How to Make an Umbrella Cloud Costume

Whether you’re looking for something flashy or cute, this DIY umbrella cloud costume is amazing. I love it so, so much. And part of the reason WHY I love it so much is because it’s kind of lowkey. Once you’ve got the umbrella turned into a cloud, well, then you can just get dressed with stuff already in your closet. There’s no itchy makeup to wear, uncomfortable accessories or anything like that.

I do really also love that you can go one of two very different ways with this costume. The cute cloud with raindrops is so cute. Seriously. Just getting all decked out in my cute cloud costume made me really happy. Those smiles up there with my girl Carly? Totally genuine. I was HAPPY in this costume. And why wouldn’t I be? It’s so fun, I feel totally ute and I don’t feel like I stand out like a blood-covered bride or something :) Not that I’m against that thing. If you’re into the gory Halloween costumes, you do you, boo :)

This is really a great costume for during the day. Maybe you have a little one who doesn’t really trick or treat after dark, anyway, or if you’re going to an indoor event, this happy cloud is a great fit.  But there’s also another, darker option…

That’s to say that there is an option that looks awesome at night where you can totally take advantage of the fact that it has CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! Honestly, in regular daylight, you can’t see the darn lights for anything but if it’s a little bit dark or, even better, full-on night, this costume is a show-stopper, one that I love SO MUCH.

Love it? Want your own cloud costume? You know you do!

What do you need to make a cloud costume?

Whether you decide to go with a happy rain cloud or a more ominous storm cloud, you’ll need the same base supplies. Those include:

• Clear Bubble Umbrella
• Fiber Polyester Filling (Polyfil)
• Translucent Ribbon
• Needle and White Upholstery Thread

Make sure that for this DIY costume is a “bubble” umbrella. It’s much taller than a normal umbrella and normally you’d be able to pull it down over your head and look through it as you walk in the rain. The design of the bubble umbrella looks better for this project, which is nice, but it also holds the additional weight without trying to collapse inward.

• This is the type of umbrella you want to get.
• This is NOT the type of umbrella you want to get.

You will also need a very sturdy thread for this project. Upholstery thread works well and can be found at places like Walmart. Any thinner and the thread will break off frequently as you work meaning you’ll wind up doing twice the work.

Below we have the additional supplies you will need for each style of umbrella cloud costume…

Supplies you need for a happy rain cloud costume.

• Cardstock in Shades of Blue
• Paper Raindrops SVG cut file
• Dog Rainbow Costume (optional but adorable :)

I figure if you have a cutting machine you might as well use it whenever you can, right? So if you have a cutting machine, you can grab that SVG file and cut your raindrops that way. BUT, if you don’t have a cutting machine, it’s really no big deal to cut a few out by hand. You can also download that SVG file and it will open in your internet browser. Then you can print it as a template or you can totally wing it. It’s just a raindrop after all. It’s not exactly rocket science :)

Supplies you need to make a stormy costume.

• Clear Faceted Round Beads
• Bright White Battery-operated Fairy Lights on Wires
• Warm White Battery-operated Fairy Lights on Wires

The clear beads don’t have to be anything fancy. The ones that I used (and linked to) are the same as from the children’s crafting section at the store.

To get the interesting color combinations when my “lightning” flashed, I used 2 sets of battery-operated twinkle lights. Each set had 100 LED bulbs apiece. One set of lights was a warm white and the other a cool white. I really, really love this effect of the 2 colors but use whatever colors you think would work best for you. It is important to get the battery-operated lights unless you want to stand next to an electrical outlet all Halloween night :) It’s also important that you get the lights that are on wires, not ropes.

FYI –  the lights can be placed in the umbrella in such a way that it is temporary. After the costume is done, you can use these lights for other craft projects! Yay!

Got your supplies? Ready to DIY?

How to make it.

Thread a sharp needle with a long length of upholstery thread. To easily cover the full umbrella we will start working along the bottom edge of it. Starting along this edge, run the needle and thread down through the plastic, leaving a tail of a few inches. A quarter of an inch, or so, from its entry point, push the needle and thread back up through the umbrella while holding on to the tail. Use the thread from both ends to tie an overhand knot 2-3 times.

