How to make last-minute superhero costumes for children
Good Housekeeping's Lori Bergamotto shared her top tips for DIY costumes.
— -- If you are still trying to come up with a last-minute Halloween costume for your children with trick-or-treating just hours away, here are three do-it-yourself superhero outfits you can make with items you most likely already have at home.
Good Housekeeping's Lori Bergamotto appeared live on "Good Morning America" today to show parents how to create some of this year's most popular superhero costumes using easily accessible supplies and shared her tips for how to come up with your own last-minute DIY costumes.
Bergamotto recommended to assess what sort of materials you have at home first and then start figuring out what costumes you can make.
She added that the best costume pieces in your home can often be found among your children's sports and extra-curricular activity clothing, in your holiday decor closet, and in your children's playroom.
If you don't have the gear you need for one of these costumes at home, Bergamotto recommends asking a neighbor for help before going out and buying something. Even if you don't have one of these items at home, however, Bergamotto added that they are readily available and affordable at most drugstores.
Here are Bergamotto's step-by-step instructions for how to make a DIY Thor, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man costume.
Thor
To create this Thor costume, Bergamotto used a quilted black puffer coat as "armor" and stuffed socks inside the arms to create the look of bicep muscles. For pants, Bergamotto recommended using black jeans (but gray jeans, or any dark sweatpants, would also work).
For the cape, Bergamotto used a red plastic table cloth, but said you can also create a cape using a towel, blanket or even a garbage bag. To create the helmet, she wrapped aluminum foil over a bowl to create a mold for a helmet. She then cut out "wings" out of cardboard and taped them to the side of the helmet. She also taped yellow ribbon to the inside of the helmet to create Thor's signature hair.
To create Thor's hammer, Bergamotto duct-taped a wiffle ball bat and a squishy football together, but recommends getting creative and covering any toy with paper, tin foil or fabric to turn them into a superhero's accessory.
To complete the look, Bergamotto recommends wearing black rain boots or black high tops as shoes.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is one of this year's most popular Halloween costumes for girls. To create this look, Bergamotto used a red gymnastics leotard, but added that you can also use a swimsuit. She added a blue tutu, previously used at ballet class, but said if you don't have a tutu, you can get creative using a pillowcase tied around the waist, or placemats, tablecloths or even a half-apron.
To complete the outfit, she covered rain boots with red felt from a Christmas tree skirt, but added that you can also use felt from Christmas stockings or other materials you have at home. For accessories, Bergamotto created cuffs out of cardboard and covered them with tinfoil. She then printed out a Wonder Woman logo, traced it out on yellow construction paper and applied it to the leotard with tape. She said you can also use glue and gold glitter if you have that at home. She also made a crown using construction paper and glitter.
Finally, for the lasso, Bergamotto used a braided rope but also recommended using twine or even a jump rope if that is something you have at home.
Spider-Man
To create this Spider-Man look, Bergamotto took an adult-sized red snow hat and cut out holes for the eyes and the nose.
She then covered the bottom of the face with red lipstick as face paint. For the actual costume, Bergamotto used a long-sleeved red T-shirt, then added blue football leggings and red soccer socks over his regular sneakers.
To make webs, Bergamotto used electrical tape cut into thin strips and then gave him some white string to throw out as webs.
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