Punny Pumpkin Pi Costume

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are honestly my own.

Friends, it’s that time of year again…time to start thinking about Halloween costumes! My boys just started middle school, so they’re in an interesting situation. They still want to have all the fun of dressing up and trick-or-treating, but they also want to maintain a semblance of being cool. They don’t want to go head to toe superhero or Super Mario anymore, but still want to celebrate. As I chatted with Little Crafter about it, we hit on what I think is the perfect combination of creative, funny, and smart; something that you have to be a “big kid” to understand. Here is LC’s punny “Pumpkin Pi” Costume.

Pumpkin Pi Costume

He’s pretty obsessed with it and wants to wear it on other occasions too, like “Pi Day.” Here’s how you can make your own version for the not-so-little kiddos in your life. Although, who are we kidding, I’d totally wear it too.

You’ll need:

Fabric Creations Soft Fabric Ink: Tangerine, Blood Orange, and Ganache

Fabric Creations™ Plush™ 3-D Fabric Paints: White

White t-shirt and white or grey pants

Fabric Creations 5 Piece Fabric Brush Set

Scrap cardboard

Iron or Embossing Tool

Step 1: Place a piece of cardboard inside your pre-washed shirt.

This will keep any excess paint from going through to the other side.

Step 2: Paint a large pumpkin in the center of the shirt.

Fabric Creations is a super soft fabric ink that is the perfect formulation for stamping, stenciling and brushing on fabric. Plus, it’s water-based, non-toxic, and machine washable. To create the pumpkin, first, I created the basic shape and filled it in using Tangerine fabric paint. Then, I went back and outlined the shape in Blood Orange. I also made several curving vertical lines with blood orange to create the idea of dimension and shadows. Finally, I used Ganache paint to create a simple stem.

Step 3: Using Fabric Creations Plush, paint the “Pi” Symbol on top of the pumpkin.

Fabric Creations Plush is a new, water-based, non toxic 3-D fabric paint that goes on like normal paint, but puffs up right before your eyes to have a raised, flocked effect when heat is applied. The more paint you apply, the more texture and dimension you’ll get when the paint is heated. I gave my Pi symbol two thick coats of white. Then, let it dry for 24 hours.

Step 4: Heat the Fabric Creations Plush paint and watch it puff!

The official instructions say to preheat your iron to its hottest setting and make sure it’s set to steam. Then, heat the back of the shirt using steam and light pressure for about 30 seconds or until the paint reacts. Do not apply the iron directly to the painted areas! Another option if you happen to have one handy is to use an embossing tool instead.

This allows you to apply the heat from the front side, and it’s incredibly cool to watch the paint puff right before your eyes! You’ll see it take on a 3-D texture and it will also get slightly lighter in color. Make sure not to touch the tool to the paint; hold it above the surface of the shirt just like you would for an embossing project. FolkArt Plush 3-D Fabric Paint is machine-washable after curing and heat-setting

Step 5: Place cardboard or another barrier inside each leg of the pants.

Step 6: Paint the numerals of Pi down the legs.

My kids were challenged by their math teacher last year to memorize as many digits as they could, so rattling off all the numbers for me was one of Little Crafter’s favorite ways to help. If you’re not comfortable painting them all freehand, you can use one of the many FolkArt stencil packs that includes numerals.

Let the paint dry for 24 hours. Then, your costume is ready to wear!

If it happens to be a chilly Halloween, you can easily add a long sleeve shirt underneath the tee. Add a pair of “nerd glasses” to enhance the effect, and think about simple props that add to the pun, like a spatula or pie plate! Have fun with it! Or should I say, “have pun?”

Pumpkin Pi Costume

Need more fun DIY Costume & Halloween decor ideas? Check out these ideas from my fellow Plaid Creators!

DIY Ice Cream Costume – Pretty Life Girls

Rainbow Fairy Costume – Made to Be a Momma

Unicorn Costume – The Cards We Drew

Halloween Planter Box – Erin Spain 

And here are a few more from the archives:

Blues Brothers Costumes
80’s Costumes
Marshall from Paw Patrol Costume
UniKitty Costume
Puss in Boots {from Shrek} Costume

For more inspiration, be sure to follow Plaid on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Don’t forget, if you like it, then you oughta put a Pin on it!

Punny Pumpkin Pi DIY Halloween Costume

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