Halloween Pet Costume: No-Sew Lion's Mane

Directions

1. Cut two felt triangles sized to fit your pet—these form the base for the headpiece and the chest piece. For each triangle, cut a piece of snap tape as long as the triangle's longest side plus a few extra inches for overhang. Using hot glue, attach the stud side of the snap tape (facing up) to the long edge of one triangle, and glue the socket side (facing down) to the long edge of the other triangle. Snap the two pieces together and try them on your pet. Adjust the snap positions so the costume fits snugly but not tightly. Trim any extra stud-side tape and any felt that overlaps. Leave the socket-side tape long enough to wrap around the costume. Glue short matching stud and socket snap tape pieces to connect the costume to your pet's collar or harness. Depending on your pet's build, you may need to add more snaps and cut out spaces for upright ears. The finished base should look like the one shown in Image 5, with the top triangle as the headpiece and the bottom as the chest piece. (Note: Snaps allow the costume to detach if your pet pulls or gets caught, preventing choking or tangling.)
2. (Optional) Make two felt ears by cutting two 3-inch squares. Fold each square in half and round off the top corners with scissors. Unfold each ear and cut a small slit in the center at the bottom. Pinch the felt at the bottom and apply a bead of hot glue at an upward angle to one edge, then press the glued edges together and let cool. Attach each ear by gluing its base onto the headpiece. If your pet already has upright ears, you can skip this step.
3. To create the mane, cut strips of felt in different colors and widths from 2 to 4 inches. Fold each strip in half lengthwise and snip small slits every ¼ inch along the entire length. Hot glue these fringe strips to the headpiece base, working around the ears. Mixing various sizes and colors makes the mane look more interesting. Also cover the back of the snap tape on the headpiece with fringe. For extra texture, you can incorporate tulle, yarn, or even brown paper along with the felt.
4. Use the same fringe technique to add layers of felt fringe to the chest piece. Be careful not to cover the stud-side snap tape, because that's where the headpiece attaches. Once the chest piece is fully covered in fringe, snap one half of the headpiece onto it and test the fit on your pet. Add more snaps if needed. You can also make matching fringe pieces for the tail and paws. Remember that not every pet enjoys wearing costumes, so watch your pet's behavior and make sure they are comfortable and happy with their new look.