How to Make a Pumpkin Costume Without Sewing
Here is how to make a pumpkin costume without sewing: start with an orange top or hoodie, glue or iron on a jack-o'-lantern face cut from black felt, and top it with a green beanie or a paper stem on a headband. To look rounder, stuff a loose orange top with a pillow or a few balled-up plastic bags, held in with a belt or elastic at the hem. No needle or machine needed at any step.
If you own something orange but are not sure what else makes it a pumpkin, The Costume Rack builds the pumpkin costume from your closet: Start my costume.
What you need for a no-sew pumpkin costume
Most pumpkin tutorials are for toddlers in onesies. This one is sized for teens and adults and uses glue, safety pins and tape only.
The base
- An orange top: tee, long-sleeve, sweatshirt, hoodie or dress
- Black, brown, green or orange bottoms (leggings, jeans, a skirt)
The face
- One sheet of black felt (9 x 12 inches is enough)
- Fabric glue, hot glue, or iron-on adhesive sheets
- Chalk or a white pencil for tracing
The top
- A green beanie, or green felt, pipe cleaners and a headband
Optional round shape
- A small pillow or plastic bags for stuffing
- Wide elastic, a belt or safety pins
The orange base
Your pumpkin starts with whatever orange you own. Here is how to dress up as a pumpkin for Halloween depending on the piece.
| Orange piece | What to do | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Orange tee | Face on the front, black leggings | Easy, quick, sporty |
| Orange hoodie | Face on the front, hood up with a stem glued to the top | Cosy, warm, great outdoors |
| Orange sweater | Face on the front, green scarf | Cosy autumn |
| Orange dress | Small face at the chest, tights and boots | Cute, pumpkin costume women love |
| No orange at all | Orange crepe paper or felt panel pinned to a white tee | Last minute |
Pumpkin costume for guys
An orange hoodie with a jack-o'-lantern face, dark jeans and a green beanie. Done in 20 minutes.
No orange top?
Pin a large rectangle of orange felt or an orange pillowcase with the seams cut open over the front of a plain tee. Safety pins at the shoulders and sides hold it in place.
Cutting and sticking a felt face
This is the jack-o'-lantern part, and it is the piece that turns "orange shirt" into "pumpkin".
Step 1: Sketch the face
On paper, draw two triangles for eyes, a triangle nose and a wide mouth with two or three square teeth. Make it big: the whole face should span about 10 inches across on an adult.
Step 2: Cut from felt
Pin the paper template to black felt, trace around it with chalk and cut it out.
Step 3: Place it
Put the top on and hold the pieces up in a mirror before gluing. Eyes should sit around chest height, not on your stomach.
Step 4: Stick it down
- Fabric glue: Spread thinly, press, let dry flat for an hour.
- Hot glue: Quick, but test on the inside hem first; very thin fabric can pucker.
- Iron-on adhesive: Iron the adhesive to the felt, cut the shapes, then iron them onto the shirt. The neatest finish.
- Safety pins: Totally fine for a one-night costume and it keeps the top reusable.
Face ideas
- Classic: Triangle eyes, triangle nose, toothy grin
- Cute: Round eyes, a small smile, pink felt cheeks
- Spooky: Slanted eyes and a jagged mouth
- Funny: One eye winking, tongue sticking out
The green hat or stem
The top finishes the silhouette.
Beanie stem
Wear a green beanie. For extra points, make a small stem by rolling a strip of brown felt into a tube and gluing it to the top of the beanie.
Headband stem
- Roll brown or green felt into a 2-inch tube and hot glue it closed.
- Glue it to the top of a headband.
- Cut two green felt leaves and glue them at the base.
- Wrap a green pipe cleaner around a pencil, slide it off and glue it on as a curly vine.
Hoodie stem
Hot glue the felt stem and leaves directly to the top of an orange hood.
Making it rounder without sewing
This is optional, but it is what makes a costume look like an actual pumpkin shape.
- Wear a loose top. Borrow an oversized orange tee or sweatshirt.
- Close the hem. Thread wide elastic through safety pins around the bottom hem, or wear a belt at your hips just under the top, to make a gathered edge.
- Stuff it. Put a small pillow or 5 to 8 balled-up plastic bags inside, around your middle.
- Shape it. Push the stuffing to the front and sides so it looks round, not lumpy.
- Add ribs (optional). Draw curved vertical lines with a brown fabric marker from the neckline to the hem, like pumpkin ridges.
Want an even rounder, sculpted look for your head too? See our pumpkin head costume guide for a light, safe version.
The face is fun to make. What is harder is judging whether leggings or jeans, sneakers or boots, beanie or headband will look better with your orange top. The Costume Rack decides that with you: it lists every pumpkin piece, shows a build from things you own and gives a "Find it" link for anything you are missing. Start my costume
What goes with a pumpkin costume
- Bottoms: Black, brown or green leggings or jeans
- Shoes: Brown boots, green sneakers or black high-tops
- Extras: A green scarf, green nail polish, a tote bag decorated as a leaf
- Face: No makeup at all, or a few freckles drawn on
Pumpkin patch group idea
A pumpkin patch is a friendly group costume that works for all ages.
- The pumpkins: Several people in orange with different faces (cute, spooky, funny)
- The farmer: Flannel, jeans, boots; see how to make a cowboy costume at home for this look
- The scarecrow: Plaid, a straw-ish hat and yarn "straw" sticking out of the cuffs
- The black cat: All black with ears, sitting on the patch
- The ghost: Someone in white floating around
With a group, the easy mistake is everyone picking "pumpkin". The Costume Rack's shared group rail lets friends claim their costumes from one link so the patch stays varied.
Your pumpkin build, ready in about two minutes
You now know how to make a pumpkin costume without sewing, from the face to the stem. The Costume Rack takes your vibe and closet and turns them into a finished pumpkin look in about two minutes: every piece listed, a version from what you own, a no-makeup build and a one-piece-a-day countdown to October 31.
FAQ
How do you make a pumpkin costume for adults without sewing?
Use an oversized orange top, glue a black felt jack-o'-lantern face on the front and wear a green beanie or a felt stem headband. Stuff the top with a pillow and close the hem with a belt for a rounder shape. Everything uses glue or safety pins.
How do you make a pumpkin Halloween costume last minute?
Grab any orange top and cut triangle eyes and a toothy mouth from black paper or felt, then pin or tape them on. Add a green beanie. It takes about 15 minutes.
What goes with a pumpkin costume?
Black, brown or green bottoms, brown boots or green sneakers and a green hat or scarf. Keep the rest of the outfit plain so the orange and the face stand out.
How do I dress up as a pumpkin for Halloween with no orange clothes?
Pin a rectangle of orange felt or an opened orange pillowcase to the front of a white tee. Add the felt face on top. The Costume Rack can also show a pumpkin build from the clothes you do own.
Is a pumpkin costume good for a group?
Yes. Make a pumpkin patch with a few pumpkins, a farmer, a scarecrow, a black cat and a ghost. Each person picks a different piece so the photo looks full.