DIY Dress-Up Vests from Grocery Bags

Dress-up costumes can be pricey, but you can make your own at home! In fact, your preschooler or young elementary child can create their own dress up vests (with your supervision of course) to add their own personal creativity to the dress-up bin or closet.

 

Here are the steps for turning reusable grocery bags into dress-up vests. (If you don’t have the reusable bags, you can use plain old paper bags. Don’t use plastic shopping bags due to the suffocation hazard.)

 DIY No-Sew Dress Up Vests

• Cloth Grocery Bags
• Scissors
• Velcro Dots
• Glitter Glue or Fabric Paint

3) Cut up the front of the bag at the middle. Stop at the top crease as shown in the picture.

 

At this point, you can see the basic vest taking shape!

 

This is what the arm hole will look like when cut out:

 

6) Place velcro dots or squares at the opening of the vest so it can be closed to stay on while being worn (if desired). If you would like to sew on small pieces of velcro, buy the ones that do not have a sticky back.

Then you can sew a couple of stitches through the velcro to secure it to the bag.

You could also cut small holes down the front and loop long shoe laces through the holes for lacing and tying practice.

6) Time to decorate with glitter glue, fabric paint or acrylic paint!

Wear a paint shirt or smock because the glitter glue and fabric paint will not come out of clothing when washed.

Both my toddler’s vest on the left and my preschooler’s vest on the right were decorated based on their own creativity-and my help. These could be made for any imaginary play: police, fire fighter, teacher, doctor, etc. You could make some for your children with specific symbols or lettering.