How to Make a DIY Potato Costume

You can even use this tutorial to create Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head couples costumes, perfect for fans of Disney's ‌Toy Story‌ series. Basic sewing skills are necessary for making this potato costume, but it's possible to adapt the method to use fabric glue or hot glue instead.

Tape together sheets of newspaper or large sheets of construction paper to create a single paper sheet large enough to cover your child's torso and upper legs. Have them lie down on top of the paper with their arms out to the sides and legs slightly apart.

Using a pencil, draw a potato shape on the paper around the body, from the neck and out across the shoulders, around the torso and upper legs. Draw across (under) at the knees and up the other side of the body, back to the other side of the neck. The outline of the potato shape should be at least 10 inches out from the sides of the body but can be larger if you wish.

With the kid off the paper (and dismissed for now), refine the potato shape with the pencil. It should be wider at the knee level than the shoulder level – aim for a lumpy pear-shaped potato. Cut out the paper potato shape.

Smooth out a double layer of brown or tan felt fabric on a flat surface and place the paper potato pattern on top. Trace around the edges of the pattern with chalk or a disappearing fabric marker, remove the paper pattern, and cut out the potato shape from the two layers of fabric. You should have two identical felt potato shapes.

Hold the two sides of the potato costume up against the child's body, one at the front of the body and the other at the back. With straight pins or binder clips, secure the two layers of fabric together above the shoulders, leaving a gap large enough for the head to go through. Carefully test the size of the head hole by lifting the costume over the head with the pins or clips in place. Mark the fabric to indicate the size of the head hole.

With the costume still pinned or clipped at the shoulders, pin or clip the two layers of fabric together along the side edges, from the knee level up to the chest. Leave a gap at the top of the side seam that's large enough to comfortably fit the arm and allow for some movement. Mark the fabric to indicate the size of the armhole on each side. Leave the bottom edge of the potato costume open, as this is the leg hole.

Carefully remove the costume from while leaving the pins or clips in place. With matching thread and a sewing machine set to sew a medium-length straight stitch, sew the side and shoulder seams with a ½-inch seam allowance. Be sure to start and end the seams at the marks indicating the head and arm holes, and back-stitch at the start and end of each seam to secure the stitching. Remove the pins or clips as you sew.

Felt doesn't fray, so it's not essential to hem the neck, arm and leg holes of this homemade Halloween costume. However, doing so makes the costume look neater. Fold and press the edges of the fabric at the neck, arm and leg holes over to the wrong side by ½ inch, and sew close to the raw edge using a straight stitch.

Turn the costume right sides out so the seams and hems are on the inside. Underneath the costume, put on tight-fitting, neutral-colored clothing such as a long-sleeved T-shirt and leggings in black or white. If you have brown clothing to match the potato, that's even better.

If you want to use this potato costume idea for a Mr. Potato Head costume or Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head couples costumes, simply apply the toys' iconic facial features onto the front. Purchase additional felt fabric in black, white, red, yellow and pink. Look up photos of the toys and cut out matching eye, mouth, nose, mustache, eyebrow and ear shapes to sew or hot glue onto the potato costume. This could be part of a fun ‌Toy Story‌ group costume for a Halloween party with friends dressed as Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep and other characters.