DIY: How to Make a Batman Costume for Halloween

If you have a little guy who wants to be Batman for Halloween this year but you don't want to drop $40 on a poor quality pre-made costume, then consider making your own. This article will show you how to make an inexpensive Batman Halloween costume quickly with components that can be worn after Halloween is over. My favorite part about this costume is that you can readily adapt it for guys of all ages ranging from infants to adults. You can even customize the costume for girls who want to be BatGirl for Halloween.

Supplies Needed
Pre-made black long-sleeved T-shirt or sweatshirt
Pre-made black sweatpants
Scrap of black fabric
Scrap of yellow fabric
Face paint or pre-made face mask
Sewing machine and black thread or hot glue gun
Iron
Paper and pencil
Reflective tape, optional
Pre-made black cape, optional
Black ski hat, optional
Cardboard, optional
Black paint, optional

How to Make Your Batman Halloween Costume
1. Be sure that you purchased the correct size black shirt or sweatshirt before proceeding! In my example, I choose to use a size 3t long-sleeved black T-shirt from Target for about $5 for my pre-school aged child.

2. Remove tags from the shirt and iron the front portion so it is as flat as you can make it.

3. Make a pattern piece for the Batman logo on paper. If you don't want to free hand draw the Batman logo, then print the logo and trace it. I did a search for 'Batman logo' on Google and found the classic Batman logo for this Halloween costume. Be sure to include the oval that surrounds the bat shape.

4. Use the oval pattern piece to cut out 2 ovals from the yellow fabric.

5. Use the bat pattern piece to cut out 2 bats from the black fabric.

6. Use your sewing machine to stitch each bat shape to each oval shape. Then sew one completed Batman logo to your black shirt. Tip: If you'd prefer to fuse your fabric to the shirt before sewing, then I suggest using Heat-n-Bond Lite.

If you do not sew, then use your hot glue gun to adhere the pieces to the shirt.

7. Sew the other Batman logo to the back of your pre-made black cape.

8. Optional: Add reflective tape to the back of the black sweatpants. Since this costume is so dark, the reflective tape will help drivers see your child on Halloween. You can also consider adding some reflective tape to the Batman cape and front part of the costume as well.

Make a Bat Hat to Add to Your Batman Halloween Costume
If your child will tolerate a hat, then adding a special bat hat will really enhance the outfit.

To make a quick and easy hat, simply cut out triangles from cardboard. Paint the bat ears black and let dry. Glue the ears to the black ski hat.

How to Add a Mask to Your Batman Halloween Costume
In my experience, younger children often dislike masks on their faces. Masks can be dangerous on Halloween as they can obscure your child's vision. As an alternative to a physical mask, try using special Halloween face paints instead.

Use black Halloween face paint to add the Batman mask shape to your child's face. You can use the same template that you used for the costume. Just size it up or down as required to fit your child's face. The ears should be above the eyes and centered on the forehead. The wings should extend past each eye and drop below each eye. The tail portion (bottom part of the bat) should be painted in the nose area. For a special touch, you can add some glitter paint to the edges of the bat.

Add Special Features to Jazz Up Your Batman Halloween Costume
If you have a few extra dollars and want to jazz up your costume, consider adding gauntlets (gloves) made from leather. You can make these by purchasing pre-made black gloves and adding fins cut from black leather or cardboard painted black, and glue the fins to the gloves.

Consider adding a pair of black boots or a belt to add the finishing touches to the costume.

If you want to change the Halloween costume from Batman to Batgirl, then replace the black sweatpants with a black skirt. Add some black tights to complete the look.

The best part about this homemade Batman Halloween Costume is that your child can wear the individual components such as the Batman logo shirt and sweatpants once Halloween is over.