AI-generated picture to show the idea. Yours will look handmade.

Puss in Boots from Shrek

A DIY Puss in Boots costume is an orange top and trousers with brown stripes, a black hat with a yellow feather, a black cape and boots. Make a cardboard sword and a cream belly panel, and you are the swashbuckling ginger cat. It costs about $20 and needs no sewing. The hat and the sword are what make it read as the cat.

TIME: 80 min
COST: about $20
SKILL: Some cutting

What you need

An orange hoodie or long-sleeved top, and orange or brown trousers
A brown fabric marker for stripes
Cream fabric or felt for the belly
A wide-brimmed black hat, or black card to make one
A yellow feather or yellow card
A black cape from a bedsheet or scarf
Brown or black boots, and a belt
Cardboard and silver paint for a sword

How to make it

1
Put on the orange top and trousers. Draw wavy brown stripes down the arms and legs with the fabric marker.
2
Cut an oval of cream felt and stick it to the front as a belly.
3
Fold up one side of the hat brim and tape it. Tuck a yellow feather into the band.
4
Tie the black cape at your shoulders with a safety pin and put on the boots and belt.
5
Cut a long thin sword from cardboard, paint it silver and let it dry.
6
Add green eyeshadow around your eyes, and draw a small cat nose on with eyeliner.
7
Stand tall and speak with a smooth accent.

Make it better

Draw the stripes on while the top is flat.
A wide black hat is the key piece. Without it the costume could be any orange cat.
Make the sword blunt and carry it at your side, not waved about.

Questions

How do I make a Puss in Boots costume from clothes I already own?

Use an orange top and trousers, a black cape and boots. Add a black hat with a yellow feather and make the sword from cardboard.

Can I do this without a sewn tail?

Yes. Pin a rolled orange sock to the back of your trousers as a tail.

Is this an official Puss in Boots costume?

No. It is a homemade, unofficial costume built from everyday clothes and craft supplies. It is not affiliated with DreamWorks.

Is this fine for fancy dress?

Yes. It is a simple fancy dress idea for any age, and the sword is made from card.

Unofficial. Puss in Boots and the Shrek names belong to their respective owners, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them. The names are used only to describe this homemade parody costume.

Wear it in front of your own haunted CCTV

Upload four photos of your house and Cursed Cam turns them into a night-time security monitor where something is very wrong. Put it on the TV by the door.

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