The Halloween Tree: Crafty Costumes!

Halloween is always a painful reminder of the one skill that I wish I had, but sadly do not and will never possess....sewing. But never fear, all is not lost on the costume front because I am industrious and willful when it comes to accomplishing something I set my mind to. So I have come to fancy myself as the McGyver of Halloween Costume Construction....armed with liquid hem, safety pins, string, glue and anything else laying around the house! That's all the ingredients that were needed to conjure up some costumes for my chitlins through the years. My only requirement and self-imposed expectation was that they had to somehow manage to stay in one piece until All Hallow's Eve drew to a close.

I will not lie and say that my kids have come away from my costuming endeavors unscathed. For it is true that they have endured the occasional pricking of a safety pin into their flesh, or allergic reaction to some make-shift adhesive, and possibly even a mild case of chaffing and heat stroke on particularly hot October eves down here in Florida. But I say...no pain, no gain...nothing great ever comes easy. And besides...temporal discomfort beats showing up at school and parties with the same over-done mask and boxed costume as three other kids....right?! Alas, I have been quite pleased with my efforts to add that lil' spark of something special to their Halloween celebrations over the years, and the kids love being a part of the process. Which is just another great thing I love about my favorite holiday!

So I thought the Halloween Countdown would be the perfect time and place to share some of my 'not so handy' mad creation skills. And in hopes that I can inspire even the most 'sewing-challenged' among you to give 'homemade' costumes a try...I can also attest that my kids have even miraculously won a few costume contests along the way too! Who would have thunk it??! So you'll be emboldened to know that ineptitude and total lack of viable skills....are no opposition to imagination, determination, a little magic, and the love of Hallowe'en! :o) So, do any of you hand make your family's Halloween costumes too....or am I the only inept and deranged glutton for punishment?

Still can't believe I actually sewed this Mermaid outfit myself. She couldn't do anything but sit with her legs out straight, ha...but it was perfect because she couldn't walk yet anyway, and she never crawled at all before she walked. So it worked, and she won the baby costume prize at a Halloween party we went to!

I created this Cat in the Hat costume with a few individual store bought items, some felt and safety pins. But my most favorite part was the clever little fish in the plastic fish bowl idea. I enlarged an illustration of the fish from the book, glued him on the inside of the plastic bowl, drilled some holes in the fish bowl, and tied on some rope. Then she used it as her candy holder while trick or treating. And she won the costume contest too. It was that fish bowl that sealed the deal!

I think I'm most proud of this Scarecrow costume because it was a lot of work and turned out so cute! I actually managed to figure out how to sew straw onto the collar, cuffs and bottoms of those overalls...denim is tough and raffia is a pain...but the end result was worth it and it didn't itch like real straw! I can sew as long as it's mostly in a straight line, but it takes me about 2 days to read the instructions on how to run the sewing machine before I can even proceed. I'm not a big fan of sewing, but I sure wish I knew how!

Yep the Scarecrow outfit held up well and was unisex....so I saved it and made my son wear it a few years later. My favorite part was the big realistic looking crow sitting on the straw hat...everyone really loved that little detail! In fact, I think I am really more a detail girl anyway...someone else can sew the main outfit, and then I'll come along and add in all the details! I need a costume design partner to work with.

Cave Boys and Girls! I decided I was going to go for a duo costume choice this time, so I didn't have to create 2 different costumes. The cave kid idea was the perfect choice, and easy to do! I also didn't feel like undertaking another sewing attempt, so I just cut out rudimentary patterns ala Fred Flintstone, and safety pinned those frocks together like a mad woman. They actually held up well too, with the exception of some minor injurious pokes and pricks of the pins here and there!

Okay...so I don't sew or do costume make-up well either. Here, they are a French Mime, a Blonde Vampire which is just ridiculous, and their friend the Zombie. This was obviously not my finest hour for costume design or make-up and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But they did color coordinate nicely, so at least there's that!

So last but not least...here my son was a Witch Doctor and I bought that gauzy suit from the store and added skeletons, skulls, teeth and makeup. And he actually looked pretty cool. My niece is on the left and she was a Zombie Princess. Her Mom had been practicing on the head wounds and rotting flesh for weeks, and she did a great job to. But my niece's immersion into the character with the deadpan expression and zombie walk was hysterical....ain't Halloween fun?!!