Coolest Jailbird Prisoner and Guard Family Costume

I love to make our Halloween costumes a family theme. One year I decided that I was to be a prison guard trying to keep track of my jailbirds.

So I got a police toy set from dollar tree and found a blue button-up shirt from a thrift store. I put on some tight black slacks and my high black boots… presto! a police officer. Oh and the cap said “NYPD” I got in 2001… :(

For my husband’s prison costume I bought a white sweatshirt and white sweatpants. I cut the collar and bottom band out of the sweatshirt and cut it up the front. Then I laid the pieces on the driveway (on top of a drop cloth) and taped stripes on with masking tape. Then I used black spray paint to make the lines. When the paint was dry I removed the tape – and had nice clean white lines. I overlapped the front flaps of the shirt and sewed on black buttons. Then I used a permanent marker to write the prison numbers on the front.

For my son’s costume I used the same painting process, but I had to make the top and bottom with a basic pajama pattern. I was surprised how well spray painting fabric worked, even after washing! Just make sure you cover the ground well or you’ll have black lines for a very long time. :)

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