A Halloween Costume for Kids: Super Mario Toad

My daughter chose the Super Mario Toad costume for her school costume event.

The main part is - as you can see - the hat that is the main feature of the Super Mario Toad. The other elements I decided to make was the blue vest and a white dress would be the Toad's body.

You don't need to have any machine sewing experience if you want to make just the hat but you need to know how to sew if you want to make the dress and vest.

Don't forget to check my other Costume tutorials!

• cardboard
• white fabric - I used lightweight jersey but it can be a non-stretch fabric as well
• red felt of other non-stretch fabric
• any filling material (used for example for toys)
• glue gun
• glue non-stretch fabric like rongo
• golden elastic bias tape
• thread + needle
• sewing machine and matching threads
• scissors
• cardboard cutter
• measuring tape

Cut a piece of cardboard long enough to go around your head and then add 2 cm/0.8 in. The height should be approximately from your eyebrows to 5 cm/2 in above your head.

Place the cardboard over the edge of the table and then move it over the edge there and back once. This will make the cardboard softer and more moldable so you can make it into a circle.

Glue the short edges together.

Place the hat base on another piece of cardboard and trace a circle around it. Cut it out and adjust it so that it fits nicely on top of the hat base.

Glue it on top of the base.

Stretch the white fabric on your table and place the hat base on it. Start putting the fabric over the edge of the base and in and try to imagine how large the circle should be for your base - you'll be filling it also on top of the base so it will stretch not just to the sides. My recommendation is that the radius should be the triple of the height of the base (or a little more).

Fold the fabric twice (to a quarter) and find the quarter. Place your measuring tape on the corner that connects two closed sides. Find the desired radius and then move the tape from one closed side to another while holding the end of the tape in the corner. Make a dot about every 2 cm/0.8 in. It's the same steps you'd use to cut out fabric for a circle skirt made from one piece.

Connect the dots and cut the fabric and when you open it, it should be a circle.

Place the hat base in the middle of the fabric circle.

Make a running stitch 2 cm/0.8 in from the edge all around the circle, the stitches can be quite long. Leave a 10 cm/4 in ends on both sides.

Pull both ends until the fabric is firmly wrinkled around the base.

Fold about 5 cm/2 in inside over the edge of the base and glue it.

Leave an opening for two fists.

Start filling the hat with your chosen filling.

Fill until the fabric is stretched enough and the hat has a nice shape. Make sure you put filling also around the bottom of the hat base so the hat is nicely round and soft all around the base.

Once you're happy with how your hat is filled, glue also the part you left open.

You can also move the filling a little from the outside.

Trace and cut five circles from red felt (I use plates for tracing).

Glue the dots on the hat just like the Super Mario Toad - one on the top, one in the front, one in the back and one of each side. With this, your hat is ready to be worn.

You don't need a pattern for the vest, just take any fitting t-shirt and trace it twice on a piece of blue non-stretch fabric - without sleeves and shorter than a normal t-shirt. Cut both parts our, make the neckline deeper on one part and also cut that part in two in the middle. This will be the two front pieces. Stitch the shoulders, then the sides.

Of course, if you have a t-shirt pattern, use it.

Stitch the golden bias tape to all the edges.

Trace the t-shirt twice on the white fabric (without sleeves or with just short sleeves) and also make the t-shirt longer so it's a dress, Cut the neckline deeper on the front piece.

I also added two round pockets on the front but you don't need to do it, as the Super Mario Toad doesn't have them either.

Stitch the shoulders and sides and then make the edges nice - fold them or add a facing.

And now wear your Super Mario Toad Costume!