Every kid wants to be a pirate. The allure of hunting for treasure, sailing the seven seas, and daring adventures all appeal to a child's heart. Creating a pirate costume for a fancy dress party or for Halloween isn't that difficult. You just need basic clothing that can be bought in thrift shops or charity bazaars. With these easy steps you can learn how to make a pirate fancy dress outfit

1. Pants can be either black or brown. Ask an adult to cut triangles in the bottom of them to make it look like they've been bitten by a shark.

2. Next is the shirt. Try to find one with ruffles or puffy sleeves. If you can't find one, a plain white shirt will do. Just cut off the sleeves, and then cut slits, fold back the cloth to form a V. Sew in place. For added embellishment, sew on some gold painted buttons. If you want a dirty looking shirt, make a tea using T-bags and dip the shirt in it. This works very well with cotton shirts. Rinse the shirt after you have achieved the desired color. You can stick a Jolly Roger sticker to the pocket of the shirt if desired.

3. You will need a sash around the waist. You can use a red scarf twisted or even better a piece of rope.

4. For your eye make a black patch using felt. Cut a piece a little bigger than the eye area. Cut the rubber from a party hat and glue to the ends of the patch for easy wearing. Wear the patch before the bandanna so that the rubber doesn't slip.

5. For a bandanna, use a red scarf folded in a triangle shape. You can use a dotted or a striped scarf. Stick some cross and bone stickers. Alternately for a girl, you can attach some sequins to the edge of the scarf.

6. For a sword cut a cardboard in the shape of a sword. Cover with aluminum foil, glue some gold glitter on the hilt area and glue some crystal beads to resemble jewels. Make a loop using ribbon to wear on the waist.

7. Wear some chunky gold chains and a clip-on earring. You can use a tiny piece of cotton dipped in Vaseline on the back of the ear before clipping the earring to prevent any pain.

8. For make-up use a black liner and draw a mustache. Alternately, you can draw a small skull and bones design on the cheek.