A DIY Halloween Costume Idea so Adorable it Will Make You Scream

Years ago on Pinterest, I was searching for a DIY halloween costume idea and after seeing a toddler dressed up in a homemade chicken costume, I dreamed of having a child who would someday wear this, too.

Well, I FINALLY got to see my chicken costume dream realized!!! I went back to Pinterest and searched the internet for that cute DIY Halloween chicken costume idea. I found the best directions for making a chicken costume on Martha Stewart’s website and decided to make it for my daughter.

Growing up, my mom always made my Halloween costumes. Once I was school aged, I thought it was pretty neat to have a homemade one-of-a-kind costume. Hardly anyone else in my class ever had a DIY Halloween costume.

But it wasn’t until I sat up at night when my kids were in bed making my daughter’s chicken costume, that I realized how special it was, and truly appreciated all the hours and time (and love!) that my mom poured into making those costumes for me, my brother, and my sister— year after year.

I really wish now that I’d taken her up on the offer to learn how to sew over the years. I’d love to make clothes for my kids, or be able to sew Halloween costumes like my mom.

Gosh, I can still hear her sewing machine humming in the background as I fell asleep at night. I’d eagerly await the next morning to see how much progress she made on my costume the night before. It was so exciting seeing the costume come together.

So what made this chicken DIY Halloween costume idea so great is that it’s still a homemade costume without being time consuming or requiring a lot of sewing (or needing a sewing machine).

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DIY Halloween Costume Idea-Chicken Costume Directions:

I found the directions for the costume on the Martha Stewart Halloween Costumes for Kids section of their website. Click on the ‘Chicken Costume’ for the directions. They even include a printable pattern for the chicken’s comb on top.

Gathering/assembling the items needed to make the chicken costume were simple:

I ordered most of the pieces for the costume online from Amazon.
A few things like felt, stuffing and a glue gun I bought at a local craft store.
I liked that this was a DIY Halloween Costume where minimal sewing was involved; it didn’t require a sewing machine.

Over the course of a few nights I sat on the living room floor putting the chicken costume together while I watched TV. I think it turned out great!

Adjustments I made to the chicken costume:

I bought some of the same Amazon items used in the website directions; but also bought a few similar items to those listed, like the leotard and pilot cap. In addition, I purchased yellow tights.
I skipped making the chicken feet shoes. While the costume feet are cute and realistic looking, my daughter was young and I didn’t want to risk her tripping when she walked. She wore white sandals she already had. I’ve seen different variations of the costume where kids wear yellow crocs with yellow tights; or they wear white pants or white leggings with white boots or white sneakers.

Tips/Recommendations when making the DIY Chicken Costume:

The feathers from the boa shed or fall off a little when handled. I recommend minimizing having to try the costume on a lot or at all until finished. I made sure the white onesie fit comfortably and was roomy because I knew once it was stuffed, it would fit more snugly.

Once our costume is stuffed, it was tighter going over our child’s head. So we had her step into the costume from the top, instead of lifting it over her head to put it on.

If you want the costume rounder and fluffier, then use more stuffing to fill out the body.

I didn’t want to worry about my little one tripping. So I originally made her some yellow felt chicken feet instead, but ended up just letting her wear white sandals. And honesty, the chicken costume is so darn cute, people don’t even pay attention to the feet. Save yourself the hassle and just do yellow or white shoes if it’s easier for you.

We took the kids to the Texas Renaissance Fair the weekend before Halloween. My son was Marshall from ‘Paw Patrol’ and my daughter wore the fluffy chicken costume I made. We called her ‘Chickaletta,’ the chicken character from ‘Paw Patrol.’

People couldn’t stop raving over the costume. They’d point or stop and gush over our cute little chicken. One person even asked to have their picture taken with her!

I wasn’t sure how the feathers would stand up to several wears, but it held up fine. Even after losing some feathers with each wear, the boa was full of enough feathers. My daughter was able to wear the chicken costume again for Halloween.