How to Make a Last-Minute Sushi Costume for Your Pet

An easy DIY sushi costume that can be made with just three items. (Photo: Donna Yen)

Halloween is coming up fast and like many of us, thinking about your costume happens last minute. And nowadays, it’s not just what you’ll be for Halloween, but what your pooch will be too! While Etsy and pet stores are full of good pet costumes (find some inspiration here), one costume that’s making waves in the canine world is the dog sushi costume. And thanks to Yahoo Food, you can make your own sushi dog costume at home with just three items. There’s something about making costumes yourself that feels more special and after all, Halloween is that time of year where you can really showcase creative abilities. So if you’re a crafty, dog-loving procrastinator then we have the perfect costume for you:

DIY Sushi Dog Costume

What you’ll need to buy:
½ yard orange felt
½ yard black felt
½ yard white felt
½ yard Velcro
Hot glue gun sticks

Good to have on-hand:
Pencil or chalk
Measuring tape
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Glue gun, velcro, and felt is all you need for a last minute sushi dog costume for Halloween. Green felt (pictured) can be used for seaweed instead of the black felt. (Photo: Donna Yen)

1. Start off by measuring the length of your dog from their shoulders down to the base of their tail. Then measure the width of your dog. Add 4 inches to both measurements; this makes up for the thickness of the “seams” and how much your shrimp will puff up once it’s stuffed. Use these new numbers as a guide for drawing your shrimp.

Draw and cut out one shrimp shape (see photo No. 1) with the white felt. Use this as your template for cutting out two more identical shapes in the orange colored felt. Save any scraps of leftover fabric for later use.

2. To create the markings that you see on shrimp, use a pencil and trace out v-shapes on the white felt cutout. Then take your scissors and carefully follow the lines and cut all the shapes you’ve drawn (see photo No. 2).

3. Hot glue your white v-shaped cutouts onto one of the orange shrimp shapes you made earlier (see photo No. 3).

4. With your hot glue gun, carefully glue together the two orange shrimp shapes. Start by glueing the tails together and then sealing the borders all along the shrimp except the top half (see photo No. 4). All the leftover scraps saved from earlier can now be used to stuff your shrimp. If you want your shrimp bigger, add more scraps of felt until it’s to your liking. Then finish your “pillow” by sealing the top half with hot glue.

The four steps for making a shrimp pillow with just hot glue and felt fabric. (Photo: Donna Yen)

5. You’re almost there! Now it’s time for the seaweed wrap. Measure around your pet’s waist and double the number of inches. Use this new measurement to cut the length of your seaweed paper out of the black felt. Depending on how big your shrimp pillow is, cut the width of the seaweed so it can wrap tight enough around your pet’s waist but thin enough to see your beautiful shrimp. Hot glue the seaweed onto the shrimp so that it’s perfectly centered.

6. Adhere the velcro strips on both ends of the seaweed and there you have it! An adorable sushi belt that can fit securely around your dog.

A seaweed belt that fastens with velcro on both ends. (Photo: Donna Yen)

Now that your sushi costume is complete, bring in your four-legged model for a walk down the runway or in this case, the park. If you’re looking to match your canine friend you can go as a sushi chef or if you have any leftover fabric you can be sushi twins. Happy Halloween and let me see that sushi roll!

Homemade shrimp sushi costume for your dog. (Photo: Donna Yen)

For more inspiration for your Halloween party, check out our Halloween Pinterest board and get to pinning!

More last minute Halloween costume ideas:

14 Foodie Costumes for Your Pet

22 Tasty Halloween Costumes for Serious Foodies

15 Super Creative (& Easy) DIY Halloween Costumes