Project

Octopus Costume

It's an eight-legged cutie from the deep blue sea. Outfitted with a belt of soft tentacles and a beanie hat of googly-looking eyes, he makes for an ultra-huggable sea creature.

Photography: Janelle Jones

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

Note: This costume is appropriate for children ages 3 and older. Because our costumes were assembled from household materials, they do not conform to all of the safety requirements that store-bought costumes do. Therefore, children wearing them should be supervised by an adult at all times. Make sure that your octopus tentacles fit properly so that your child won't trip over them. This octopus pairs well with our mermaid costume and lobster costume for an adorable undersea-inspired group ensemble.

For more ideas, scroll through our entire collection of Halloween costumes for kids.

materials

Blue long-sleeve shirt (Pictured: Leveret Long Sleeve Boys Girls Kids & Toddler T-Shirt 100-Percent Cotton, in Blue, $14, amazon.com.)

Blue pants (Pictured: Primary The Jogger, in Cobalt, $20, primary.com.)

Blue shoes (Pictured: Gungun Low-Top Casual Strap Canvas Sneaker, in Blue, $14.65, amazon.com.)

2 blue hats (Pictured: Combed Cotton Beanie for Toddlers, in Blue, $7, amazon.com.)

Blue knit fabric

Black felt

White felt

Elastic (Pictured: Top Hunter Braided Elastic Cord, in White, 1/4", $9.49 for 70 yds., amazon.com.)

Fiberfill

Fabric glue (Pictured: Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive, 4 oz., $11.34, amazon.com.)

Blue embroidery floss

Embroidery needle

Sewing machine

Blue sewing thread

steps

For the leg belt, cut out leg shapes. On a sewing machine, stitch a strip of elastic down center of leg, pulling elastic through the machine as you sew. Elastic side out, sew along the long edge of leg with 1/4" seam allowance.
Turn leg right side out. Stuff leg with fiberfill, leaving the top 3 inches unstuffed. Cut a 34-by-3-inch strip of blue fabric to create the belt. Fold the unstuffed end of each leg over the belt strip, twist, and fasten using embroidery floss. Repeat for each leg.
For the head, use two hats. Stuff one hat with fiberfill. The second hat is stuffed with a bag of fiberfill to keep its form. Place the first hat on top of the other. Use embroidery floss to fasten the two hats together. Cut out two black and white pieces of felt for eyes, and fasten to hat with fabric glue. Cut a 1-by-9-inch strip of blue fabric and stitch to hat to create a chin strap.