DIY Toddler Girl Ghost Costume

I saw this idea on Pinterest last year and knew I wanted to do it for Hadley's costume this year. This will be her third Halloween and the third time I've made her costume. I prefer to make them instead of buy them because I can make it to actually fit her, and there are way more DIY costume options than there are store-bought costumes. Plus, it usually ends up being WAY cheaper to just buy the supplies to make it! I think I spent a total of less than $15 to make her entire costume this year. Can't beat that!

How to make a tutu:

The first thing you'll want to do is measure your child's waist. Hadley's is about 18.5 inches. Using 3/4 inch elastic, cut a piece that is about 2 inches smaller than the waist size (so 16.5 inches, in my case). This is because the elastic will stretch out as you tie on the strips of tulle. Sew the ends of the elastic together. It doesn't have to be pretty because no one will see it.

The next thing you will want to do is cut 20 inch long strips of tulle from a roll. Rolls of tulle can be found in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby. With a 40% off coupon I think I paid around $5 for a 100 foot roll. Don't worry if the ends are cut perfectly straight. You won't be able to tell when it's all finished. 

Fold the strip in half and slip it under the elastic. It's better to do the non-folded end pointing toward the inside of the circle. This keeps the elastic from getting too twisted. 

Loop the tulle over the elastic to form a knot. Then pull to tighten the knot. 

You will continue to knot strips of tulle around the elastic until the entire elastic is covered. 

How to make a ghost shirt:

I bought a plain white shirt for around $5 and some black iron-on transfer paper for around $2. 

Decide what shapes you want to use for the eyes and mouth. There are tons of examples on Pinterest and Etsy. I decided to stick with simple shapes just because they would be easier to cut out. I traced my shapes onto the paper side of the transfer paper.

Decide where you want to place the shapes on the shirt and then just follow the directions on the package.

All finished! I plan to put Hadley in some white leggings and a white hair bow. I think it's going to be adorable on her!