Costumes 2011

I've noticed this time around that in all the crafty blogs I read, there are basically two types of costume-makers. One type loves it, and goes all out with the details, all homemade, etc. And then there are the others, who make it as quickly and cheaply as they can, as they figure their kids will only wear it once or twice. I am definitely in the first camp. I want my girls to have nice (read: durable! comfortable! well-sewn and nice materials and not going to fall apart!) costumes, and I don't mind it at all if that means I have to make it all myself, even if it doesn't save me tons of money (though it can definitely save me some). My girls dress up all the time--I would honestly guess at least 5 days of the week. The costumes they've had for the last few years are literally being torn to shreds. (And yes, that literally is being used correctly.) If I can make them cute, durable costumes that I know they'll wear for a while, I am all about putting in the time and effort to do so. I don't just put their costumes in a box in the garage when the holiday is over, either. They go straight into the costume box for play. And they're played with constantly. The time is a worthwhile investment to me (especially since they turn out so much more durable), and I really do enjoy thinking of ways to make the costumes even more special for my girls, little details that I know they'll appreciate.

So, that being said... here are the girls' costumes, in all their glory. The two older girls chose their own costumes this year, and Cailin's was ultimately my decision, influenced heavily by her interests. :)

Robo-Cailin:
We all know that Cailin already does an adorable robot. About the same time I discovered that, I was contemplating what she should be for halloween, when it hit me. :) I absolutely love the way this costume came out. I couldn't actually find a costume image to even work off of, so this was all my own creation. I got inspiration from these different robot images and stuffies. The gages turned out great, and I love the hood, even though she has very little interest in actually wearing it.
It is actually a square(ish, actually technically a rectangular prism?) with a hood inside to help it stay on her head. It's interfaced to give it stability and to keep it square. I seriously love that it actually worked. I wasn't sure it would up until it was attached. I also love her arms and pants. Yes, those are strips of fleece sewn together. I just love the color and playfulness of them.

Pink Bunny Janey:

Janey's costume, pre-ears. We just used a headband set of ears for that, and the ability to put them through the costume was my last minute addition, at Janey's request (I want pink ears, mom! Not white ears, pink!). And yes, I did make this hoodie. Out of fleece. It's perfect for our cooler evenings, and for the days too, since Janey's been sick. Don't be surprised if you just see more of these showing up, sans-costume attachments. They're comfy, and simple.

And what would a bunny be without a tail? Again, I was going to go with the even-bigger white one JoAnn's had, but Janey insisted on the pink. Now what to do with the blue, green, yellow, and white ones also from the package?

And Wicked Witch Breanne:

(Hi again, Hazel. See how this cat is always trying to steal the show? But I guess a good witch needs a cat?)

While everyone else hemmed and hawed about what they wanted to be for Halloween, Breanne has known for months that she wanted to be a witch. With a black dress, with some orange. And orange hair. And warts on her face. So, a quick trip to the fabric store later, we had this combination. And yes, the bodice is lined, and has a zipper. But no, it's not reversible. :) For the final edition of the dress, I actually folded and sewed the waistband sash more nicely and tacked it down in the front, and added some belt loops on the sides. It looks a lot neater than these pictures, but I don't feel like waiting to take more pictures before I put this post up. You can see it better in the last post about all our activities.

I really loved the combinations of fabric on this dress. The spiderweb stuff on the bottom was my favorite part, Breanne liked the sparkly black on top (and underneath the skirt). The tulle sleeves and sash were my idea, but Breanne gladly welcomed them. She wanted desperately to be an evil witch. I was worried that she'd be sad when she realized all her girl classmates were princesses, but she still seemed to absolutely love her costume. Well, except for the part where her broom fell apart, but I guess that's what we get for spending $2.50 on a decorative broom and sending it to kindergarten. :)

So there you have it. :) I spent a couple hours on each costume--Janey's and Breanne's were really pretty quick, coming together in maybe 3-4 hours. Cailin's took longer, but mostly just because I was afraid of making the hood, because I didn't feel like going to the fabric store again to buy more fabric and interfacing if it didn't work out. That being said, I did complete pretty much all of it on Wednesday, so it didn't actually take that much longer than the other two. It did require some hand sewing (on the gages) though, which I am TERRIBLY slow at, so that added an hour to it all. All in all, though, absolutely worth it. I love all three costumes this year, and am absolutely proud to say that I made them. I don't feel like I'm making excuses for how they look at all. And most importantly, the girls love them, too, and feel like they got exactly what they asked for. When I can't completely please them all the time, I'm glad to give them this one thing. :) Happy Halloween indeed!

BTW, I'm linking up to AmyLouWho's sew'n'tell again, as well as a few others. :)

Sneak Peek

Costumes are *almost* finished. And none too soon, as we have parties galore this entire weekend, starting tomorrow. One for Janey's class, one with our playgroup, one for Breanne's class-with a parade-, one for our ward-a whole fall festival!-with a trunk-or-treat, and finally trick-or-treating on Halloween itself on Monday. Wahoo!
I don't have full pictures of the costumes yet, but here are a few teasers--one from each costume.

Breanne--

Janey--

Cailin--

Ariel in the Pink Dress

So... I was seriously planning on buying costumes for my girls for Halloween this year. Don't get me wrong, I love to sew. I'm just not quite good enough at clothing yet.

Breanne, on the other hand, had different ideas. When I asked her a few weeks ago what she wanted to be for Halloween, she very specifically requested to be Ariel, in her pink dress (she wears it to dinner, when she thinks the fork is a dinglehopper, in case you're trying to remember it). Her response has not varied in the slightest every time I've asked her since then. So, I looked around a bit for the costume, but it's difficult to find such a specific costume for a reasonable amount of money (read--I can't find it anywhere but on Etsy, cheapest I've seen is $240...what!?!). And so... I am now making costumes. Yes, costumes with an "s," because Janey now also wants to be Ariel in the pink dress. Only sometimes Janey's Ariel dress involves purple, too... we'll see what she ends up with. :) In the meantime, I've pretty much finished Breanne's dress--I may add some more trim (it's actually supposed to have some white around the collar and waist, as well as a lace-ish bottom), but if it doesn't get done, it will work as is. I tried to get a decent picture, but someone couldn't stop twirling around the living room in it, so this is what I got:





It's not perfect (obviously), but I wanted to make it big, so she can play in it for a while. Also, the fabric, while slightly stretchy, is not overly so, and I wanted her to be able to get in and out of it with ease. I can't decide if I should figure out something for the shoulder part to make it poofier, or if I should just leave it alone... The important part is that she loves it, which she does. Now I just need to get working on Janey's. :)

P.S. Not sure if you noticed my KCWC button on the side--this week is the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge, and this has been my project for days 1-3. I want to sew some actual clothes for the rest of the week... but we'll see. I feel like I need to get Janey's costume done, too, so she doesn't feel left out. :/