I suppose it's time for Auntie Dy's Halloween Costume Tips. Last year, Auntie Dy focused on the absolute absurdity of the Occasional Seamstress (being one who only sews occasionally, and not quite well, at that) having the lack of foresight, or sense, to think that modification of a costume is "easy".
This year, Auntie Dy wants a stiff drink and a funny movie. This year's tip has more to do with motivation than with technique.
It is six o'clock, and she has just finished stapling (yes, stapling) the velcro onto her middle child's "meat-eating dinosaur" costume. (Of course it's modified... it was a cute playful fleece dragon pattern, according to the cover. Well, now it's made of lizard pleather, and it's a big-scary-meat-eater). Zorak The Costumeless One (I did offer to make him a great billowy pirate shirt and tight britches, but he thought that was just a little weird... probably something to do with the accent I used or the gleam in my eye) is now out with The Doctor (didn't have time to write "NMD" on his little scrubs, but we think of him that way), and The Dalmation (gotta really appreciate friends whose children are just a year's size older than yours!) and The Freshly Minted Dinosaur, canvassing the neighborhood, searching for goodies.
As I came flying down the hall wearing a pleather helmet with overstuffed spikes flowing down the back, carrying extra velcro in my teeth and bearing a limp dinosaur with one humongous tail protruding from the side, I swore under my breath that this is the last year I will ever make costumes! Ever! As I kicked the appallingly determined scraps of fleece which clung to my foot and removed a strip of velcro from one of the helmet spikes (a strip of velcro I'd spent a good twenty minutes trying to find), I was thinking that I would rather undergo liposuction that do this again.
I'm not organized enough! I'm not talented enough! The meat-eating dinosaur looks like a very good example of mid-extinction dinosaurs. If it were a fossil, archaeologists would be plotting one another's untimely deaths to get their lab tests on this thing. I'm not a seamstress! This isn't "my thing"!
Then John put it on.
He spun around and looked it over.
He took my face in his hands.
He kissed my nose
and told me that this is the best costume in the whole wide world.
Yup.
I wonder what we'll make next year?
Happy Halloween, all! Kiss those babies!
~Dy
6 comments:
ROFLOL!!! That was a fun after-Halloween blog!
Dy, I love sewing (as if you didn't know that) and I had the most miserable time with costumes this year. Those things were such a pain I was about to swear off sewing! They weren't hard, they were just... time consuming and I was feeling icky.
I am burnt on sewing at the moment and I have a ton of Christmas sewing to do.
However, I know I will do the same thing next year - only hopefully minus the morning (afternoon, evening) sickness.
You have a whole year to recover so relax!
Cheryl (a.k.a. Konk)
A couple of years ago I made a bat costume. Out of black fur. The cheapest black fur I could find. Did you know that cheap black SHEDS? Do you know that cheap black fur looks hideous all over beige carpeting?
It was ALSO my PMS week. For my first cycle post partum.
Yep.
And I was still nursing, so I had to forgo the stiff drink.
We have bought costumes at Wal-Mart ever since. We had a Ninja, a cat, and Spiderman this year.
Staci
Oh, Dy, I have one word for you (well, two actually) THRIFT SHOPS! That's where I have found costumes in previous years. The last time I made costumes, I made butterfly costumes that were hooded capes made of felt. Here in Canada, I always prepare for a cold Trick or Treat season. I had to cut out bunches of circles and shapes to decorate the butterfly wings, and each had to be zig-zagged and it was a lot of work. I had such a crick in my neck; took me days to recover. I was rewarded by my youngest who wore his costume every day after that for about a week, and even slept in it. I'm sure that kiss on the nose was a great reward.
Guys, you crack me up!
Cheryl~ Yes, it was the time consumption. I think I'm going to stick w/ crochet for making gifts for Christmas- I can be in the same room with the boys, AND I can read while I do it. I was exiled in that room for two days, and hated it!
Staci~ I've also made the mistake of using the *really cheap fur*. It was a beautiful Royal Queen's Robe for a friend's dd... and I was blowing white tufty things out my nose for a week.
Kim~ Thrift Stores are something I miss terribly. We have one here in our county, and that's it. It's a voc rehab type organization for the developmentally disabled, and I was so excited to be able to use it, as that's a passion of mine... Evidently they do things very differently out here. For only $75, you can buy a lovely two-drawer night table that's been "repaired" by the clients... with duct tape and magic marker. Drawers taped on, top veneer taped back on, and even the handles taped on. That was pretty consistent w/ the other items they offered. Not quite what I expected, and haven't been back since. *shrug*
The boys will wear their outfits until at least Thanksgiving. Then it may get a bit sporadic, but they'll probably enjoy them well into the Lenten season. :-) So, yes, definitely worth doing.
Dy
Oh you are SO talented!!! Your kids will look back on these years fondly and realize all the sweat, tears, and literal blood that went into doing this for them. And they will have you do your 9 grandchildrens costumes too...MUUUHAHAHAHAHA j/k! I'm serious, they will know how much trouble you went to to make them unique. :-) If you need to take a break next year, that's OK too, they are still little. As they get older they will get more complex and before you know it Zorak will be having to do some woodworking for their costumes...rofl
I want to see pictures! Just remember how quickly God lets us forget the pain of childbirth, maybe sewing costumes is the same way. ;-)
Hugs, I'm proud of you!
Jess (who thinks you should still make Zorak the pirate outfit - for Valentines day..rofl!)
That is an absolutely precious moment!
Note to self: ask Auntie Dy for more costume tips next year.
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