A recent trip to Hawaii inspired me to brighten up Halloween this year with a sparkly, vibrant rainbow costume.
If you’re on the fence about dressing up, this is for you: The base is a simple maxi skirt paired with a tank top, which means you’ll be comfortable all night long. Even better, this DIY rainbow costume takes only about two hours to make and doesn’t involve a sewing machine. That’s right, you heard me: No sewing. Let’s get started.
What you need
- ½ yard red/pink fabric
- ½ yard yellow fabric
- ½ yard green fabric
- ½ yard blue fabric
- ½ yard purple fabric
- Jersey maxi skirt
- Light blue tank top
- White felt
- Yellow felt
- HeatnBond iron-on adhesive (2 packages)
- Cardboard
- Iron
- Scissors
- Hot-glue gun
I found some sparkly fabric at a store in New York City and knew I had to get it. Look for a thin, flowy fabric, preferably with some sparkle. That added flair goes a long way.
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Instructions
Step 1
Draw clouds about 3 inches wide on a piece of white felt and cut out with scissors. Use your hot-glue gun to attach the clouds to the tank top.
Step 2
Time to assemble the skirt! You’ll be starting at the bottom and layering the colors, moving to the top of the skirt. To begin the process, lay the fabric out on a flat surface, fold it in half lengthwise, and cut. This will give you two pieces that are about 10 inches long.
Step 3
Lay your jersey skirt on a flat surface, and place the purple fabric on the bottom edge. Cut the fabric to match with the edge of the skirt.
Step 4
If you have never used iron-on adhesive, don’t worry: It’s pretty much like double-sided tape. For this project, iron the adhesive on the purple fabric first. Once it’s cooled, peel off the paper covering to reveal the second sticky side. Place the purple fabric on your skirt, and iron on top of the purple fabric to melt the adhesive and connect the two fabrics together.
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Step 5
When starting the next layer, overlay the blue fabric on the purple fabric by about 3 inches. This way, you won’t see any of the original maxi skirt underneath. Repeat the process for each color layer, and work from bottom to top.
Step 6
Finally, create your sun headband. Use a headband to trace the arch of the sun, and then draw triangle rays above. Cut out the cardboard with scissors.
Step 7
Cover the sun cutout with yellow felt. Place tabs along the arched edge; they’ll help this piece stay on your head. Use bobby pins to attach and keep the sun crown in place.
This DIY rainbow costume will make you the brightest ray at the party. Happy Halloween!