Wirt Costume DIY | Easy To Make Sew And No Sew Options

Are you ready to make a Wirt Costume? Today, we are sharing how we made Sammie's Wirt Costume, it's an easy DIY Halloween Costume. If this isn't what you are looking for, check out our other Halloween Ideas. This year, she picked Wirt from Over the Garden Wall. Wirt is a gnome, trying to find his way home and getting into mischief along the way. We decided to make part of the costume and purchase parts to complete the costume.

If you want to create one for yourself, too, we suggest sewing the cape and gnome hat. Purchase a few other supplies, and you will have the clothes to wear again. Hopefully, this will make it super easy for you! If you'd like to see the no-sew options, view this post, where we share how to style your costume and other costume tips, too.

If you are a sewer this isn't a hard costume to make. We'll point you in the right direction.

If you are looking for more fun and iconic character costumes, be sure to check out our tutorial for the highly popular Coraline Costume DIY.

Finishing a complex DIY project, especially one that involves pattern-making and sewing like this, is incredibly rewarding! If you're looking for a simple, quick project to do with younger family members after the big costume is done, check out our guide to the Popsicle Stick Apple Craft. It's a fun, low-effort project perfect for seasonal crafting!

Making this Wirt costume is certainly a labor of love, but the finished result is worth every minute. Below is the full materials list and step-by-step instructions.

We grabbed a sewing pattern for the cape (see below for notes on the pattern). We also spotted a helpful YouTube tutorial, which has two parts: the cape and hat, which we have linked to later in the post, to help you. You can decide which style of the Wirt DIY is best for you. Typically, this is based on how much time you'd like to invest and have, or if you have sewing skills. But, we'll give you a few guidelines, either way, to help you make the best Wirt Costume! 

Wirt Costume 

You can use the Wirt Over the Garden Wall Costume for Halloween or for Cosplay 

I grabbed this sewing pattern, New Look 6073 Misses Sewing Pattern, and only altered it slightly by taping the two front cape pattern pieces together so there would be NO slit for arms. If that pattern is sold out or no longer available, this caplet sewing pattern will work! Use the collar from A on views B or D. 

In a hurry for the no-sew options, scroll down. For the cape: You can adjust the length to suit your height or the length of the cape that is needed for this or another costume. Just follow the directions and see the video tutorials below.

How To Make The Wirt Cape 

It was really easy to make and whip up in about 4 hours, give or take, depending on your sewing skills. The pattern is pretty true to size. Adjust by viewing pattern size/measurements. Sammie is a size 4-6 junior size. We used the medium size as she has a wide back. It fell at the perfect spots on her shoulders.

Although the video tutorial looked easy, I opted for using a pattern.

But, either way, you'll have a nice cape for your costume.

Wirt Costume DIY

Pattern, fabric, and sewing supply resources

Materials Needed

I grabbed my fabrics online. You can find the cotton fabric at local fabric stores or on Amazon. I used the design wall to find the right colors, including threads.

Scroll To The Bottom For More Sewing Pattern Cape Recommendations For Kids, Teens, and Adults

Pattern: sewing pattern for the cape

Shop For Fabrics and Notions

Costume Assembly

Making The Gnome Hat 

The gnome hat was made in no time flat. Probably under 30 minutes. I added interfacing to the inside of ours to make sure it stood up with no problems. But, I almost didn't need it as the felt/wool that I purchased from the Etsy shop SweetEmmaJean was really nice and the perfect weight and color for the project. I am definitely going to use the shop for more of our felt craft projects!

Video Tutorial For How To Sew Wirt's Gnome Hat

The finished Costume

Video for How To Sew a Wirt Cape

We opted for a pattern, but these are great ways to make a cape pattern and sew the cape part of the costume for yourself, your teen, or child.

(Another Cape Option) Make a Felt Circle Cape

Remember to make it longer than shown if you are making this for the wirt costume. Additionally, here is a great video for making a cape (she uses wool fabric). Using wool would be more expensive, especially ifyou aren't experienced in sewing.

Costume Tips & Tricks

Here are your video tutorial resources for making the Wirt Costume: The Wirt cape (which we didn't use) and the Wirt hat (which we did use and included above).

Tips for the Wirt Hat

1. For the wirt hat use a good quality felt (red). And polycotton or cotton thread.
2. When cutting the pattern, add and allow for seam allowances.

Tips for Sewing the Cape

1. Pick a simple cape pattern.
2. Use cotton material (it is easy to sew with).
3. If needed: Make sizing adjustments before cutting the pattern. And after cutting fit again, make adjustments as needed before sewing if needed.
   The sewing for the pattern we used, all the stitching was straight! This makes it very easy to do!
4. When selecting the materials, get enough for the outside (blue) and the inside lining material (red) with matching threads.
5. Even if the cape pattern has buttons, you don't necessarily have to make button holes. You can just use a simple hook and eye closure at the top. See this video for how to place and sew eye hooks correctly.
6. And you can place the buttons without making button holes to be more decorative. This will save you time for the costume.
7. For the pattern we used, we only altered it slightly by taping the two front cape pattern pieces together so there would be NO slit for arms.

We were really happy with how this Wirt Costume turned out. Sammie was nominated for best costume at her High School Halloween Dance. She also said she danced 3 hours straight in the costume. I wish the costume pictures were a bit clearer, but she was in a hurry to get to the dance. We may update these later after Halloween.

No-Sew Options

1. Cosplay Costume Wirt Cape Cloak
2. Gnome Hat like this or this.
3. Grey jeans or Grey Pants.
4. White Shirt
5. Suspenders
6. Black Boots, shoes, or sneakers.
7. Wirt Costume Set (Shirt, Pants, Cape, and Hat).

We hope you enjoy making and wearing your own sometimes. You can add a little blush to your nose and cheeks if you like for the makeup. 

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Cape Sewing Patterns For Wirt Costume