I am back today with another t-shirt dress tutorial for you! We absolutely adore these t-shirt dresses in our house. They are soft, stretchy and easy to turn into a cosplay for any occasion. In the past, we have shared tutorials for the basic t-shirt dress, a Belle version of the t-shirt dress, a Mary Poppins version and now today this fun and easy DIY Weeping Angel costume.
Both my best friend Lorene and I are huge Doctor Who fans. We love heading to Comic-Con to see our favorite actors from the show and when we both had a baby around the same time, we knew that it was the perfect opportunity for a little baby cosplay! She created a Tardis dress for her little girl and I created this Weeping Angel costume for my daughter, mostly so we could take pictures of them together and say “The Angels have the phone box.”
This t-shirt dress was actually my first one of these and I was really nervous. Sewing has never been my strongest skill and told Lorene she was going to have to hold my hand through the whole process. I was absolutely shocked by how easy it was and have made many since. The best part of these dresses (and this cosplay) is that it is inexpensive, quick and easy to make, as well as being stretchy and comfortable.
So, on to the dress. Lorene and I made the Mary Poppins version during a live show over on Facebook, so if you want to follow along “real-time” you can watch that video here.
How to Make a Weeping Angel costume from a T-Shirt
Materials:
- one grey adult t-shirt (see the post here for information about deciding which size to use for your daughter)
- 3/8 inch elastic — 4+ yards depending on the size of the dress
- one fat quarter or 1/4 yard grey cotton fabric, prewashed
- fabric marking pen
- sewing machine with grey thread
This Weeping Angel costume starts out just like the girl’s t-shirt dress tutorial here. Trim the top of the shirt and create the neck casing, but don’t add the elastic to the neck yet.
The main thing that makes this dress different from a basic t-shirt dress is using a contrast waistband instead of a shirred one like in the basic t-shirt dress tutorial. To create the waistband, you’ll be creating a loop of doubled-up fabric to overlay the waistband, and then the elastic will be inserted between the tshirt and the waistband.
If you have fabric yardage, cut one long strip that is about 6 inches wide and double the width of the t-shirt, when measuring from side to side just below the sleeves, plus an inch (or more) for turning/seams.
If you are using a fat quarter like we did, the width of the fat quarter is about the same width as the shirt, so we cut two pieces 6 inches wide, and then sewed together one short edge (right sides together) to form one long piece of fabric, 6 inches wide and approximately double the width of the t-shirt so it will wrap all the way around.
For the exact sewing of the waistband, I’m going to direct you to the Mary Poppins Dress Tutorial. Lorene did a beautiful write up with step by step pictures and I don’t think I can say it any better. Head here for that tutorial and then come back here for information on how to make the hat and the wings!
After you have sewn the waistband, threaded the elastic through the channels and closed up the waistband, you are ready to finish the rest of the dress. Finish up the dress by adding the neck elastic and shirring the sleeves like in the original tutorial.
DIY Weeping Angel Wings
You will need;
Find a nice deep grey Stone Spray Paint. This paint has little flecks in it that make the finished product look more stone than a flat grey would. Lay your wings out and spray them really well on one side. Allow them to dry completely and then add a second coat. Allow them to dry again and then flip them over to the other side and repeat! With all of the stone spray paint on them, they hold up really, really well!
Weeping Angel Hat
I made a hat because my little baby was almost completely bald but if you are making this costume for an older child with long hair, sweep the hair into a bun and use grey hairspray to paint it grey and then you can completely skip this step!
- You will need:
Grey Yarn - A hat loom (like this one)
- a sock
Use your loom to knit a hat that fits your child’s head. Cut off the top straight part of a sock and roll it down until it looks like a little donut. Take the same yarn you used to make the hat and wrap it around the donut (going through the center), over and over until the sock is completely covered. Sew the donut to the hat for the full bun look.
Dress your child in grey pants, throw the dress over top, add wings and the hat and you have the cutest and scariest weeping angel around!
Which Doctor Who Character would you dress up like?
Looking for More Baby Costume Ideas? Check these Out!
Baby Football Costume
https://www.thescrapshoppeblog.com/happy-halloween-2011/
Baby Bumble Bee Costume
https://www.sewwhatalicia.com/diy-bumble-bee-costume-baby-toddlers/
Baby Crayon Costume
https://www.unoriginalmom.com/baby-crayon-costume/
Baby Good and Plenty Costume
https://suburbanwifecitylife.com/good-plenty-costume-diy/
Baby Owl Costume
https://cutesycrafts.com/2012/10/baby-owl-costume.html
Baby Bear Costume
https://ithappensinablink.com/easy-diy-infant-bear-costume/
Baby Mermaid Costume
https://craftboxgirls.com/blogs/articles/no-sew-baby-mermaid-costume
Baby Princess Leia Costume
https://www.triedandtrueblog.com/star-wars-princess-leia-halloween-baby-wig/
Baby Owl Costume
https://www.girllovesglam.com/no-sew-baby-owl-costume/
Baby Ice Cream Cone Costume
https://prettylifegirls.com/2018/09/diy-ice-cream-cone-costume.html
Baby Cow Costume
https://makeit-loveit.com/a-simple-diy-baby-cow-costume-with-an-udder
Baby Halloween Onesies
Jeanette says
Now that is absolutely adorable! My niece is at the perfect age for something like this. I will have to show my sister-in-law this I think she will love it.
Alli Smith says
Your weeping angel costume is simply adorable! I can think so so many little girls among my family and friends who would really love this. So cute!
Sarah Bailey says
I never ever thought I would be saying this, but that is one cute Weeping Angel! What an awesome idea!
candy says
This t-shirt angle dress is really cute. I would probably use a brighter color but that is just me. You make it look very easy.
Melissa Chapman says
You are so imaginitive to invent this great looking costume for your toddler. I am not a person who sews much but this is a whole outfit and looks amazing.
Doria says
Great costume! I think having such an adorable little model was definitely a fabulous added bonus 🙂 Too cute!
Amber Myers says
Aw, this is such a cute costume idea. I like how it’s easy to make. I’ll have to show this to my friends with babies.
Lisa Favre says
I can’t believe you made this yourself! That is absolutely brilliant and I love the look of it. My friend is a huge Doctor Who fan so she would totally appreciate this.
Sue Reddel says
You are just so clever! This is an adorable little angel costume. Thanks for sharing it.
chubskulit rose says
How cute is that! You are so crafty and really good at it! I wish I am creative enough to do this kind of projects.
Marysa says
That’s something a little different. It’s nice to get creative when it comes to costumes, and to make the costumes when you can. Thanks for sharing your tutorial!
Heather says
Oh my gosh! The t-shirt dresses are so cute! If only I had a little girl to make something like this for.
Pam says
This would be perfect for a family costume for Halloween. One of the parents could be the Doctor!
Ricci says
I love how easy this costume is to make!! I need to make this for my baby niece!!
Tomi C says
What a cute Comic Con costume idea for baby. My kids have gone to a couple of local comic book conventions and some of the costumes are very extravagant.
Nita Okoye says
Awww I love this costume! It is so cute
Bethel Esmillarin says
Wow you are so creative! That lucky baby of your. I hope I could have your artsy hands for my children too!
Bethel Esmillarin says
Wow you are so creative! That lucky baby of yours. I hope I could have your artsy hands for my children too!