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No matter the occasion, choosing a costume is loads of fun, but even more so when coordinating it to include your beloved canine. What better project to get creative than a DIY costume that you can easily craft up today?
We have some awesome ideas to get you inspired, from simple to more skilled and some designs that are so straightforward that no instructions are necessary. You can take the ideas and adapt them to suit your family and create the perfect family costume. Whether you want to match or be well coordinated, there is something for everyone!
The 15 Awesome DIY Dog and Owner Costumes
1. Cute DIY Hotdog Vendor and Hotdog by Lia Griffith
| Materials: | Felt, thread, poly-fil, Velcro |
| Tools: | Cutting machine, sewing machine, glue gun, scissors, ruler |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
If you love to sew and enjoy a good pun, then this vendor and hotdog costume will be a fun project for you to work on. The costume’s vendor part is simple, allowing you more time to put all your creative energy into your dog’s hotdog outfit. All it requires is a printed folded hat and a custom apron.
You will require a bit more sewing knowledge and patience for the hotdog, but you will undoubtedly have so much fun creating the costume for your dog. The plans are easy to follow, leaving little room for mistakes.
2. Game of Thrones Characters by Pawstruck
| Materials: | Felt, wire hanger, Velcro, fusible interfacing, fusible web |
| Tools: | Black marker, fabric pencil, scissors, glue gun, wire cutters, tube cutter, rotary cutter, ruler, iron and ironing board |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
Turn you and your dog into mythical characters with this Game of Thrones-inspired costume. To recreate the look for yourself, all that’s needed is a wig that you can have fun styling with intricate braids and gauze to drape around you. There is a complete step-by-step tutorial that you can easily follow to DIY the cutest dragon wings for your companion. The materials are soft and lightweight, so it will be a comfortable fit for your little dragon.
3. Female Warrior and her Baby Dragons by Sewing Lara
| Materials: | Wings – Faux leather, plush, elastic bands, press studs, wire, iron on interfacing Khaleesi costume – 2 yards gray/brown suede, 1 yard off-white suede, 2 yards brown woven fabric, beaded belt, leather, string, yarn, pendants |
| Tools: | Wire cutters, scissors, pins, sewing materials, pencil, sanding block |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This fantasy-inspired costume is suitable even if you have a family of dogs. Mythical-themed characters are a trend in movies and series, and you can use any of your favorite characters to get inspired. The dragon wings are easy to create, and you can adapt them to suit your dog’s color and size. For the warrior women, this Khaleesi-inspired tutorial will provide excellent ideas to create the perfect mythical outfit.
4. Cupcake and Baker by Lovely Indeed
| Materials: | Apron, bakers’ hat, 7” round paper mache box, various colors of felt, polyfill, natural color scrapbook paper, elastic, thread |
| Tools: | Scissors, sewing needle, glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This dog and owner costume are perfectly suited for any crafter who enjoys baking or cake. If you have a small breed, dressing them up as your delicious-looking cupcake while you join in as the baker will look adorable. You can throw on a pretty apron and a baker’s hat to look the part for your baker outfit. To turn your sweet pup into a sweet cupcake, follow this simple tutorial; it’s as easy as cake!
5. Bacon and Eggs by One Craftzine
| Materials: | Felt |
| Tools: | Scissors, sewing materials or fabric glue, pins, chalk |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Bacon and eggs are loved as the breakfast of champions! You can cook up this bacon and eggs costume in no time with only a few materials and tools. If you are not a keen sewer, fabric glue will also work fine.
6. Surfer Girl and Shark by Wear Wag Repeat
| Materials: | Foam core board, washi tape, gray fabric |
| Tools: | Utility knife, craft glue |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This simple idea is so fun and easy to put together. To create a surfer girl or surfer boy, grab your favorite swimwear. A foam core board is used to construct the chewed-up surfboard and the fin that will go around your dog’s waist. You can choose any color for the surfboard and even get creative with artwork if you wish. You won’t spend more than an hour creating this costume, and it’s ideal if you’ve left things until the last minute.
7. Mario Brothers Family by Mr Bippers
| Materials: | Chain chomp – Felt, large plastic ball, sandpaper Koopa Troopa – Fleece, felt, polyfill, Velcro Mario and Luigi – fake mustaches, suspenders |
| Tools: | Glue gun, jigsaw, sewing materials, scissors |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy – difficult |
Mario Brothers will never get old, and you can use them to create fantastic costumes for your family. Mario and Luigi will be the characters for the humans. Head to your local costume store, and you should easily find fake mustaches and suspenders. Add a green and red shirt with a matching hat, and the two of you will look like the famous Italians. Your dogs can join as The Chomp Chain and The Koopa Troopa; these instructions will explain precisely how you can make that happen. They require a little extra time and effort, but it will surely be worth it.
