Halloween is the perfect time to let your kids’ imaginations run wild, and what’s cooler than transforming them into little bikers? When my son declared he wanted a Biker Costume for Halloween, my mind immediately jumped to the iconic Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy. The idea of creating a kids biker costume was instantly appealing – a fun, slightly edgy, and definitely memorable choice.
While some parents might hesitate to dress their kids in biker attire, especially for school events, I embraced the fun of it. A little bit of playful rebellion and a whole lot of creativity – that’s what Halloween is all about, right? And let me tell you, the boys received tons of compliments on their unique costumes.
To get the ball rolling, I showed the kids some inspiration on Pinterest, and they were immediately drawn to an adorable “Toddlers of Anarchy” kids biker costume. We used this charming Toddlers of Anarchy kids biker costume as our starting point.
I actually crafted these biker costumes last year, but time slipped away, and I didn’t get around to sharing the process. Now, I’m excited to finally share this DIY project with you! While I don’t have my usual super detailed instructions, I did manage to snap some pictures along the way to guide you. So, let’s get started on creating your very own biker costume for your little rebels!
Crafting Your Kids Biker Costume: Step-by-Step
Creating this biker costume is surprisingly straightforward and doesn’t require advanced sewing skills. It’s all about transforming a basic black tee and adding some key biker details. Here’s what you’ll need and how to put it all together.
Essential Supplies for the Biker Jacket
To create the core piece of your biker costume, the jacket, gather these supplies:
- Basic Black Tee: A plain black t-shirt will serve as the base for your jacket. You can easily find these at most clothing stores or online retailers. Basic black tee
- White Fabric: You’ll need white fabric to create the patches for your jacket. Felt, cotton, or even sturdy paper can work.
- Iron-on Printable Vinyl: This is key for easily transferring your custom biker patch designs onto the white fabric. Make sure it’s suitable for inkjet printers. Iron on printable vinyl
- White Thread: For sewing the patches onto the jacket.
- Sewing Pins: To hold the patches in place before sewing.
- Iron: Essential for applying the iron-on vinyl.
- Inkjet Printer: To print your biker patch designs. Inkjet Printer
- Scissors: For cutting fabric and vinyl.
- Sewing Machine: While optional, a sewing machine will make attaching the patches much faster and cleaner. Hand stitching is also possible.
Completing the Biker Look: Additional Costume Supplies
To complete the full biker costume, you’ll also need these items:
- Basic White Tee: To wear underneath the biker jacket. Basic white tee
- Kid’s Tattoo Sleeves: These add a touch of biker authenticity without the commitment of real tattoos! (these are similar to what I had)
- Pants: Any dark pants will work – jeans, black pants, or cargo pants are all great options.
- Shoes: Sneakers or boots will complete the look.
Preparing the Biker Jacket Base
Let’s start by transforming the black tee into a cool biker jacket.
When choosing the black tee for the jacket, consider sizing down. A smaller size tee will mimic the snug fit of a classic biker jacket, sitting higher on the waist and allowing the white tee underneath to be more visible. I didn’t think of this initially, but in hindsight, it’s a great tip!
First, cut off the sleeves of the black t-shirt. Then, fold the tee in half lengthwise to find the center front. Cut down the middle front to create the open jacket style.
If you plan to reuse this biker costume, you could add hems to the raw edges of the jacket opening for a more finished look. However, for a one- or two-time use costume, leaving the edges raw works perfectly fine and saves time.
Designing Your Biker Patches
Now for the fun part – designing the biker patches that will give your kids biker costume its unique character.
To keep things user-friendly, I usually provide printable templates. However, for this DIY biker costume, creating a template is tricky for two main reasons:
Firstly, I don’t have the rights to distribute the official Sons of Anarchy logo. Secondly, creating a generic, editable template that allows for customization with local names and details without compromising the patch sizes is difficult.
I used Adobe Illustrator to design my patches, but don’t worry if you don’t have professional design software! You can easily use Microsoft Word or free online tools like Canva.
