The costume plan fell apart, the store aisles are picked over and nobody in the house owns a sewing machine. Every idea here starts with clothes your kid already has, plus a few basics like felt, duct tape and a hot glue gun. Continue swiping for eight costumes that come together faster than a trip to the store.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Start with: a red T-shirt

The red shirt is the sauce, so hot-glue loose loops of yellow yarn over the shoulders and down the front for noodles. Top it with brown pom-poms or foam balls as meatballs and a sprinkle of white felt scraps for Parmesan.

Rain Cloud

Start with: a gray T-shirt

Slip a piece of cardboard inside the shirt so glue can't soak through, then hot-glue handfuls of pillow stuffing or cotton balls across the front and shoulders. Dangle blue felt or paper raindrops from the hem with ribbon, or let your kid carry an umbrella with drops hanging from the edge.

Bumblebee

Start with: a yellow T-shirt and black leggings

Run strips of black duct tape across the shirt for stripes and twist two pipe cleaners around a headband for antennae. Cut wings from a cereal box or cardboard and attach them to the back with safety pins or loops of duct tape.

Robot

Start with: a cardboard box and aluminum foil

Have an adult cut a head hole and two arm holes in a box that clears your kid's knees, then wrap it in foil and tape the seams. Glue on bottle caps, buttons and construction-paper dials, and slip lengths of flexible dryer vent tubing over the arms if you have some.

Superhero

Start with: a solid T-shirt and leggings

Cut the front panel off an old adult-size T-shirt but leave the collar intact, and the back becomes a cape that slips over your kid's head with no hemming. Snip a mask from felt and staple on elastic, then hot-glue a felt lightning bolt or your kid's first initial to their shirt.

Black Cat

Start with: a black T-shirt and leggings

Hot-glue two felt or cardboard triangles to a headband for ears, and safety-pin a black sock stuffed with other socks to the back of the leggings for a tail. Draw a nose and whiskers with face paint or eyeliner, and swap the ear shape to turn the same setup into a dog or bunny.

Scarecrow

Start with: a plaid shirt and jeans or overalls

Stuff shredded paper or yellow yarn into the cuffs, collar and pockets so it pokes out like straw. Draw stitch marks across the cheeks with face paint or eyeliner, and tape or glue a felt patch onto one knee.

Tourist

Start with: the loudest shirt in the house

This one needs zero crafting: a bright tropical or floral shirt, sunglasses, a sun hat and a camera (a toy one works) around the neck. Add a fanny pack and a folded paper map, and layer a long-sleeve tee and pants underneath if the night is cold.