How to make an octopus costume for Halloween 🐙

This Halloween, surprise everyone with an octopus costume handmade by you. In this new video tutorial, we share step-by-step instructions to learn how to make an octopus costume. Discover how Ana @nanitatelier transforms a sweatshirt sewing pattern into a surprising octopus costume. Dare to create your own costumes for the sweetest and most terrifying night of the year! 

To teach you how to sew your octopus costume, we’ve invited @nanitatelier, who loves sewing, to show you how to make this sweatshirt in detail and how to modify it to turn it into a sweatshirt with tentacles and an octopus head.

Hi, I’m Ana! The girl behind @nanitatelier and every photo. I learned how to sew a long time ago, but I dared to try making clothes in 2020, when I decided to sew my own full wardrobe.

Halloween fabrics

To make this Halloween costume, use our Curled Cotton fabric for the sweatshirt and jersey knit fabric for the inside of the tentacles.  Both are perfect for making this kind of project thanks to their elasticity.

Also, if you’re looking for other Halloween fabrics, take a look at this collection of fun and terrifying print fabrics to let your creativity run wild during this horror party. We’re sure it’ll be the most original costume!

Step-by-step instructions to sew an octopus costume

These are the materials and tools you’re going to need. As well as some tips for easy assembly.

Materials:

• Women’s sweatshirt pattern (S-XL) in PDF format
• 1.5 m of fabric: Curled Cottonfor the outer fabric
• 50 cm of fabric: Make-up Pink jersey knit fabricfor the tentacles and the lining of the octopus head

Notions:

• Scissors
• Pins
• Paper scissors
• Tape measure
• Stitch marker
• Thread trimmer
• Iron
• Sewing machine

Tips:

• It’s important to wash and iron your fabrics before starting to work with them.
• All pattern pieces include a seam allowance of 1 cm, unless stated otherwise.

Modifications to the sweatshirt pattern

The first thing you have to do is download and piece together the PDF pattern. Read all the instructions carefully.

Next, cut the paper patterns. Here’s a post where we explain How to trace and cut patterns in case it is helpful. Once you have cut out the pieces with their corresponding notches, move onto making the sweatshirt.

You need to make three modifications to the sewing pattern:

1. Hood to make the head.
2. Increase the length of the pattern.
3. Make the tentacles.

Pattern pieces

Finally, you need the following pattern pieces:

• 1 front piece cut on the fold in the main fabric
• 1 back piece cut on the fold in the main fabric
• Modified hood. 2 pieces in the main fabric and 2 in the lining fabric
• 2 sleeves in the main fabric
• 8 tentacles. You need 8 in the main fabric and 8 in the lining fabric

Step-by-step instructions to assemble the octopus costume

How to sew the sweatshirt

1. To start to sew the sweatshirt, place the front and back pieces with right sides facing each other. Sew the shoulders with straight stitch with a 1-cm seam allowance.
2. Attach the sleeves, matching the center of the sleeves with the shoulders, with the right side of the sleeve facing the body and sew with a 1-cm seam allowance.
3. Next, seam the sides closed with straight stitch with a 1-cm seam allowance.
4. Hem and cuff the sleeves.

How to sew the octopus head

1. To sew the hood, which will become the octopus head, place the lining fabrics with right sides facing each other and sew along the curve with a 1-cm seam allowance. Repeat on the main fabric pieces.
2. It’s time to place the eyes on the top of the main fabric hood.
3. Place both hood pieces with right sides facing each other and sew along the front.
4. Turn and iron so the front looks neat. Seam 5 mm from the edge to set the hood.
5. Stuff the inside of the hood to shape the octopus head.
6. Attach the hood to the body, sewing along the whole contour of the neckline, with right sides facing each other, overlapping where the hood crosses over, according to the pattern markings.

Sew the tentacles

1. For the tentacles, place a piece of the main fabric with a piece of lining with right sides facing each other and sew with a 1-cm seam allowance. Turn the tentacles the right way around and stuff.
2. Hem the sweater and sew the tentacles to the hem.
3. You can paint circles on the lining with textile paint to simulate suckers, to decorate.
4. Done! Your octopus costume is ready!

We hope you make it and show us your versions using the hashtag #katiafabrics.

If you’re looking for more Halloween projects, you may also be interested in:

• Halloween tutorial: Decorate your home with pumpkins and fabric ghosts
• 4 crochet mug covers by Lalala Toys: This Halloween make a toast with Dracula, Pumpkin, Mummy and Frankenstein
• 6 Halloween patterns for your ‘little monsters’