Do you want to make family PJ Masks Halloween costumes? Learn how we made Luna Girl and Gekko costumes the DIY route, including all about how to use Sportflex iron on with lycra!
How to make family PJ Masks Halloween costumes!
Well I am obviously writing this post for next Halloween since it’s now November 🙂 I couldn’t get around to posting about our family PJ Masks Halloween costumes before Halloween. We were really down to the wire making them.
To be totally honest, I wasn’t really that thrilled to be making the costumes this year. But R really wanted to wear her Owlette costume she got from our neighbor, and she wanted us to dress up with her. Sadly we couldn’t find any off-the-shelf costumes.
And she specifically wanted my husband to be Gekko while I was Luna Girl. I know, it doesn’t make a ton of sense because I really should have been Cat Boy, but who am I to question the logic of a 3-year-old PJ Masks lover?
So we got to work on the Gekko PJ Masks costume first…
We got to work on Gekko first because we thought that one would be the most labor-intensive costume. Here’s what we used for the costume:
- A full green bodysuit; we cut the face out before realizing there was one that already had the face cut out!
- Metallic silver permanent marker to draw scales
- Silver SportFlex Iron-On Material
- Cricut machine to cut the elbow pads, knee pads, and Gekko shield
- A Gekko shield .SVG file
- EasyPress and mat
- Felt Gekko mask
Like this? Check out my DIY pineapple costume for a toddler, my 15 Free Printable Halloween Gift Tags, and my 25 Free Printable Halloween Candy Signs!
Here’s how we put the Gekko PJ Masks costume together!
Step 1: Draw the scales
The very first step is to draw the Gekko scales. I do recommend that the person wearing the bodysuit puts it on and another person draws the scales. This took…a while. The scales definitely got progressively larger the longer I did it, lol.
You can also try this with the suit off and laid out on the floor. I was a bit worried about stretching, though, so use your best judgment depending on how stretchy it is!
For the scales, we just used a silver metallic permanent marker. It was perfect—didn’t stand out too much but gave the suit some dimension. While the suit was on my husband, I also marked where to put the center of each knee pad, each elbow pad, and the Gekko chest shield.
Step 2: Cut the knee pads, elbow pads, and chest shield
Next I sent my husband on his way and got out my Cricut machine to cut out the knee pads, elbow pads, and chest shield. I used Cricut’s SportFlex Iron-On material for this because the suit was made of lycra, and we definitely needed a vinyl with a bit of stretch!
For the shield, I just used an SVG file. For the elbow pads and knee pads, I just sized a few ovals in Design Space accordingly.
How to use SportFlex Iron-On
This was my first time working with Cricut’s SportFlex Iron-On material on lycra. I was so nervous I would melt the suit or rip the material! But it worked great. There are a few things to keep in mind about SportFlex Iron-On, though.
First, I thought it was definitely harder to weed than traditional iron-on. The stretchiness of it makes it harder, I think. For example, when pulling off the negative space on the design, instead of popping right off the clear adhesive, it stretched. The weeding tool was really helpful.
Second, remember to mirror your design. I know, I know. It’s obvious. But the SportFlex Iron-On was a bit more expensive, so I checked like 3 times to make sure I’d set everything up correctly. I did NOT want to have to go to the store and buy more.
Third, you want to follow the Cricut Heat Guide instructions exactly. I was using an EasyPress 2 and an EasyPress mat, and I selected polyester for the base. (The material was actually lycra.) I pre-heated for 5 seconds, applied the design for 30 seconds at 305 degrees Fahrenheit, and then applied heat for an additional 15 seconds from the back.
Fourth, make sure to let the transfer cool completely before peeling the liner off. The Sport-Flex Iron-On really grips the clear liner, so there is a lot of resistance when trying to peel the liner off.
You can see that in some of the pics below. I waited until the design cooled completely and then pulled the liner off in smaller pulled, reinforcing the design as I went. The stretch is great! It transferred perfectly.
I can’t speak about how SportFlex Iron-On will hold up with multiple washes because I have only washed this piece once. I hung it to dry. The iron-ons all still look perfect.
Step 3: Add the mask
We were running out of time, and quite frankly, I needed to shift focus to my costume! So I decided to order a Gekko mask. It is really cute, and the same shop has other masks, too! It did take over a week to get here, so don’t wait until the last minute.
And that’s our adult Gekko costume! We opted against a tail mostly because we couldn’t come up with a last-minute solution that didn’t look kind of janky. I tried some felt and it was meh.
Our daughter absolutely lost it when she saw my husband in full Gekko costume, and they enjoyed running around the house together. 🙂
And now for the Luna Girl PJ Masks costume…
So I mentioned I had to be Luna Girl. I wanted to be Cat Boy, but it wasn’t a battle I was filling to fit. Luna girl’s costume was a bit easier to throw together because it had a wig. Wigs really do wonders for pulling a costume together! Here’s what I used:
- Short gray wig
- Black costume mask
- Cricut machine to cut the Luna Girl shield
- Silver glitter iron-on material
- EasyPress
- Plain black t-shirt and scissors
- Light gray bodysuit
- Black boots
- Purple ribbon
Here’s how we did the Luna Girl PJ Masks costume!
Step 1: Cut the t-shirt
I used a large plain black men’s t-shirt so I could get some length. To get a shape more like Luna Girl’s cape/kimono style outfit, I cut a V in the front. I also cut the sleeves up closer to the seam so that they would be a bit pointy (kind of like if they had shoulder pads).
Step 2: Cut the Luna Girl shield
The next step was to cut a Luna Girl shield using an .SVG file. You can grab one on Etsy, or you can make a simple one in Design space using a circle and an oval! I used sliver Glitter Iron-On for this and cut it with my Cricut Explore Air 2.
Step 3: Put costume together
Then I layered it all on. First the bodysuit (which was see-through, so plan accordingly), then the shirt, then the black boots, wig, and mask! I was pretty pleased with the wig for how cheap it was. Worked perfectly and really looked like Luna Girl’s hair! Oh, and I used a piece of purple ribbon to belt the shirt.
Although my daughter was a little weirded out by the wig, it totally brought the costume together! And she got over it. She wasn’t even really that into trick-or-treating…she just wanted to run around the neighborhood yelling PJ Masks quotes 🙂 Happy Halloween!
Pin my DIY PJ Masks Halloween Costumes!
