Ever wanted to know how to make a bumble bee costume?
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I’d share one of my favourite DIY fancy- dress outfits.
It’s made in very much the same way that I created the DIY grasshopper costume — you can read that tutorial in another post.
This bumble bee fancy dress costume is super-easy to make; there’s very little sewing involved and it looks brilliant! Perfect for Just So festival too, where one of the ‘Animal Tribes’ is bees!
Super-cute — plus it costs very little to make. I had a look on Amazon before making this, to see if I could buy one but they were so expensive!
If you want to know how to make a bumble bee costume for Halloween — or any other event — then read on…
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To Make a Bumble Bee Costume You Will Need:
- Black leggings
- Black long sleeved t-shirt
- A pair of long, black socks
- Newspaper
- Yellow Duck Tape
- Black Duck Tape
- Bubble wrap
- 2 jumbo black pipe cleaners
- Black foam sheets
- A length of elastic
- A needle and black thread
- Glue
Step 1: The Body
To make the body of the bumblebee costume, stick lengths of yellow duck tape, horizontally at equal intervals, on to the front of the top; starting from just underneath the arms.
Next, you can tape around the back in the same way, so the bands of yellow go all around the top and meet at the sides.
TOP TIP!
Really stretch the fabric out and go quite wide with your bands of duck tape, on the sides of the top.
Because there’s no stretch in the tape, if you make the width of the bands too narrow, it makes it really hard to get the top on to a body!
Next, stuff the socks with newspaper, to form the legs.
I made a simple belt with black elastic, to go round my little boy’s waist, and stitched the ‘legs’ onto it, either side.
You could skip this bit and stitch the ‘legs’ directly on to the t-shirt — as I did with the grasshopper costume — if you prefer.
We quite liked how ‘springy’ the legs were on the elastic though! Plus, as they were independent, they didn’t pull the edges of the top down.
Step 2: The Wings
For the wings, I took a couple of lengths of bubble wrap and cut them into two long, oval shapes.
I laid them on on top of the other, then taped them in the middle with the black Duck Tape.
You can cut around the edges a little more, at this point, to get a wing shape you’re happy with.
And fluff them up, so they look like a double pair of wings.
Tape the wings (or sew them with a couple of stitches if you want them to be extra secure) to the back of the top.
Step 3: The Headdress
To make the bumblebee costume headdress, I used two giant, fluffy black pipe-cleaners from Amazon, attached to a band made from a sheet of black foam.
Cut two identical lengths from a piece of foam; (ours were about 3 inches/ 7.5cm wide). Then tape together at one end with the black Duck Tape.
Next, wrap around the head of the person who’s going to be wearing the costume; and tape the two ends together.
I found this a much easier way of working; it’s a good way of making sure the headband is a snug fit.
Remove the foam circle from the wearer’s head, then wrap more tape around the joins of the headdress, to ensure that they’re nice and secure.
Next, take one of the giant pipe cleaners and roll the end of over to resemble an antennae.
Attach it to the headdress with some more Duck Tape.
Repeat the process with the second pipe cleaner.
Next, cut two discs of foam — approximately 5 inches/12.5cm in diameter — and glue them onto the headdress, in front of the two ‘antennae’. As well as making the bees ‘eyes’ these two discs make a very good job of keeping the pipe-cleaners in place; and not letting them flop over.
And that’s it!
The cutest little bumblebee costume I ever did see!
Save or Print How to Make a Bumblebee Costume
Make a Bumblebee Costume
Ever wondered how to make a bumble bee costume? Here's how!
Materials
- Black leggings
- Black long sleeved t-shirt
- A pair of long, black socks
- Newspaper
- Yellow Duck Tape
- Black Duck Tape
- Bubble wrap
- 2 jumbo black pipe cleaners
- 2 black foam sheets
- A length of 20mm black elastic
- Black thread
- Glue
Tools
- A glue gun — this is optional
- A needle
- Scissors
- A plate/bowl to cut around
Instructions
Step 1: The Body
- To make the body of the bumblebee costume, stick lengths of yellow duck tape, horizontally at equal intervals, on to the front of the top; starting from just underneath the arms.
- Next, you can tape around the back in the same way, so the bands of yellow go all around the top and meet at the sides.
- Next, stuff the socks with newspaper, to form the legs.
- Make a simple belt with 25mm black elastic, to go around the wearer's waist. Then stitch the 'legs' onto it, either side.
You could skip this bit and stitch the 'legs' directly on to the t-shirt if you prefer.
Step 2: The Wings
- Take a couple of lengths of bubble wrap and cut them into two long, oval shapes.
- Then lay one on top of the other and wind tape around the middle with the black Duck Tape. You can cut around the edges of the bubble wrap a little more, at this point, to get a wing shape you're happy with.
- Next, fluff them up, so they look like a double pair of wings.
- Tape the wings (or sew them with a couple of stitches if you want them to be extra secure) to the back of the top.
Step 3: The Headdress
- To make the bumblebee costume headdress, cut two identical lengths of black foam (mine was about 3 inches/ 7.5cm wide). Then tape together at one end with the black Duck Tape.
- Next, wrap around the head of the person who's going to be wearing the costume; and tape the two ends together.
- Remove the foam circle from the wearer's head, then wrap more tape around the joins of the headdress, to ensure that they're nice and secure.
- Next, take one of the giant pipe cleaners and roll the end over to resemble an antennae.
- Attach it to the headdress with some more Duck Tape.
- Repeat the process with the second pipe cleaner.
- Next, cut two discs of foam — approximately 5 inches/12.5cm in diameter — and glue them onto the headdress, in front of the two 'antennae'.
As well as making the bees 'eyes' these two discs make a very good job of keeping the pipe-cleaners in place; and not letting them flop over.
And that's how to make a bumble bee costume! Perfect for Halloween or costume parties.
Notes
TOP TIP!
Really stretch the fabric out and go quite wide with your bands of duck tape, on the sides of the top. Because there's no stretch in the tape, if you make the width of the bands too narrow, it makes it really hard to get the top on to the body!
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Super cute. Thanks for sharing.
I felt compelled to tell you that it’s “duct tape”, not “duck” tape.
Oh! Sorry I just realised it’s a product that’s actually called “duck” tape ?
Hi Alexia! Haha! I was literally just about to reply and same the same!! Duck Tape is the name of the brand of duct tape I use!! ;) Thanks for your messages :)
Hello. How did you make the antennas look so rich/fat? I am planning to use some of your ideas! Thank you. Yelena
Hi Yelena! They are made from jumbo pipe cleaners — so they were really big and fluffy! If you can’t find any online, I’d suggest using black fur fabric around wire, then bend them into shape.
This would give the same effect :)