Simple DIY Firefly Costume (It Glows!) — Empress of Dust

This selfmade Halloween firefly costume combines widespread family provides with a couple of easy store-bought objects. It’s adaptable for teenagers or adults—and, sure, it glows.

For extra concepts additionally see Halloween Costume Concepts With Backyard & Nature Themes.

Firefly Halloween costume and close up of glow pouch

Learn how to Make a Firefly Costume

Joyful Halloween.

This DIY firefly costume is budget-friendly, snug, and enjoyable to put on.

I wished to maintain it easy through the use of issues I already had, with just some cheap extras. My purpose was to make one thing clearly recognizable as a firefly—with out ruining any clothes or spending hours placing it collectively.

I’ll stroll you thru how I made every a part of the costume, with elective variations relying on what you’ve got available.

As all the time, I counsel checking your provides first, borrowing if potential, or visiting thrift retailers earlier than shopping for something new. I’ve additionally included hyperlinks to on-line sources.

Most important Elements

Back of firefly costume showing extra arms, wings, and glow pouch. — The again of my expensive firefly exhibits his antennae, wings, further arms, and glow pouch

For this costume you will want:

A black hat
Bug antennae (usually bought as “butterfly” antennae)
Black, long-sleeve sweatshirt
Black denims or monitor pants
Black sneakers
Bug wings (usually bought as “fairy” wings)
Clear fanny pack
Glow sticks (I selected yellow)
Non-obligatory: Further bug arms (2) – black cloth, polyester stuffing
Black embroidery thread
Clear thread or fishing line
Primary stitching package
Non-obligatory: Stitching machine, black felt, cloth glue, Velcro strips (hook and loop tape)

I’ve offered extra ideas and particulars under.

Hat & Antennae

Antenna hat for firefly costume. — Bug antennae secured to black winter hat

The bug antennae are hooked up to a scarf. I sewed the scarf to a black winter hat with black embroidery thread to maintain it further safe. In case your headband stays put by itself, there’s no want to stitch it.

As a bonus concept, I thought of including some outsized firefly eyes to the hat. If that sounds enjoyable to you, it’s one thing value exploring.

Wings

I used wings much like these ones from Amazon. They arrive with elastic shoulder straps, however they’re actually sized for teenagers and never very snug on adults.

As an alternative of changing the elastic with longer straps, I opted to connect the wings on to our shirts utilizing hook-and-loop (Velcro) strips on the shoulders. You should purchase it in adhesive strips or by the roll, which is probably the most economical choice.

The wings I purchased have been a single unit, so I began by slicing them into two separate items. Then I glued broad strips of black wool felt to the tops of every wing, and hooked up the Velcro to the felt and shirt shoulders.

Arms

Fireflies are literally beetles, which suggests they’ve six limbs. To make our costumes a bit extra beetle-like, I added two further bug arms to every costume.

I used scrap black cloth and polyester stuffing, however outdated black knee socks would work simply as nicely. If you happen to don’t sew, sturdy cloth glue can even maintain the seams.

Every costume wants two further arms, which requires 4 items of black cloth measuring 7×24 inches every.

To create the “palms,” I sewed small factors at one finish of every arm. They’re a bit fiddly to stuff, however the completed look is definitely worth the effort.

Diagram showing fabric sizes for sewing bug arms — Sew two bug arms for every costume

To assemble:

Place the material items proper sides collectively and sew round three sides, leaving the flat finish open. A 1/4″ seam allowance is okay.
Flip the arms proper facet out.
Stuff with polyester filling. A blunt chopstick helps get stuffing into the “palms.”
Don’t fear in the event that they’re a little bit lopsided—wonkiness provides to the bug-like impact.
Prime-stitch every arm in two locations to create segments (like actual beetles have).
Fold within the open ends and top-stitch to shut.

To connect:

Sew the flat finish of every bug arm to the facet waist of the shirt—one on either side.
To present the arms some elevate, use clear thread to droop them from the elbow space of the shirt.

Glow

Fireflies emit flashes of sunshine from their abdomens to speak—primarily for mating.

For the costume, I wished to maintain issues snug (particularly for sitting and driving), so I took a special method.

I used yellow glow sticks tucked right into a clear fanny pack to imitate the firefly glow. These specific glow sticks don’t flash, however they provide off a pleasant regular mild and are straightforward to make use of.

In case your funds permits, you possibly can additionally strive small LED lights with battery packs, which will be set to blink on and off for a extra reasonable impact.

The glow sticks I used have been labeled as lasting 12 hours, however in testing, they began to dim noticeably after 6 to eight hours—which remains to be loads of time for a Halloween occasion however deliver extras if you wish to preserve glowing longer.

After Halloween, I’ll take away any stitching from the hats and shirts to allow them to be reused and save the opposite items for a brand new costume subsequent yr.