Sew Your Own Book Week Costume with These Easy Patterns
Book Week is such a fun chance for kids to bring their favourite stories to life—but the scramble to find or make a costume for them can feel a bit overwhelming. If you’d love to create something special but don’t have hours to spend or heaps of sewing experience, you’re in the right place. With an easy to follow sewing pattern and a bit of felt we will show you how to whip up a Book Week costume even if you’re new to sewing.
The Quick Costume Dilemma
Have you thought about making a costume this year, but the idea of sewing something from scratch feels a bit out of reach? Because you are trying to juggle all the work/house/kids' things and you're not really sure your sewing skills are good enough? These easy Book Week sewing patterns are designed to be manageable even for beginners, with step-by-step instructions along way and they can be sewn in short bursts of time (like during nap time or after bedtime). With the right pattern and a few basic supplies, making a costume at home can be simple—and even a little bit fun! That’s exactly what these easy costume ideas are all about: no overwhelm or fancy techniques, just straightforward sewing that gets you from “I don’t know where to start” to “I actually made this!” before you know it.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
You don’t need a huge stash of supplies to make a fun Book Week costume, just a few key supplies and an easy sewing pattern to follow.
Basic Supplies:
- Felt (wool-blend or wool is ideal)/ Fleece (for the tails)
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Scissors
- Elastic or ribbon (for animal tails or ears)
- A digital sewing pattern
✂️ A quick tip: I recommend using a 100% wool felt —it’s soft, sturdy, and holds its shape beautifully without fraying. If you're not sure where to get some My Felt Lady stocks a gorgeous range of colours, perfect for these projects. This is an affiliate link, if you click through and purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Matching Picture Books with Dress-up Sewing Patterns
Here are a few of our favourite sewing patterns that work beautifully as part of a handmade Book Week costume:
🐛 Caterpillar Felt Crown
-Free with any sewing pattern purchased until August 17th 2025
The perfect make for all the bug loving kids! Pair this caterpillar crown with a green top and pants and black shoes for a colourful and instantly recognisable costume. Match to any of these books:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- I Love Bugs! by Emma Dodd
-
Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
See the pattern HERE.
🐻 Felt Bear Ears
Match these felt bear ears with some brown clothes for a fun, simple Book Week costume idea. Some great books to pair with these ears with might include:
- The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle
- Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell
- The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- Corduroy by Don Freeman - Pair with green overalls
See the felt ear pattern (includes 5 animal ears) HERE
🦁 Lion Ear and Tail Pattern
Make these easy felt lion ears and match with a yellow or brown outfit, and you've got a confident little lion ready to roar. Add a lion tail to finish off the outfit too! Pair with any books about lions, here are some of our favourites:
- The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright
- How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
- The Lion Who Wanted to Love by Giles Andreae
- Katie in London by James Mayhew
- Lion vs Rabbit by Alex Latimer
- A Lion in the Night by Pamela Allen
See the felt ear pattern (includes 5 animal ears) HERE. See the animal tail pattern (includes 5 animal tails) HERE.
🦒 Giraffe Ear and Tail Pattern
Match this fun giraffe ear and tail set with a yellow & brown outfit. You could also cut out some brown patches of felt and attach to yellow clothes with a safety pins, Heat and Bond or fabric glue for the full giraffe look! Pair with these great books:
- Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
See the felt ear pattern (includes 5 animal ears) HERE. See the animal tail pattern (includes 5 animal tails) HERE.
🐱 Cat Ear and Tail Set
Pair this cute cat eat and tail set with some black clothes for a fun costume. Some great books to pair this set with might include:
- Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd
- Pete the Cat series by James Dean & Eric Litwin
- Atticus Caticus by Sarah Maizes
- Max The Brave by Ed Vere
- Oi Cat by Kes Gray
- There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz – Make a rainbow of cats in different colours, pair with matching coloured clothes.
See the cat ear and tail set sewing pattern HERE.
👑 Felt Crown
A gold crown is one of the most versatile costume accessories to have on hand. If your child dreams of being a royal king, prince, or magical creature you can make this crown using our FREE crown template and some metallic gold felt. Or a use some glitter felt for a sparkly queen or princess version to bring so many favourite book characters to life.
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently
- + so many others!
Download our FREE crown template HERE.
👑 Felt Wand
A felt wand adds the perfect finishing touch to any magical costume. Whether your child is a fairy, wizard, or enchanting sidekick,
- Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
- The Wishing Wand by Enid Blyton
- Any other books about magic or fairies!
Grab our Felt Wand sewing pattern HERE.
Ready to make Book Week more magical (and stress-free)?
Our easy kids sewing patterns make it simple to create a homemade Book Week costume that sparks your child’s imagination—without the last-minute panic. Whether you’re sewing up felt animal dress-ups or crafting a gold crown, you’ll find beginner-friendly patterns and ideas to bring your child’s favourite books to life.
Browse the full collection of beginner-friendly Book Week dress-up patterns HERE.
Bonus! When you purchase any pattern in the lead-up to Book Week, you’ll receive the Caterpillar Crown Pattern free!
Need quality felt for your project? Shop high quality 100% Australian wool felt, including metallic and glitter felt from My Felt Lady HERE. This is an affiliate link, if you click through and purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Left your Book Week Costume to the night before? See our blog post on Book Week costumes you can put together from items you already have a home HERE
