Sew a Carnival Costume with No Hemming: Which Fabric? With Free Pattern

A carnival costume doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. Most of the work in fancy dress is usually the hemming, and you can skip that entirely if you choose a fabric that doesn't fray. In this post you'll find out which fabric to choose for a carnival costume with no hemming, how much you need and what it costs. Then you'll use one basic pattern to sew a knight, a ladybird and a superhero cape, and tie a tulle tutu without a sewing machine. The free pattern with full-size templates is included, in three sizes.

Download the free carnival costume pattern (PDF)

Which fabric doesn't fray?

Woven fabrics such as cotton or satin fray along the cut edge. You have to hem them or finish them with a zigzag stitch. Fabrics that aren't woven don't fray, so you can simply leave the cut edge raw:

• Felt is a non-woven: the fibres are pressed together. When you cut it, the edge stays clean.
• Polar fleece is knitted and brushed. The edge doesn't fray and hardly curls.
• Lamé and glitter jersey are knits. They don't unravel the way a woven fabric does, although the edge may roll slightly.
• Tulle is an open net fabric you can cut without any finishing.

The best fabrics for a carnival costume

Outdoors at the parade? Then go for polar fleece. It's 100% polyester, weighs about 280 grams per m² and keeps you warm on a cold February day. Felt of 1.5 mm is lighter (180 g/m²) and holds its shape, ideal for tunics and anything you glue or stitch onto it. Lamé is 92% polyester and 8% spandex, so it stretches with you. Note: lamé is not washable, so use it for details you won't need to wash.

Looking for even cheaper fabrics for fancy dress? Take a look at our fabric outlet, and for dance and glitter at our dance fabrics.

The basic pattern: a tunic with no hemming

All the costumes in this post start with the same tunic: a long rectangle with a hole for your head. You pull it over your head, the front and back hang straight down, and a belt keeps everything in place. There isn't a single hem.

Felt is 90 cm wide, so for the children's sizes you cut two tunics side by side from the same length. With the adult size you'll have a 40 cm strip left over for the belt and decorations.

How to cut the tunic

1. Cut the rectangle from the table. A rotary cutter and a long ruler give the cleanest edge.
2. Fold the rectangle in half crosswise, so the front and back are the same length. That's the shoulder line. Then fold it in half lengthwise as well.
3. Place the neck template from the pattern with its corner exactly on the corner where the two folds meet. Cut along the line for your size through all four layers. Unfolded, you'll have an oval neck opening right in the centre.
4. For the children's sizes: cut a 10 cm slit straight down the back from the neck opening. Felt doesn't stretch, and without a slit a child's head won't fit through.
5. Cut two 4 cm wide strips across the full width of the fabric and tie them together: that's the belt. If you like, cut the bottom edge with pinking shears or into points.

Prefer closed sides? Put a few stitches through the front and back on each side at hip height, or fix a piece of Velcro in between.

Costume 1: the knight

Cut the tunic from grey melange felt. For the cross, cut two strips of red felt: 6 × 40 cm and 6 × 28 cm for an adult, 5 × 30 cm and 5 × 20 cm for a child. Lay them in a cross on the front and fix them with fabric glue or a straight stitch all round, 3 mm from the edge. The same cross on the back, and your knight is done. Use the rest of the grey felt for a belt or a pair of gauntlet cuffs.

Costume 2: the ladybird

This is the warm option, for anyone standing outside. Cut the tunic from red polar fleece. Because fleece is 150 cm wide, you can cut the 50 × 150 cm adult tunic across the width from half a metre of fabric. From black polar fleece, cut ten to twelve spots using the 8 cm round template, plus a 3 × 50 cm strip for the centre line on the back. Attach them with a zigzag stitch. Two black 2 × 20 cm strips on a headband become the antennae.

Costume 3: the superhero cape

A cape is the quickest fancy dress there is, and again there's no hemming.

1. Cut a rectangle of red polar fleece: 70 × 60 cm for a child, 110 × 90 cm for an adult (width × length).
2. 3 cm below the top edge, cut a 2 cm slit every 4 cm.
3. Cut a 5 × 150 cm strip of fleece. Pull it: polar fleece then curls up into a soft cord.
4. Thread the cord through the slits, gather the top edge into folds and tie the cord around the neck. Never tie it too tight, and don't let young children play with it unsupervised.
5. Cut a star from gold lamé using the 12 cm star template, glue or zigzag it onto the back, and you're done.

Love capes? For a warm cape you'll keep wearing after carnival, see our pattern for a boiled wool cape, also with no hemming.

A tulle tutu, no sewing machine needed

A tutu goes with any costume: a princess, a fairy, a ballerina or the ladybird above. You tie it rather than sew it.

1. Measure the waist and subtract 5 cm. Cut a piece of 40 mm elastic to that length and join the ends with a few stitches.
2. Cut tulle into 10 × 70 cm strips. One metre of 140 cm wide tulle gives you 20 strips.
3. Fold a strip in half, place the loop behind the elastic, pull the ends through the loop and tighten. Push the knots close together.

A child's tutu needs about 40 strips (2 metres of tulle), an adult tutu about 60 (3 metres). The tutu ends up roughly 35 cm long. For a longer one, use the full 140 cm width for each strip.

What does a costume cost?

These amounts are based on whole metres and prices at the time of writing. You'll almost always have fabric left over: enough for a second child's tunic, a headband or a sash. Not sure how much you need for your own design? Our post how much fabric do I need has worked examples for different projects.

Tips for sewing with felt and fleece

• Cutting: sharp fabric scissors or a rotary cutter give a clean edge. Blunt scissors drag at felt and leave a ragged line.
• Stitching: use a 3 mm stitch length. Felt and fleece are thick enough not to pucker, so you'll barely need pins; sewing clips work too.
• Gluing: fabric glue works well on felt. On fleece and lamé, a few stitches or a zigzag hold better.
• Decorative edge: cut the bottom edge into points or waves. Felt keeps it crisp, and it instantly looks like a proper costume.

Got a taste for no-hem sewing? Then try our felt bag in one hour too.

Download the free carnival costume pattern (PDF)