DIY Batgirl Costume

• October 17, 2014
• Projects

Halloween is coming up so you’re probably wondering what you want to be for a party, trick-or-treating, or just because. When I was 7 years old, I remember dressing up as a little girl devil every Halloween because it was my favorite costume to wear. I don’t remember the reason why, but I eventually grew out of it when I turned 11 years old. Since then, I didn’t really go trick-or-treating until I met my boyfriend high school. Now I just stay home and dress up with my dog to give out candy to the kids in my neighborhood.

Back in September, I was supposed to be on a caving trip for a weekend, but it got canceled last minute. There was a superheroes-themed party that same weekend that I got to go to because of the cancellation. I decided that I wanted to be Batgirl, but due to the lack of time, I used what I had on hand.

I looked up some DIY Batgirl costumes and saw that the trend was to wear a tutu for a lot of the female superheroes. I opted out of the tutu, cape, and mask due to time. I also didn’t want to go out and buy them. In the end, I decided to make it simple and wear the costume as if Batgirl is going out casually.

Materials

1. Black sweater
2. Black tights/pants
3. Black boots/shoes
4. Yellow felt
5. Black felt
6. 2 1/2 inch yellow ribbon
7. Pen/pencil
8. Tape
9. Scissors
10. Ruler

Steps

1. Find a black sweater and tights/pants. Chances are you have these clothes on hand for your workouts. I wore my workout sweater and running pants.
2. Measure 6 inches wide and 4 inches long, draw a batgirl symbol onto yellow felt. Make sure it doesn’t go over the sides of your shirt. Adjust to make it fit.
3. Measure 3 inches wide and 2 inches long, draw a batgirl symbol onto black felt. This will be the buckle of your belt. Adjust to make it fit.
4. Get the ribbon and wrap around your waist. Cut a little longer than your waist in case you need to adjust.
5. Tape the big symbol onto your shirt and the small one onto the middle of your ribbon.
6. After putting on the outfit, wrap the ribbon around your waist with the batgirl symbol pointing the front. Use tape to make it stay together. Assemble your outfit together and you're ready to go.

Alternatives

If you don't have a mask, you can make it out of a black poster board. Measure it to the size of your face and start cutting the eye holes slowly. Take your time on this in case you over-cut. You can design this however you want. Usually batgirl has the two ears pointing on top of the mask.
You can add a yellow or black tutu, which can be sewed with tulle and stretchy bands, or store bought.
You can add a cape. Using a thin silky fabric, measure to cover your back, and cut the bottom have a jagged edge.