Halloween How-to: The Wasteless Wicked Witch

Hello ghouls and goblins! Halloween is fast approaching, and a costume is pretty much essential, even if the party you’re attending is virtual. Making your own costume, whether out of thrifted or older clothes, can be a fun, affordable, and sustainable way to dress up this year!

In this how-to, I’ll show you how to craft a simple costume, using items I already own:

Step 1: Brainstorm Costume Ideas

The first thing you’ll want to do is take a few minutes to jot down any costume ideas that come to your mind. Don’t worry about whether you’ll have enough supplies to pull off each one, just focus on what you’d most like to be. Many costumes can be paired down to their basic essentials, and can still look great! In this tutorial, I will be creating a classic spooky witch costume. Even if your ideas differ from mine, don’t sweat it! These tips can be applied no matter what you’re going for!

Step 2: Select Clothing From Your Wardrobe

It’s time to gather clothing items which will become your costume! This is when you’ll start building a foundation for your costume. Again, don’t fret if your clothing choices don’t match up exactly with your idea, you'll have time to accessorize later. A witch costume is one that could take many different forms, which leaves room for lots of improvisation. For my costume, I’ll be using an old pair of black jeans, a black graphic t-shirt, black sweater, and black shoes. The graphic on the shirt doesn’t matter, since I’ll be wearing my sweater over it. I’ll also be using a black blanket for a cape, since I can tie it securely around my shoulders. This helps me achieve the all-black silhouette I’m looking for.

Step 3: Take Note of Necessary Modifications

Now that you’ve selected your clothing, it’s time to figure out what modifications are needed, if any. Maybe you’ll need to cut the sleeves off an old t-shirt or dye a pair of pants that are worse for wear. I won’t need to modify my clothing for this costume, although I will be crafting a witch hat. This is where your costume can really come into its own. This is also the right time to think about accessories. This could be as simple as including the right pair of earrings or a scarf that’s just the right color. For me, a magic wand will work perfectly. Accessories can elevate your look, and complete your costume in the best way.

Step 4: Gather Your Supplies

After you’ve figured out what modifications to make and/or the accessories you’ll need, it’s time to gather your supplies. Depending on the scale and method of your modifications, your list of required supplies may vary. One thing you’ll need regardless of your modifications is a clean workspace and paper towels/newspapers to cover the area, for easy clean-up later. To construct my witch hat, I’ll be using a black craft foam, string, a pair of scissors, wire, duct tape, some ribbon, as well as feathers and buttons for decoration.

Step 5: Time to Get Creative

After you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to get to work! Making your own accessories or modifying your clothes can be a blast and is a great way to make your costume unique. For my witches’ hat, I cut out the cone and brim shapes separately. I covered the seam of the cones with ribbon and used hot glue to connect the two pieces together. After I finished creating the hat, I bent the tip (which is supported by wire), and applied my feathers, ribbon, and spiders. This may be obvious but it’s important to note: be extra careful when handling anything that uses heat such as irons, hot glue guns, etc.

Step 6: You’re Ready to Go!

Congratulations, your costume is now complete! Not only do you have a fantastic, personalized costume, you’ve also helped the environment in a huge way. Using materials and supplies you already own, you’ve managed to avoid fast fashion by repurposing your old clothing. You also managed to save money on costuming, which could be used for other spooky items (I’m using my savings to buy a pumpkin or two!). Now get out there and have a spectacularly spooky Halloween!