How to Make a Little Red Riding Hood Costume

Bring the fairy-tale character to life with our easy-to-follow costume templates.

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Updated on August 16, 2023

red-riding-hood-costume-0814_vert — Photo:
Anna Williams

Little Red Riding Hood has never looked so chic. The fairy-tale character is brought to life with a piece of red fabric and some basic sewing supplies. We provide templates for each component of the Halloween ensemble, so you'll have a guide when cutting out the dress and hood.

Little Red's gown is made from a length of crimson jersey with a hole for the neck and a wide ribbon at the waist. The namesake hood is made from the same material. While Little Red likely couldn't run through the woods in these heels, they look glamorous for a night out nevertheless. Even better, they're a cinch to DIY—simply coat a pair of open-toed pumps with red glitter.

The piece is designed to fit a variety of sizes, but you can easily make it larger or smaller by changing the length of the fabric. It's open on the sides, so plan to wear a layer underneath. The hood fits slackly over the head, but you can add more structure to it by adding a strip of fabric along the front edge if you wish.

Wear the costume as a standalone piece (it's really recognizable) or plan to trick-or-treat with a companion dressed as the Big Bad Wolf to truly bring the timeless tale to life.

Little red riding hood costume — Bryan Gardner

What You'll Need

Materials

Red jersey fabric, 60-inch width, 2 yards
Scissors
Basic sewing supplies
Tailor's chalk
Red Riding Hood costume templates
Wide red satin ribbon, 3 to 4 yards
Iron-on fabric interfacing and iron (optional)
Newspaper
Red pumps
Craft glue
Spoon
Red glitter

Instructions

Make the dress:

Bryan Gardner

For the dress, cut 15 inches of fabric off one end of jersey; reserve for hood. Cut remaining fabric in half lengthwise; stitch two 30-inch ends together. Fold the resulting long rectangle in half widthwise, then lengthwise; use chalk and dress template to mark neck hole, as shown; cut along lines. Cut satin ribbon to wrap around waist.
Make the hood:

Bryan Gardner

For the hood, trace templates onto reserved red fabric, and cut out 2 hood pieces. Sew pieces together, creating a hood with a center seam. To make a more structured hood (optional), add a strip of 6-inch-wide iron-on fabric interfacing along the front edge, and fold fabric over; iron to set. Fold hood edge at gather points (indicated on template), and stitch to secure. Finish by adhering 36-to-48-inch length of ribbon along the bottom edge of hood using craft glue, leaving long ends.
Make the shoes:

Bryan Gardner

For the shoes, cover your work surface with newspaper. Paint pumps with craft glue, covering completely. Spoon glitter over glue, picking up paper and using it to return excess glitter to bowl as you go. Let dry before wearing.

Originally appeared: MARTHA STEWART

How to Make a Little Red Riding Hood Costume

What You'll Need

Materials

Instructions

Make the dress:

Make the hood:

Make the shoes: