Toddler Firefighter Costume

I created this fun Toddler Firefighter costume using a Butterick sewing pattern. Read how I created my own fabric that was perfect for this firefighter costume!
My son asked to be a firefighter this year for Halloween. Since I love making my kids’ costumes I decided make my own toddler firefighter costume using the Butterick Pattern 3244. The costume turned out so cute and even came with boot covers!

After finding the pattern, the trickiest part was finding the right fabric. The pattern called for vinyl felt, which I couldn’t find. Our local Joann Fabrics had regular felt as well as utility fabric, which had a nice plastic, waterproof look. Each of these fabrics alone wouldn’t have worked on their own as the utility fabric was very thin and see-through and the felt didn’t have the right look. I decided to layer the fabrics together and was so happy with how it turned out.

Layering the fabrics, or flat-lining, added a few extra steps. I had to sew two layers of fabric together for each piece before sewing the costume together. I also had to add seam allowance to all of the black stripe pieces so I could fold under their edges so no raw edges were visible. The utility fabric I was using frayed like crazy so this was definitely necessary! The pattern, which called for the vinyl felt, assumed you could cut the strips of black fabric with raw edges visible.

Below you can see the two front pieces of the jacket – one showing the utility fabric side, the other showing the felt side.

Even with the extra steps it took to create, I was happy I made the costume. I really love sewing for my kids and Halloween costumes are so much fun. I think this costume will also be great for everyday dress-up fun!

I finished the costume with a black firefighter hat from Party City and a firefighter badge I found on Amazon! :)