It would figure that no matter how much planning I put into my mom and baby halloween costume, that Jack would come down with bronchiolitis and have to stay indoors. Sigh. OBVIOUSLY I want my child to fully recover, hence why he’s sleeping away as I type, but the Pinterest-side of me is like, “but I made the most adorable Jack and the beanstalk costume for us!”
Taking inspiration from Jack’s name, we went with Jack… and the beanstalk! Jack is Jack. I am the beanstalk. I wanted to make a neat, affordable, no-sew halloween costume, and I feel like I succeeded. So, despite us not being able to show off the cuteness at our Birth and Babies party, I can share the step-by-step process for other moms wanting to rock a mom and baby costume.
Jack and the Beanstalk Costume
What You’ll Need:
- a glue gun
- some burlap
- a cheap green top
- a piece of green felt
- dollar store fake filler flower (the leaves is all you’re looking for)
- a headband
- marker, card stock, etc.
- white fluffy material (could be cotton balls, white felt, etc. I used the insert from a jewelry box)
The Beanstalk
Take your piece of green felt and cut it into a continuous spiral. Trim the leaves of your fake plant, so that there is no plastic stem extending from the leaf.
Now, if you’re weird, like me, you actually wear the top while working the spiral of green felt around the shirt. I found it much easier this way, though you obviously have to be SUPER CAREFUL not to burn yourself. If you’re more dexterous than I am, then lay your green top down on a hard surface and place a piece of cardboard in between the front and the back (you don’t want glue sticking the two sides together). Wrap the green felt around the shirt in a few loops, and space it out to your personal taste. Once you’ve got it laid out the way you like it, begin slowly glueing sections down.
You don’t need to glue the entire felt, just pieces here and there for stability. Once the glue has dried, carefully flip the shirt and glue the sections on the opposite side. Let it dry.
Once the green felt has dried, arrange the fake leaves sporadically along the vine. Once you’re happy with the layout, glue the leaves in place. Let dry. Flip the shirt and repeat.
In progress – note, the one leaf.
And… you’re done!
Castle Headband
Honestly, it’s as simple as finding a picture of a cartoon castle on Google and trying to freehand it. If freehand gives you the heebiejeebies, then you can trace something, or print a cartoon castle out on card stock.
Once you’ve got that drawn, cut around the castle turrets, and at the bottom, you need to leave enough paper so that it can wrap around the headband and be reinforced at the back with hot glue. I found it easiest to cut it to look like a tooth, a gap in the middle; as a result, it folds under easier.
So, wrap it around, glue to the back and you’re set. From there, take your white fluffy material of choice. Cotton balls, white felt or quilt stuffing would work really well.
I chose to use something I had zero need for: the white pad that comes inside of an old jewelry box. Glue it on the band in front of the castle, so it covers the base and the paper you’ve wrapped underneath.
Ta da!
Jack
Honestly, this is the easy part. Raid your baby’s clothing to see what you already have that will work. As this costume was for an indoor party, it didn’t need to be Canadian-winter warm, you know what I mean? If you are planning on this being for the great outdoors, adjust layers accordingly.
In our case, I had a long sleeved onesie and a pair of green linen shorts for him to wear. All I wanted to add was a cute burlap vest. Well… I actually wanted him to have a little brown felt hat as well, but try getting a 10 month old to keep a hat on his head, am I right?
How I made the vest was by taking a t-shirt of my son’s that currently fits. I laid the burlap over top and traced out one side of the best. It had to line up on the side with the t-shirt and with a section at the shoulder. I used permanent marker, so if you do the same, be CAREFUL not to press too hard, or you’ll get permanent marker on the t-shirt beneath (burlap has a very open weave).
Next, flip the shirt and trace a back for the vest. To get the other side for the front of your vest, simply cut out the first side you traced, lay it onto burlap, trace, and cut again.
Now that you’ve got your three pieces, fire up the glue gun! You could sew it, but I wanted a quick, easy fix. Glue along the side seams and the shoulder seams. Make sure to leave the arm holes clear of glue!
Bing, bang, boom! You’ve got yourself an adorable burlap vest. *Note, if you are having problems getting the vest onto your baby (burlap isn’t very giving), you can cut a slip up the centre of the back of the vest. It won’t change the look too much, and it’ll allow your baby to get his or her arms in without causing any pain!*
End Result: Mom and Baby Jack and the Beanstalk Costume
Seriously, this costume cost me less than $20 to achieve, as I had all the material, bar the cheap green shirt. I picked up this green tank from Superstore for $16. I could probably have gotten a cheaper one at a Goodwill or WalMart, but convenience overruled cost.
How long did it take me to make? Less than an hour.
It’s an EASY, no-sew, mom and baby costume that I’m so very disappointed he won’t get to wear to our Birth and Babies party, but perhaps next year we’ll just remake the vest and we can do Take 2.
If you like this costume idea, please pin it to your Pinterest board for future inspiration! Pinning it helps others to find it as well. Also… let’s be Pinterest pals! Follow me on Pinterest here to share my love of baked goods, adorable costumes, home decor and all things travel.
Love it!!!!!!