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This Halloween piñata costume for a dog was so easy to create! It was made with a pet shirt and felt. Simple and unique!

Skills Required: None. You don’t need any prior crafting skills to do this project – but, you should probably like glitter.

This dog Halloween costume has been a long time coming! Two things were instrumental in the formation of this idea: 1) this costume and then 2) a little sombrero hat:

I have NO idea where I got this sombrero hat. I’ve had it for so long in my craft stash. At one point it was on a headband and in a drawer of mine; when I moved into this new studio I ripped it off of the headband (who knows why?) and placed it on the top of one of my craft supply racks.

I bought the sombrero because it made me smile, and so there it was for months. I always wanted to take a picture of it on my pug Roxie’s head, but never got around to it.

It wasn’t until I was brainstorming dog Halloween costumes and saw Alana’s tutorial for the piñata costume that I got inspired to make my own.

I grabbed one of Roxie’s old doggy tees and then headed to Michaels to get my craft supplies. Here’s how it all came together!

Dog Piñata Costume

Gather These Supplies

Dog t-shirt – it can have a graphic on the top as long as it’s small enough to cover up
Mini sombrero hat
Rainbow felt – I used 8 sheets of the Creatology brand at Michaels; the amount you use will depend on your dog’s size
Gold glitter – Martha Stewart brand at Michaels
Mod Podge Gloss
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Ribbon – about 12″ or enough to wrap around your dog’s head and tie underneath
Ruler (optional)

The first step was to try the dog t-shirt on the “model.” She hasn’t worn it in quite awhile (I think someone got it for her as a joke) so I wanted to make sure it still fit. Someone, and I won’t name names, has been snacking a little more than usual lately :0 Luckily, it still fit!

I grabbed my pile of Creatology felt I had purchased from Michaels and decided on the colors . . .

and laid them out on the shirt to give me some sort of a color scheme and give me an idea of how many sheets I would need. It ended up being eight and I actually could’ve used nine!

Start with your bottom piece. Cut it to fit the width of the shirt.

THEN you’ll need to decide how long you want the strips – I decided about 2 1/2″ long.

I actually used my craft knife to cut this strip, but you can use your scissors. I thought it would be easier to cut the felt with a craft knife, but I prefer scissors with this particular material.

Once you have your bottom piece cut to your specifications, you can use it as a template to cut the same sized pieces from the other colors.

Now lay the felt out again on your shirt to make sure that it’s going to work. I ended up adding another piece at the top after I took this photo.

Oh, and you’ll notice that the strips are too wide at the top, right? You don’t need to worry about that yet. We’ll get to that.

Cut fringe in all of your felt pieces. Cut slightly more than halfway up the felt, and try to eyeball equal sections of fringe. They don’t have to be exact, but as close as possible.

You’re ready to add the sparkle! Grab your Martha Stewart gold glitter and place a line across one tray . . . and then grab your Mod Podge and spread it across a second tray.

I call this process “dip and sparkle.” You’re going to dip the ends of the fringe in the Mod Podge and then dip those Mod Podge ends into the glitter to coat.

Two things you need to worry about: 1) keeping the Mod Podge even at the tips of the fringe so your glittering doesn’t look nuts and 2) not getting too much loose glitter into the felt. It will be hard to get rid of.

Lay a piece of press n’ seal or wax paper out and let your fringe dry on top. The Mod Podge won’t stick, and it will dry clear if you didn’t happen to get glitter in some areas.

Once the fringe is dry, take it outside and shake the excess off of every piece.

You’re ready to hot glue! Start at the bottom of your shirt. Run a line of hot glue across the top of the strip, turn over quickly and press down on the shirt.

Toward the top, where the armholes of the shirt are, I actually reversed the process and put the hot glue down on the shirt instead. Obviously you’ll have some fringe hanging off of the edge. We’ll address that now.

Trim the felt to fit around the armhole with scissors.

Use your hot glue to apply glue in the areas to secure the felt that has just been cut. Do this on both sides and let your shirt cool.

At some point, you’ll need to glue ribbon to the mini sombrero so that you can tie it around your dog’s head.

This piñata dog Halloween costume was so easy to create! I used simple supplies including rainbow felt with a doggy tee I already had. SO cute!

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Dog Pinata Costume

Learn how to make a pinata Halloween costume that's perfect for your pooch! This DIY pinata costume is really easy to make.

Prep Time15

Active Time1 30

Dry Time1

Total Time2 45

Yield: costume

Cost: $5

Equipment

Materials

Dog t-shirt
Mini sombrero hat
Felt various colors – enough to cover the shirt
Glitter gold
Mod Podge Gloss
Ribbon about 12" or enough to wrap around your dog's head and tie underneath

Instructions

Select a cotton t-shirt to fit your pooch. You can use one with a graphic as long as it can be covered up.
Lay the t-shirt on your work surface, and lay out the felt in rows to cover the shirt. I ended up using eight pieces; you may need more depending on the size of the shirt.
Start with your bottom piece(s). Cut it to fit the width of the shirt.
Decide how long you want the strips vertically – I chose about 2 1/2" long. Trim the felt down to size with scissors or a craft knife.
Once the bottom piece is cut to your specifications, use it as a template to cut the same sized pieces from the other colors.
Cut fringe in all of your felt pieces. Cut slightly more than halfway up the felt, and try to eyeball equal sections of fringe. They don’t have to be exact, but as close as possible.
Add sparkle to the edges of the fringe. Either paint or dip the edges of the fringe in Mod Podge, then dip in glitter. Place on a piece of wax paper to dry.
Once the fringe is dry, take it outside and shake the excess off of every piece.
You’re ready to hot glue! Start at the bottom of your shirt. Run a line of hot glue across the top of the strip, turn over quickly and press down on the shirt. Repeat until the shirt is covered.
Trim the felt to fit around the armhole with scissors.
Use hot glue to apply glue in the areas to secure the felt that has just been cut. Do this on both sides and let your shirt cool.
Glue a ribbon to the mini sombrero so you can tie it around your dog’s head.

Video

Then, sit back and enjoy the hilariousness that will ensue from this piñata costume. What do you think of my Halloween pug-yata? Cute, right?! Happy Holidays!