Ideas for homemade clown costumes using clothing and accessories in your closet or sewing the pieces yourself. Makeup tips also included.
If you need a quick costume, choose an outfit of Dad's or other clothes which are too large. Use a belt to gather huge pants up, and then tuck the too-large shirt in so that the belt can be seen. Or, wear a really large shirt as a dress, then sew ruffles on leggings to wear as the pants. If you don't want to ruin the clothes, use hot glue to attach patches, buttons and pom poms, then wash to loosen the hot glue. Make sure to rinse the hot glue out in the sink or tub before throwing in the washer. Utilize things from the closet like an old hat that you can tatter, suspenders that you can paint silly patterns on, or boots that are way too large. Stuff the toes of the boots with tissue to keep them from sliding around on your feet.
There are hundreds of ideas you can use to add to your clown costume. Use flare-leg pants and tatter them at the bottom, tatter the hem of a shirt or skirt, tuck bandanas halfway into pockets, then leave the rest hang out. Attach bathroom tissue to the sole of one shoe, sew bandanas together to stuff in a pocket and pull out later, use campaign buttons and buttons with other sayings on them to pin all over the shirt and other silly notions. Cut off pants where one leg is longer than the other, then wear knee socks with wild designs, wrap a towel around your head for a crazy turban, squeeze into a shirt that is way too small, with pants that are too short. Wear a pair of boxer shorts, then tear the seam of the pants and bend over a lot while clowning. Wear a tutu with a sporting jacket, or choose an outlandish tie that's huge. Or, wear a bridal gown with army boots and a blue jean jacket, an evening dress with paint poured on it, or think up your own crazy combinations.
