Fancy dress outfits: Make your own cat and ladybird costumes

Make these cat and ladybird fancy dress outfits to keep your little ones entertained.

Our ideas for a cat and ladybird costume are perfect for a children's party, Halloween or just for playing around the house.

Most children love to play dress up! But, there's no need to head to the shops and pick up a costume.

Save money, and make the most of any old clothes you have in the back of the wardrobe by giving them a new lease of life.

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Make your own cat fancy dress outfit:

You will need

• Tracing paper and pencil
• 20 x 30cm heavy weight fusible interfacing (20 x 30cm)
• black felt
• 10 x 20cm fusible webbing
• 10cm square pale pink felt
• 10cm square white felt
• White embroidery thread
• 40cm of hat elastic
• 20 x 25cm white fur fabric, short edges parallel with the pile of the fabric
• Black T-shirt
• 10 x 55cm rectangle of black fur fabric, long edges parallel with the stroke of the fabric
• 56cm of 1.2cm-wide black elastic
• 75cm of 2-3mm wire
• Strong sticky tape

Instructions

1. Print the cat template below, then trace the mask pattern onto folded tracing paper, with the broken line against the fold. Cut out the pattern and trace details on the other half. Open out and draw around it on the smooth side of the interfacing, marking dots and crosses. Fuse to the black felt and cut out.

2. Cut the fusible webbing in half. Trace the ears and nose on the back of one piece and fuse onto pale pink felt. Trace the centre and eyebrows onto the back of the other piece and fuse onto white felt. Cut out, peel off the backing and press in place on the mask.

3. Stitch whiskers between the dots with three strands of embroidery thread. Pierce holes at crosses and insert hat elastic. Check the fit and knot the ends.

4. From the white fur fabric, cut a 15 x 20cm oval for the tummy and a 10cm square for the tail tip. Pin the oval to the T-shirt front, and catch in place at the top, bottom and sides.

5. With right sides facing, stitch the tail tip to one short edge of the black fur tail. Fold in half lengthways, right sides together, then stitch the long edge and across the end of the tip. Turn out.

6. Overlap the elastic ends by 2cm and sew together. Bend 6cm at each end of the wire in a loop and wrap with sticky tape. Insert the wire into the tail. Sew the raw end of the tail to the elastic, catching in the loop of the wire.

Cat mask template -Click here to download the cat template

Make your own ladybird fancy dress outfit

You will need

• 10 x 90cm wide black felt
• 150cm square red net
• Child’s hairband
• Two black pipe cleaners
• Two large black pompoms
• Bodkin or safety pin
• 160cm of 1.2cm-wide black elastic
• All-purpose household glue
• 140cm of 2mm wire
• Wire snippers
• Strong black sticky tape
• Red tights

Instructions

1. Cut two 6cm-diameter circles and fourteen 4cm-diameter circles from the black felt. From the red net, cut one 60 x 150cm, one 50 x 150cm and one 40 x 150cm rectangle for the skirt.

2. To cover the headband, cut a 5 x 40cm strip of black felt. Fold lengthways in half and stitch close to the long edge, making a tube. Oversew one end closed. Insert the hairband into the tube. Trim the open end to fit over the hairband then oversew closed.

3. To make antennae, wrap one end of each pipe cleaner tightly around a pompom and fluff out. Wrap the other ends around the top of the headband, 5cm apart. Twist the ends around the pipe cleaners to secure.

4. Fold each skirt piece in half widthways and pin, then stitch the short edges together with a 1.5cm seam. Press seams, then press the skirts in half lengthways to make a double layer with the seam inside. Slip the mid-length skirt over the longest one, then slip the shortest skirt over the top. Pin the folded edges together.

5. Make a channel for the elastic by stitching 6mm then 2.5cm below the folded edges. Snip a hole in the channel in the longest skirt and thread through 56cm of elastic. Adjust to fit, then overlap the ends and stitch. Separate the layers and fluff out the skirt. Glue eight 4cm felt circles to the top layer.

6. Snip the wire in half for the wings. Bend 4cm at each end at right angles. Bring the straight ends together and bind with strong sticky tape. Squeeze the wings into matching shapes. Cut the legs off the tights and slip one leg over each wing. Pull taut, and tape tightly around the straight ends. Cut off the excess.

7. Glue three 4cm felt circles to each wing. Tape the wire ends together at the centre of the wings. Cut two 50cm lengths of elastic to make straps. Adjust to fit, overlap the ends and stitch. Slip the straps over the wings and glue to either side of the centre tape. Neaten the join at the centre with 6cm felt circles glued on either side.