold dye + dye fix)
3. A4 /Letter size Sticker Paper or Freezer paper (6 pcs)
4. Acrylic Paint, White (thick type so that you can cover the black background)
5. Acrylic Paint, black for touch-up and cover the metal button to black
6. Fabric medium
7. Some card boards
8. Glow in the dark powder (optional)

Tools:

1. Printer (inkjet or bubblejet or even dot matrix, but not laser printer please)
2. Craft Knife + Cutting Mat
3. Brush (about 1″ wide)
4. Small container
5. Spatula/spoon
6. Well ventilated room

Print the stencil artwork onto either sticker papers or freezer papers. Print only the 6 real-size pages, not the cover page.
This original size is for 2-year-old toddler, resize it to suit if needed.

Get ready the materials and tools. The photos didn’t show all the materials, please refer to the list above.
Dye your footed pajama in black according to the instruction attached in the dye tin. I prefer to use cold dye, it is easy and hassles less, do remember to include the cold dye fix (2 sachets for black).
Wash and dry the pajama.

While waiting for the pajama to get ready (need at least 3 hours for the dye to set), print out the stencil artwork on the sticker papers or freezer papers.
Tip: if you intend to do it for toddle other than 2-year-old, I would suggest that you print on the plain papers to check for the correct size that able to fit into your pajama.

Cut the outlines with a sharp craft knife (use a new blade). This is the most time consuming because you have to do it slowly to get the perfect outlines.

Cut some cardboard and insert them into the pajama. This will not only smooth out the fabric but also prevent staining the back of the pajama when you paint.
If your buttons are not in black color, paint it with black acrylic to cover.
Arrange the stencils on the pajama, stick the stencil artwork if you are absolutely satisfied with the position.
Raise a corner of the sticker and peel off the backing slowly. Don’t take the whole sticker up, maintain it in the correct position while you peel and stick portion by portion.
If you are using freezer paper, just iron them (with the wax side down) to the pajama to stick it.

Make sure all edges at the outline have adhered properly, otherwise the white paint will leak out and stained outside the intended area.
Use a heavy body white acrylic paint. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of acrylic paint to a small container, add in glow-in-the-dark powder if you have, stir evenly.
Apply the paint to the pajama by using a stippling or dabbing method with a dry brush.

Start with a small amount of paint for the first layer, just dab all over the stencil area. It won’t make the whole area white immediately, the whiteness will increase gradually, layer by layer.
Take note on the button area, leave the buttons open so that you can paint the inside.
Wait for the first layer to dry, take about 30 minutes. Touch the painted area lightly to check if it has dried.
Scoop and mix fresh acrylic paint for each layer.
For the second layer onwards, you can put more paint on it because the first layer already sealed the edges of the stencil to prevent any smearing or paint leaking out.

Always remember to wait for the paint to dry before stippling the next layer.
After 4-5 layers, you should be able to get a satisfactory whiteness.
Wait for it to dry before stripping off the stencil sticker.
Acrylic paint is rubbery when dry, so when you remove the sticker do it slowly to prevent tearing off the edges of the paint.
Apply touch-up if needed.