DIY Budget-conscious costumes inspired by Star Wars

When my dad was in town towards the end of September, we participated in a favorite Halloween tradition: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. We’ve gone every year since 2011 (recaps here, here, here, and here) and let me tell you, when it comes to our costumes, the struggle has been REAL.

Our costumes have always been homemade, as you can see in this montage below. The problem with homemade costumes when you’re me is this: I have absolutely no sewing skills. Sure, I can reaffix a button to a shirt, but there have been several times my sweet, talented sister Jenny (who is a gifted genius at this sewing thing) has attempted to teach me how to use a sewing machine and I’ve almost killed both of us. Multiple times.

One time, I was sewing a blanket through a sewing machine horizontally. I’ll never forget the look on Jenny’s face when she looked at me and said “That defies all natural laws. The machines are designed so you don’t do that.” Eesh…

So I don’t sew, but I’m wicked with a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun (and occasionally a roll of duct tape and a stapler) but I digress.

When we were thinking of Halloween costumes this year, Justin and I reflected on the incredibly nerdy year we’ve had thus far (Falling in love with meeting Captain America, Breakfast with Boba Fett & Darth, falling in love with seeing Boba again at Villians Unleashed), and we decided to keep this year’s nerdy theme going strong. We were going to be Han and Leia from the Star Wars saga.

That left us thinking about little Maisy, and what she would be. Immediately we decided on an Ewok, thus forcing Justin and I to alter our costumes from the traditional “A New Hope” style, to reflect our characters apparel on Endor in “Return of the Jedi.”

Han Solo:

Justin’s costume was the easiest. It is almost entirely made from things we bought on clearance at Target. His vest was a XXL short-sleeved button up that was on clearance for 9 dollars. I cut the sleeves off and trimmed it along the bottom so it sat right where Han’s vest did. The shirt I bought full price, but thought it was nice enough that he would wear it again.  We used the pants, belt, and boots he already had at home and made the holster and pant squares out of duct tape.

Total Cost: $26

Ewok:

Maisy’s costume took a little finagling but it turned out so cute. I bought a two-pack of bright orange pillowcases on sale at Target with all the Back-to-College supplies. I cut one into her hood by cuting ear holes for a cheap pair of monkey ears on a headband, I then cut a hole for her face, I made sure this was really rough because Ewoks are pretty rough little guys. The second pillow case I cut into a bandana for her neck. I glued some Velcro across the sides so it sat bib-style around her neck. Her shirt is another pillow case that came with a sheet set I used for my costume. I purchased a sheet of brown felt for her fuzzy tummy.

Total Cost: $19

Leia:

And there there was my costume. In hindsight, I would have made the helmet, but we threw these costumes together in like an afternoon so I was fine with not having one. My poncho was made from a large fitted sheet. I took a little extra fabric and made it into an infinity scarf to look like Leia’s hood. I used a purchased a sheet set from Target (Back-to-College sale again) that I spray painted with forrest green spray paint to look a bit like camouflage. I purchased a large brown belt from Marshalls and made a blaster holster out of brown duct tape. I had a pair of brown riding boots, an old watch of Justin’s, and gray skinnies that I wore with a little yellow duct tape down the legs to match Leia’s in the movie.

Total Cost: $38

So there you have it, three costumes under $100, not an easy feat during these crazy Halloween times.

Our costumes seemed to be a big hit at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, check out our full recap here.

Happy Halloween!