8. Scooby Doo and Velma by Reesa Rei
| Materials: | Yellow paper, key chain hoop, blue dog collar or ribbon |
| Tools: | Pencil, scissors, blue marker |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
You can’t get easier than dressing your dog as Scooby Doo, right? All he needs is a famous Scooby Doo collar, and if your dog is a Great Dane, you will undoubtedly turn heads. You can walk alongside Scooby as Velma by using garments you already own. Her Outfit is composed of solid colors and classic designs and is simple to recreate, and you can get crafty with Scooby’s collar.
9. Peter Pan by Chamia’s Lane
| Materials: | Peter Pan – Green and brown felt, Velcro, feather |
| Tools: | Scissors, craft knife, sewing machine, measuring tape, glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy – Difficult |
Wouldn’t we all love to send our companions to never Neverland so they can stay young forever. Well, getting into character can help you feel like it’s possible for a short moment. This Peter Pan dog costume is classic and fun. You can easily turn your dog into the cutest Peter Pan with this tutorial.
10. Cat in The Hat with Thing 1 and Thing 2 by Coolest Homemade Costumes
| Materials: | Cat in the Hat – White felt, black dress, red bow, red and white striped socks Thing 1 & 2 – White felt, black felt, red shirts |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue, safety pins, sewing materials |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If you have two little mischievous dogs, then Thing 1&2 from Cat in the Hat could be a great costume idea. Of course, you would dress as the Cat in the Hat, which is a classic and fun character to recreate for any occasion. Your dogs will feel comfortable since their outfits are essentially old T-shirts.
11. “Little Miss Muffet “and Spider by Coolest Homemade Costumes
| Materials: | Felt, beach ball, foam pipe covers, acrylic paint, wire, black ribbon |
| Tools: | Glue, scissors, sewing materials |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This costume is a spin on Little Miss Muffett and the spider that sat down beside her. It’s perfect for a little girl and her companion. Turning your dog into a spider will take some moderate crafting skills, but the results will attract a lot of attention and in some cases divert it.
12. Alice in Wonderland and White Rabbit by A Subtle Revelry
| Materials: | Blue fabric, elastic, wire, pink felt, faux white fur |
| Tools: | Sewing machine, scissors, pencil, glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy-moderate |
This classic children’s story will never lose its magic, and recreating its favorite characters will never stop turning heads. The design is easy to coordinate with your dog; all it needs is fluffy bunny ears to turn into the white rabbit. You can also make it more realistic by adding a pocket watch and waistcoat. If you are a talented seamstress, you will have fun sewing up Alice’s famous blue dress.
13. Happy Hippies by Coolest Homemade Costumes
| Materials: | Tie dye fabric, brown fringe, hippie glasses, and wigs |
| Tools: | Sewing materials, scissors, safety pins |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Throw it back to the time of peace, love, and rock roll with these groovy matching hippy costumes. All you need is tie-dye fabric and brown fringe to create the garments; the rest is hippy-inspired accessories. It’s a straightforward and quick costume to create and even better if you and your dog have a natural afro!
14. Matching Bears by Brit + Co
| Materials: | Bear onesie, old stuffed animal |
| Tools: | scissors |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Just when you thought your pup couldn’t look any cuter! This costume idea is super simple, and although the process may seem a little callous, the results will make up for it. You are good to go if you own a bear onesie or sweatshirt! For your dog, all you need is an old stuffed teddy bear the same size as your dog. After removing the face and stuffing, you’ll have a cute bear costume.
15. Mischievous Gnomes by Brit + Co
| Materials: | Blue shirt, felt, one wrap Velcro, cardboard |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
To recreate this sweet costume idea, grab your boyfriend’s button-down shirt and stuff it to give yourself a classic gnome belly. You can hold it in place with a black belt and finish it off with a red beanie and a white beard. Your dog will need a blue shirt that you can cut and adjust to fit.
Final Thoughts
The ideas for dog and owner costumes are almost endless, but for a DIY project, it’s always helpful to follow a plan or tutorial. From there, you can adapt and adjust the idea to make it your own or to make it work better for you and your dog. When deciding on the best costume idea, think of you and your dog’s relationship and personality traits. That will make it more personal and unique, and you will have more fun creating it.
Image credit: Firn Shutterstock