Thread secured, grab a handful of Poly-fil straight from the bag and onto the edge of the umbrella, running the needle through the fill to secure it down. Continue tacking the fill down with randomly placed stitches. Take care that you don’t use so many stitches that your fill loses its puffiness. (This is something you’ll get a feel or as you go along :)

Continue adding fill along the edge of the umbrella its edge, tacking it down as you go. Allow the fill to hang down the edge in places like you can see above. FYI, you will use a ton of thread tacking this business down.

Continue covering the umbrella all of the way to the top. Occasionally peek through the umbrella and fill in any obvious bald spots with a little more fill, as needed.

Once you’re happy with your Polyfil coverage, it’s time to finish up. If using paper raindrops, cut them out (either with the SVG file or by hand) and then tie them onto 24-30 inch long lengths of translucent ribbon. Using your needle and thread tack them around the edge of the umbrella as frequently as you’d like. And you’re done!

How to style your Happy Cloud Costume.

If you have a dog or baby you can dress up like them up like a rainbow. HOW CUTE IS THAT? p.s. this isn’t the FIRST time I’ve couple’s costumed with my pup! She made the cutest crow one year!

Since this costume is cartoony and fun I’d suggest pairing your umbrella cloud with an adorable pair of yellow rain boots. <— FYI, my pair was around $20, a steal! I love this costume with a denim dress and bright tee underneath that matches your rainbow (if you’re lucky enough to have one :)

Cute right? But what if you’re here for something less cutsie and more flashes of lightning?

How to add lightning to the stormy version!

Next, we’re going to add our beaded raindrops around the edge of the umbrella. Run the beads onto lengths of upholstery thread that are approximately 36-40 inches long (taller or shorter depending on the height of the costume wearer). After each bead creates tie 2 simple knots to tie it in place. You’ll want to secure a bead every 2-4 inches and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Leave a tail on one end of 6-9 inches (you’ll use this to secure it to the umbrella in the next step).

 

Using your needle and thread, tack raindrops onto the umbrella running your needle and thread through the umbrella. Tie 2-3 overhand knots to secure and trim excess thread. Continue around the edge of the umbrella adding as many raindrops as you’d like. You can also tack on strips of translucent ribbon all by itself, too. It also catches the light and looks pretty cool!

How to add the batteries (temporarily or permanently).

Firstly, add batteries to your lights and make sure they work (this is ALWAYS an important step in any project with lights!)

To temporarily add your lights, begin wrapping the wired lights around the metal stretchers inside of the umbrella. Wrap tightly enough that they don’t flap all around but not so tightly that there’s a lot of tension on them. Using a piece of wire or twist tie lash the battery box inside of the umbrella, on top of one of the metal stretchers. Continue for your second string of lights.

For a more permanent (or less easily removable, really) version tack the lights all around the inside of the umbrella with your needle and thread. Go nuts placing them randomly, but make sure they don’t’ all bunch up on one side. Once you’re happy with their placement, tack the battery pack to the inside of the top of the umbrella. Continue for the second string of lights.

How to wear your storm cloud costume.

I should say that I think it’s pretty darn neat and should definitely be said that you can still open and close your umbrella. This means you don’t have this open umbrella cloud costume (because it isn’t a real umbrella, anymore) taking up a bunch of space in between when it is made and until your Halloween party. Cool, right? Because an open umbrella actually does take up quite a lot of space when you’ve padded that sucker with a bag of polyester filling! :)

I absolutely love how since your umbrella is so darn flashy you don’t really have to do much of anything else for it to be a fun costume! For mine, though, I decided to wear my khaki trench coat. Mine is from the Gap and I’ve had it for YEARS but you can also get this adorable trench coat from Amazon. Seriously, whatever you’d wear in the rain you can wear to finish up this costume. That’s pretty comfy, awesome and cheap. LOVE IT!

Did you make your own cloud costume? I’d LOVE to see it!

If sharing online, hashtag your umbrella cloud costume #dalbdiy so we can see your lovely creation! It will totally make my day!