I know, I know, I’m supposed to be deep in the throws of nutritarian ebook writing (and I really am!), but I couldn’t help myself!  I just had to stop for a moment and share this super-adorable felt knight costume with you!

Halloween is just a few weeks away, and I’m guessing you (or someone you know) has got kids costumes on the brain!

Here’s a quick, no-sew knight costume tutorial that’s perfect for girls and boys alike!

It takes about 2 yards of felt and a tube of craft glue to get this costume done–I call that winning!  If you want to add some extra flair, you can get jiggy with it with a spool of ribbon, some dollar store accessories, a bag of sequins and a few ostrich plumes!

I give full and complete credit to my then 3-year-old little girl for this costume idea.

She insisted she would be a knight for Halloween last year.

Yup, despite all my exciting alternative suggestions (and internal protestations), my little one stuck to her guns, and I have to say just how right she was…

There’s an important lesson to be learned here: Always, always, be the knight in a sea of pink princess costumes! 

When we saw the Halloween episode of Peg Plus Cat a few weeks after I finished the costume we both squealed with glee!  You know if Peg and Cat are rocking the knight costume it’s all legit.

No-Sew Felt Knight Costume Tutorial

You’ll need:

• Printed, taped and cut pattern pieces from: No-Sew Felt Knight Costume Pattern by MyMommaToldMe.com
  
• 1.5 yards felt (for a 22 1/8 inch long tunic) in base color
• .25 yards felt for each contrast color (light blue / dark blue)
• .25 yards felt dark gray (for shield outline & belt buckle)
• 1 tube fabric glue (I used: Stik’N Seal All Purpose Glue)
• 1 – 2 yards decorative ribbon
• fabric shears
• pins
• optional embellishments: sequins, ribbons for plastic shield, ostrich feathers & Styrofoam cone (for helmet)

Directions:

Start off by printing out the pattern above.  You’ll need to tape the top and bottom pieces of the tunic pattern pieces together and this gives you some leeway with how long you’d like the tunic to be.

As designed, the pattern yields a 22 1/8 long tunic.  If you need to go longer just add a strip of paper to your pattern to elongate.

Cutting the tunic:

Fold your 1.5 yards of base fabric in half–that fold line is where the head hole will be cut.  Now fold that again (lengthwise) and then place your pattern on top–make sure your two fold lines match up on the pattern.

Use a few straight pins to hold in place and cut with fabric shears.

Applying the Sleeves:

1. In a contrasting color felt, cut 4 pieces of the sleeve pattern.  Find the tab on the top of the tunic (near the collar) and apply a strip of fabric glue.  Press the sleeve down so that it covers the tab completely.
2. Turn the tunic over.  Apply more fabric glue allover the backside of the sleeve and tab.  Apply the second sleeve on top of the tab.  This means the tab is sandwiched between two sleeves!  Allow the sleeves to dry with something heavy on top to bond.

Adding Detail:

1. I used a special glitter felt for the belt buckle and cut two small strips of gray felt to attach to the sides.  If you’re doing this extra step allow the buckle to dry.
2. Glue the inner sides of the shield onto the shield base.  Allow to fully dry.
3. Cut your decorative ribbon and find the midpoint.  Apply the belt buckle piece on top.
4. Glue the decorative panels onto the bottom of the tunic.  I alternated light blue and aqua blue pieces.

Applying the Collar:

1. Start with about 30 inches of wide decorative ribbon.  Fold the ribbon about 7 inches from one end.  Fold the ribbon to create a 90 degree angle (there will be a little right angle of ribbon underneath.  Apply glue (I ran out of fabric glue at this point since I started with half a tube and used my hot glue gun instead–either works) to create the 90 degree angle.
2. Allow the ribbon to dry with something weighing it down.
3. Fold the ribbon up and apply another dollop of glue to secure it at 90 degrees.  Repeat the 90 degree folding and gluing process allowing at least 6 6/8 inches across–to match up with the cut out collar area.
4. Apply the front of the collar.  Trim the edges to the back of the tunic.  And cut a strip of ribbon to glue over the back of the collar–this side doesn’t need to be as pretty!

Optional Helmet Embellishment:

1. You’ll need 2 ostrich feathers or similar, one small Styrofoam cone, at least 1 inch wide decorative ribbon, craft glue, scissors and a knife.
2. Cut the tip of the Styrofoam cone with a knife (serrated works best) so that its just over an inch long.  Apply a few dollops of glue to the bottom 1/2 inch of the feathers and press them into the top of the cone, allow to dry for 5 minutes before handling.  Cut a 4 inch strip of ribbon and apply glue to the middle.
3. Hold the ribbon tightly onto the cone for about a minute to adhere.
4. Apply more glue to the back of the cone and wrap around one end of the ribbon.  Repeat on the other side of the ribbon.  Trim the excess ribbon on the back.
5. Allow the cone to dry for about 15 minutes.  Then add a liberal amount of glue to the bottom of cone.
6. Adhere it to the top of the helmet and let dry overnight.

Bring on the Bling!

I was determined to bedazzle the heck out of this knight costume!  If little one was going to be a knight she was going to sparkle!

This is simple enough: just find some large and small sequins and use your fabric glue to adhere.  I tried to make them look like rivets holding the armor together!

Finishes:

I glued the belt to the front of the tunic.  I had originally thought I would keep the belt long and tie it in the back but it didn’t work well with a busy-moving 3-year-old!

I also decided to add some tabs on the sides of the tunic to keep it in place.  I used the ribbon I used for the belt and collar and glued some Velcro tabs on each side.  You can just as easily use two safety pins and no one would be the wiser!

You can easily change this felt knight costume up a bit and make it work as a viking–Hello How to Train Your Dragon’s Astrid costume!

I found the shield, glove and helmet at Dollar Tree a few weeks before Halloween last year.  I used my hubby’s drill to make two holes on the shield and I tied some ribbons through for some extra girly-ness!

Red Ted Art has a fabulous cardboard shield and sword DIY if you want to go completely homemade!

I’m so happy to report that this costume has been used year-round by both my little one and her 7-year-old brother!  There have been many jousts, sword fights and adventures and the costume still looks amazing!

I hope you give this project a try or pass it along to someone who might enjoy it!

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween!

xo, Kristen

Make sure to check out my Wicked Witch of the West costume and tutorial!

Wait!  Before you go, make sure to follow me on Pinterest!  I have some awesome Halloween boards on there!