DIY Cowgirl Barbie Halloween Costume

Step-by-step instructions for creating your own DIY Cowgirl Barbie Halloween Costume with a custom shirt & ideas for other costume elements!

You will NEVER believe this. I just read that last year (2023) Americans spent over 4 BILLION DOLLARS on Halloween costumes!! Yes, you read that correctly. Billion with a B. Are you as shocked as I am?! Cuz WOW that’s just wild.

For those of us that don’t want to spend loads of money on a costume, that means getting creative. So, this year, I went through my closet and found that I had a pair of highlighter pink pants and some fun sunglasses that would be absolutely perfect for a Barbie-inspired look!

I settled on creating a Cowgirl Barbie Halloween costume so that I could utilize some pieces I already have, borrow from friends, and DIY a custom Barbie shirt. That way I could have a trendy costume that was easy to put together, relatively low cost, and with elements that could be reused again! In this article I will offer my tips for creating costumes, step-by-step instructions for designing custom shirts, a free printable that can be used to recreate my look, and links for clothing items that are similar to mine!! Easy enough for anyone to do!

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Now before we get into the t-shirt crafting, here are some tips that can help you create a look you will LOVE!

Note: This article provides instructions for making a Barbie shirt, but that is the only DIYed part of the costume.

Tips for Creating a Barbie Halloween Costume

• Try to match your pinks – Barbie is known for her iconic hot pink style! Because of this, it is natural for your Barbie costume to incorporate elements with that vibrant color. However, not all pinks are made equal. It’s totally ok to have light and hot pink in the outfit, but otherwise try to have shades look similar!
• Thrift what you can – Thrifting is a great way to collect pieces for a costume since it is generally more cost effective and environmentally conscious that purchasing new. If you can reuse items or get them for cheap, it can make costume building that much easier!!
• Don’t be afraid of sparkles – Barbie stands out because of her confidence and bold style. Sparkles are a great way to embrace that part of her personality! Add a little sparkle here and there to really make here SHINE!
• Select items you’ll wear again – My suggestion is to either create a costume that you will want to wear again and again or simply invest it items you can reuse. This helps to reduce waste and maximize the value of the items you buy/make to go with the costume.
• When in doubt, size up! – Because new clothing items can shrink more easily, it’s better to air on the side of caution. It never hurts to size up.
• Consider your Halloween activities – When planning your Halloween costume, consider things such as how much you’ll be walking, the temperature/weather, and costume tightness. This will help you select items that you can be comfortable in all night long as you hangout with friends, collect candy, and maybe even see something spooky!

Adding A Design to An Item of Clothing

The process of adding a custom design to a shirt is actually really simple! Anyone could do it!

1. Create A Design: Simply start by digitally creating a design (or using the one I’ve made for you below)! You could use any type of design software, but I used Canva. If you plan to add the design to a dark fabric, make it so that the design reads left to right. If transferring to a light fabric, mirror the image. When you like the design, save it in high quality resolution as an image or pdf.

2. Print the Design: The shirt design needs to be printed on transfer paper, which can be found at any local craft store or online. Just double check to ensure that you purchase one that suits the lightness or darkness of your fabric. When you’re ready to print, place a sheet of transfer paper in the printer, so that the image will print on the correct side. Then, print the image. Wait about 30 minutes after printing the image before transferring it.

3. Prepare to transfer the image: Designs are transferred to the fabric through heat from a clothing iron. Prep the iron by removing any water, plugging it in, and allowing it to heat up. Consider the fabric you will be ironing on when selecting which heat level to use on the iron. In most cases, the cotton setting works great. While the iron heats up, cut out your image from the transfer paper. I chose to leave a white border (about 1/4 inch) around the Barbie letters on mine, but you can remove that if you prefer. Then, place a wooden cutting board ( do not use your counter or an ironing board) underneath your clothing item, iron the surface you’ll add your design to, and carefully remove the backing of the heat transfer paper.

4. Iron on the Design: Place a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your design over the cut-out transfer paper design. Arrange it so that the design is layed flat on the clothing item with the parchment on top. When you’re ready, use the hot iron to iron over the parchment paper. If the design is about 1/2 the side of a transfer sheet, go over it for 30-45 seconds. If it’s a full size sheet, iron it for 60-90 seconds. Remove the parchment paper, allow it to cool, and them enjoy your new shirt!

Link for Printing this file:

^ This link is completely free to use and has this Barbie shirt design for both a light or dark fabric heat transfer!!

Pointers for Creating Your Designed Shirt: 

• Buy the Correct Transfer Paper: There are different types of transfer paper for light vs. dark fabrics. Make sure to choose the correct one and follow it’s specific instructions. The processes of application are slightly different. 
• READ the Instructions: Be sure to double check the instructions on your transfer paper or read over my instructions above. This will ensure that that process is completed successfully!
• Iron Without Steam: Steam can make it difficult for the design to adhere to the fabric. Remove all water from the iron before using it on the transfer paper and fabric. 
• Washing & Maintenance: After adding the t-shirt design, wash it inside-out in cold water and allow it to hang dry. And don’t use any fabric softener while washing since this may cause the transfer to fade, crack, or peel.

Barbie-tastic Amazon Finds

As mentioned earlier, the only part of this costume that I actually made myself was the shirt. The other items I either already had or borrowed from friends. However, here are some links from Amazon that can help you re-create my look!

• Hot Pink Bandana – Bandanas are a relatively simple and inexpensive way to add Southern charm to your Cowgirl Barbie costume!
• Pink Heart Shaped Sunglasses – Though these aren’t the most functional sunnies, they sure do look cute! The perfect flare for a fashion icon such as Barbie.
• Black and Pink Barbie Shirt – Don’t feel like making your own designed iron on shirt? Amazon has a nice variety you can choose from to skip the crafting.
• White Cowgirl Hat – Whether you leave it white or bedazzle it, a cowgirl hat is a necessity for this Halloween costume!
• Barbie Jewelry – These jewelry items are nice, because they showcase symbols like the Barbie name and figure head.
• Sparkly Jewel Ankle Boots – These heeled boots might not be the most practical for Trick-or-treating or walking long distances, but when have Barbie’s outfits ever been practical?! These will fit “Barbie feet” just perfectly.
• Hot Pink Pants – I got my hot pink pants off of Shein a long time ago and unfortunately don’t have a link for them! However, you could try Amazon’s flare jeans or these flare yoga pants.

I hope that this tutorial helps you embrace your inner Barbie and create a fun costume. After all, aren’t we all “a Barbie girl in the Barbie world”?! This DIY is something that truly anyone can do and make work on pretty much any budget. Soooooooo….”Come on Barbie let’s go party” for Halloween!

And if you need more Barbie inspo, check out these Barbie party ideas!

More Halloween Costume Inspo

And if you’re looking for reasonable DIY Halloween costumes, check out our collections below!

• DIY Halloween Costumes
• Family Halloween Costumes
• Group and Couples Costumes
• DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig
• Easy Trunk or Treat Monster Tutorial

Don’t Leave Just Yet

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties, but you still want to help your guests have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!