Halloween Costuming

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Autumn is my favorite season, and I love the costumes. Plus, what other holiday do you happily open your door (repeatedly) to complete strangers and give them something? Each year I end up making one costume. This year Anais wants to be Enchantress (she's a green clad villain in the Thor world). So, while I struggle to make a mini bustier for my kid (ha ha - she's getting straps, even if they are clear!), I thought I'd share last year's costume for Anais: Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon (she likes those strong women types).

I loved the way it turned out with the exception of the pink Velcro on the arm pieces. Yeah, that was a mistake. But, I found out the Halloween parade at the school was in a day or two (a week before Halloween), and I had yet to finish (er... start?) the arm pieces... so it was a late night and all I had in my sewing stash was PINK velcro. Ah well. It didn't show a lot of the time (though it does in that photo). She had to wear the costume over regular clothes for school to take the costume off after the parade... so the black tee-shirt isn't part of the outfit.

The biggest challenge was the shoulder armor - and it ended up my favorite part. I lucked out when I found Knight helmets at the Dollar Store with those visors - once I pried them from the hat/helmet, they were the perfect shape as a base (no chicken wire needed!). I papier mached (nothing fancy - just water and flour) over those. Strips of paper for the bands. I found for the spikes, I had best control and the finer detail over laundry lint instead of shredded paper (who knew that bag of lint by the dryer would come in handy?). Once it dried, I used a silver metallic and black watery paint  - a couple messy coats.

The skulls on her shoulders and skirt I made out of Sculpty clay. After I cooked them, I soaked them in coffee for a couple of days.  It was a lot of little projects, but I just had so much fun with it.

Another ModKid Pattern

Well, since we're on the topic of ModKid, here is another one I love. I haven't sewn this one for a while, but it's on my list again for the fall. The long sleeve version is my favorite since the sleeve has a nice flare. It's the ModKid Kyoko Pattern ... and the fabric is even by Patty Young (though that wasn't intentional).

Like the Frida dress, this went together very easily. I used pre-made bias tape, and didn't do all the strips on the bottom - as I rather liked just the one fabric pattern. One lesson learned was on the obi sash. I used a less expensive satin ribbon that I had on hand (gotten from a clearance bin) for the ties. After a few washings, the ribbon broke and shredded. It isn't hard to make the obi again, but I always hate having to repair something like that.

The nice thing is that this was one of the first things I made, and she's really worn this since. The cut of the top is very roomy since you cinch it together with the sash. So, really it is just the length. So, it started out as a dress, and now it is a tunic. The sleeves are a little short, but in the fall, it is perfect. Definitely recommend the pattern, and I've got the fabric picked out for the next version of this one (after I do her Halloween costume, of course! Need to get started on that).

A Glance Back

I started sewing a few years ago, and it quickly became a passion... well, obsession, really. So, since I have to start somewhere with this blog,  I will share some of my favorite things I've sewn in the past few years.

My Frida dress... well my daughter's. The pattern is by the Frida Dress by ModKid. The fabric is a Frida Kahlo fabric that I just absolutely LOVE. I believe it is by Alexander Henry. I wish I had splurged on more than a yard. A mistake I often made when I first started buying fabric.

 

I had a hard time getting a good photo of the entire dress. She sat down and I didn't get a good view as full length. Ah well. The pattern went together well, though. I've only sewn 2 ModKid patterns, but both were easy to follow, good photographs and directions, and a nicely designed dress. I chose to cap the sleeve, as I think the un-elasticized version juts out a little too dramatically. I was happy with the way it turned out, so happy with my decision. The dress is roomy too - so she's grown and it still fits.