So, you have a free weekend to spend at home sounds lovely but then the panic sets in and you are suddenly thinking what on earth am I gonna do with the kids? Don’t panic we have whipped up a list of fun things to make with the family for you, and many of these kids' craft ideas also double up as easy Halloween fancy dress options.
Easy Pattern for a Fabric Mask
Masks have had a slightly different meaning in recent years but they are an easy peasy way to great a simple fancy dress and could be a fun weekend at home activity for you and the whole family.
- A great mask, especially for Halloween is a simple Cat Mask, but this P&M Pattern for a Cat Mask makes them super easy and means you can use lots of super cute fabrics too. Not only that but it could be adapted to other fancy dress costumes, maybe a Fantastic Mr Fox.
- Not quite a mask, but on a similar theme - wizards are always popular and everyone knows you can’t be a powerful wizard without a decent beard. This can easily be made with a little bit of fur or bouclé and some elastic. Top tip for cutting fur, go from the back and use a knife rather than scissors otherwise you will be giving your beard a trim before you have decided on the length.
Dressmaking faux fur long hair and Cream Bouclé Fabric
How to Make Ears and Tails
If a mask isn’t quite your thing, maybe a simple pair of ears could turn around your fancy dress qualms, as all you really need to start with is an old hair band.
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We are especially keen on the idea of lion ears, complete with a large fur main which you can also attach to the hair band. To complete the look, you can add some fur to your wrists to look perfectly fierce.
- Looking for a pattern for some bunny ears, then these from Made By Toya are the ones for you. Again what a great fun activity to do with the kids as part of the preparations for Halloween. As an added bonus it has a cat version too, which could also easily be used as a Batman mask - so versatile.
Made By Toya Animal Bonnet Pattern
- If all things cute and cuddly aren’t really the type of fancy dress you are looking for, then we should mention these great dinosaur tails. These aren’t just for Halloween, these will be fun all year round - in fact we might just have to make some for ourselves. These dino tails would possibly be best made from something more hard wearing; making our brushed cotton panamas the best for the main tail.
Andrea's Notebook How to Make a Dino Tail
Make a Super Hero Cape
Is it even a fancy dress event if no one is wearing a cape? Although deemed dangerous in The Incredibles they are the go-to outfit for many superheroes, wizards and villains, so really they are a must. We have popped all our plain cotton poplins into our fancy dress collection, and they are a great material for capes. They are easy to sew with and we have a great selection of bright colours so whichever character you are looking to emulate, we should have the right colour.
The great thing about making your own cape is that you can fully customise them to your heart's desire, whether that is appliquéing your names on them or maybe even your superhero alter ego.
Make a Fabric Crown
Now everyone deserves to feel like a King or a Queen for at least a day, so how about spending the day making crowns for the whole family. These will work for everything from fancy dress to Christmas or just because, and they can be made with any type of patchwork and quilting cotton which means your possibilities are endless for colour, patterns and print.
We have even found you a simple pattern to follow too.
Crafty Sewing Sew - How to Make a Fabric Crown
Browse our Craft Fabric Collection Online
We hope you found something to inspire you to do some Kids' Crafting in the holidays and introducing them to your favourite hobby in a fun way. Before browsing our craft fabric collection, don't forget to raid your fabric scraps as there are so many things you can make with the kids from scraps, which will not only keep your crafting sustainable , but also have the benefit of reducing your fabric stash. And just think how pleased you'll be if you've managed an easy Halloween make before the end of the holidays.
Make sure you send us the photos of your kids' sewing projects as we would love to see them…
