Calling all book-loving parents and craft enthusiasts! World Book Day is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by creating some delightful, character-inspired costumes for your little ones, made entirely from felt? Today, we'll walk you through how to create some of the most beloved children's book characters using this versatile and easy-to-use fabric.
The Hungry Caterpillar Felt Costume
First up, we have the ever-popular Hungry Caterpillar costume, as featured on Giggly. This is a simple and effective costume that can be made by cutting out large green circles and one red circle from felt. Stitch or glue these circles onto a green t-shirt or dress to create the caterpillar's body. Don't forget to add some cute felt antennae to a headband to complete the look. You will need 3 x red, 1 x brown, 1 x yellow and 1 x green squares of our felt for this costume.
Next, we have three incredible costumes from Gathered: Fantastic Mr Fox, The Gruffalo, and Elmer the Elephant.
Fantastic Mr Fox Felt Costume
For Fantastic Mr Fox, you'll need orange, white, and black felt, all available in our felt collection. Cut out a fox face shape from the orange felt, add white for the eyes, and black for the nose and eyes. Attach this to a cap or headband. Pair it with a tail made from the same felt colours, and your child will be the most fantastic fox around!
The Gruffalo Felt Costume
The Gruffalo costume requires our brown, white, black, and pink felt. Create a Gruffalo face on a brown cap or bonnet using the other colours for eyes, tusks, and that distinctive Gruffalo nose. Add some felt claws to brown gloves to complete the look.
Elmer the Elephant Felt Costume
Elmer the Elephant, with his patchwork colours, is a joy to create if a little more complicated. Cut out squares of felt in various colours and attach them to a grey shirt or dress. Don't forget to create Elmer's distinctive long trunk and large ears to attach to a headband. At Fabrics Galore we have 15 colours of felt fabric, so you should be able to recreate Elmer using all the colours.
Finally, we have Peter Rabbit, Where’s Wally, and Cat in the Hat costumes from Thortful.
Peter Rabbit Felt Costume
For Peter Rabbit, use blue felt to create a little jacket and attach a white felt collar. Pair this with some rabbit ears on a headband, and your little one is ready for Mr. McGregor's garden!
Where’s WallyFelt Costume
Where's Wally is an iconic character that's super easy to recreate. Cut out red and white stripes from felt and attach them to a plain white shirt for Wally's distinctive look. Don't forget his red and white hat, which can also be made from felt.
Cat in the Hat Felt Costume
Last but not least, the Cat in the Hat costume requires black, white, and red felt. Create the cat's hat by cutting out red and white stripes and rolling them into a cylinder. Attach this to a headband and pair it with a black felt bow tie. Your child will be ready to cause some Seussian mischief!
More World Book Day Costumes Made from Felt
Here are a few more World Book Day costumes that can also be created entirely from felt:
- Pippi Longstocking: Use orange felt to create Pippi's iconic braids and attach them to a headband. Pair it with a patchwork dress made from different colored felt squares.
- Harry Potter: Cut out a pair of round glasses and the iconic lightning bolt scar from black felt and attach them to a headband. You can also create a Gryffindor scarf using red and yellow felt.
- Paddington Bear: Create Paddington's red hat and blue coat from felt. Don't forget to add a small felt tag that says, "Please look after this bear".
- Winnie the Pooh: Use red felt to create Pooh's crop top and yellow felt for his ears. Attach the ears to a headband and your little one will be ready to visit the Hundred Acre Woods!
- Alice in Wonderland: Create Alice's blue dress and white apron from felt. Add a black felt hairband with a bow and your child will be ready to fall down the rabbit hole.
Ready to Make your Easy World Book Day Costume?
Remember, the key to a great World Book Day costume is to have fun with it. Don't stress about making it perfect. The most important thing is that your child enjoys wearing it. Check out our other blog on fancy dress ideas for World Book Day if you want to use fabrics other than just felt. Call our fabric shop in London for ideas and inspiration from our friendly staff. Happy crafting and have a fantastic World Book Day! Don’t forget to share your children’s costumes on our social pages @fabricsgalorelondon.
