How to Make a Pickle Costume (DIY Guide)

Choose a heavy, sturdy fabric, such as felt or fleece, to give the pickle costume some structure and, of course, pick a fabric in a pickle-like shade of green.

Tape together enough sheets of paper or newspaper to exceed the size of the costume-wearer's body. Have the costume wearer lie down on top of the paper with their arms slightly out to the side and legs in a natural position.

With a marker, draw a rough pickle shape—a long cylinder with rounded ends—around the person's body, approximately 5 inches away from the sides of the body. Start drawing the pickle shape at the side of their neck, going down around the first shoulder, skipping over the arm and drawing down to the level just below the knee.

Skip across to the other side of the legs and draw up the other side of the body in the same way.

Draw lines in a different-color marker to mark the wearer's actual head width and arm placements.

With the wearer no longer on top of the paper, refine the pattern to smooth out the lines of the pickle shape and connect the bottom edge with a curve. It should look like a giant pickle with a gap marked along the top for the head hole and at the upper side edges for the arm holes. Widen the head hole by 4 inches and each arm hole by 2 inches. Cut out the pattern with scissors.

With straight pins, pin the paper pattern on a double layer of fabric and cut around it to create two fabric pickle shapes. Repeat this to cut an additional two fabric pickle shapes.

Before removing the paper pattern, transfer the head hole and arm hole marks to the fabric. You can do this with the marker, or by placing straight pins at the edges of the holes or by clipping small triangles into the seam allowance with scissors.

Take each set of two pickle shapes and align them together with right sides facing. Insert straight pins along the side edges and shoulders, leaving the gaps for the arm holes and head hole. Do not pin or sew the bottom edge, as this is the leg hole.

Sew the pinned seams using a sewing machine set to a medium-length straight stitch, leaving a 3/4-inch seam allowance. Remember to leave the head and arm holes unsewn. Backstitch at the start and end of each seam section.

Turn one pickle costume layer right sides out and leave the other with the wrong sides out. Insert the right-sides-out layer inside the wrong-sides-out layer, matching all the edges together. Place pins around the lower edges to conjoin the outer and lining fabrics around the leg hole.

Sew around the lower (leg hole) edges with a straight stitch, leaving a 3/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the pickle costume right sides out, which should leave you with a fully enclosed hem around the leg hole at the bottom of the pickle costume.

Locate the arm holes on the upper side edges of the pickle costume. Fold the raw edges of the outer layer to the inside by 3/4 inch so that the folded edges are flush with the rest of the side seam.

Do the same with the inner layer, pinning the two (inner and outer) layers of the folded armhole edges together as you work. Sew the pinned armholes with a 3/4-inch hem allowance.

Work slowly and carefully to position and rotate the armhole fabric under the needle, as this step can be tricky.

Fold, pin, and sew the raw edges of the head hole in the same way as you did the arm holes.

The pickle costume wearer should put on leggings or tights and a long-sleeve T-shirt in a shade of green matching the pickle costume as closely as possible. Otherwise, pick a neutral color to wear underneath. A green hat is a good accessory too. Look for a tutorial for sewing your own hat from matching fabric.