Before you start designing, check the instructions on your printable vinyl packaging. This will tell you if your design needs to be printed flipped or mirrored.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the exact vinyl I used last year (house move!), so I can’t provide a direct link. However, printing a mirror image is usually a simple printer setting adjustment.
For Mac users, it’s straightforward to change printer settings to mirror the image. For both Mac and Windows, there are helpful online guides, like this article on printing a mirror image, which offers several methods. Methods 4 or 5 in that article are generally the easiest to follow.
Creating Kid’s Sons of Anarchy Inspired Biker Patches
For fonts, I used a free, open-source font from Google Fonts called Sancreek. You can download it here. This font has a cool, slightly rugged biker vibe.
For patch text, you can customize it to your local area or school name. I also created a fun patch that said “Kids of Chaos.”
To find biker logo graphics, a simple Google Image search for “biker logo png” or “sons of anarchy logo png” will yield plenty of options. Crucially, look for high-quality PNG files with transparent backgrounds.
In Google Images, after typing your search, click on “Tools,” then “Type” and select “Transparent,” and then “Size” and choose “Large” or “Larger than…” to filter for high-resolution images. This ensures your printed patches look sharp and professional.
I designed my patches to fit onto an A4 template, remembering to mirror the images before printing as per the vinyl instructions. Most design programs and printer settings allow for easy mirroring or flipping of images.
Preparing and Transferring Your Biker Patches
Once your patch designs are printed onto the vinyl, carefully cut around each patch.
Using an iron and following the specific instructions that came with your iron-on vinyl, apply the printed vinyl to your white fabric. The heat from the iron will transfer the design onto the fabric, creating your patch.
Applying the printed text and logos onto white fabric gives them that authentic “patch” appearance. After the white fabric has cooled down, cut out each patch.
For the logo patches, cut close to the edge of the design but leave a small border of white fabric (about 5mm or ¼ inch) to allow for stitching around the edges later.
Attaching Patches to Your Kids Biker Costume Jacket
With your patches prepared, it’s time to attach them to the jacket and bring your kids biker costume to life!
Pin the patches loosely onto the jacket. Start with the smaller, oblong patches for the front of the jacket, positioning them where you want them to sit on the chest. Then, flip the jacket over and pin the larger logo patch, “MC” patch, and any other back patches in place.
You can hand-stitch the patches on, but using a sewing machine is much faster and more efficient. Simply straight stitch around the edges of each patch, securing them firmly to the jacket. There’s no need for fancy stitching – a simple straight stitch all the way around works perfectly.
Completing the Ultimate Kids Biker Costume
To truly bring the biker costume together, you need the right finishing touches.
Pair the patched biker jacket with a plain white tee worn underneath. I found a budget-friendly option for just $4. You likely already have suitable pants in your child’s wardrobe – jeans, cargo pants, or any dark-colored pants will work great.
For shoes, you can channel Jax Teller’s cool vibe with white sneakers. Or, for a more traditional biker look, consider boots. Ultimately, use whatever footwear your child already has for ease and comfort.
Optional extras to enhance the biker costume include a bandana worn on the head, drawn-on facial hair (if age-appropriate and desired), or temporary tattoos for an extra touch of biker edge.
We had haircuts just before making these costumes – a mohawk for my eldest (which didn’t quite turn out as planned!). Hairstyle aside, a bit of hair product can help complete the look and add to the overall biker feel.
Final Thoughts
Creating this DIY kids biker costume was such a fun and rewarding project. It’s relatively easy to make, budget-friendly, and guaranteed to make your little one stand out this Halloween. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to unleash your creativity and personalize a costume.
I’d absolutely love to see your little bikers! If you decide to make this biker costume, or any other Halloween DIYs, please tag me, @avisualmerriment on Instagram or Facebook. Share your creations – I can’t wait to see them! Happy Halloween crafting!
