yes, weeks later. Hey, I never said I’d be on the ball here. I really wanted to share the kids costumes this year since I’m an apparent costume snob. It drives me crazy that Halloween costumes are so expensive and yet most are made with crappy, crappy fabric. Especially since I know that some costumes I can make better than what I can buy. Anyway…
In September I asked them what they wanted to be, and told them to think about it for a few days so they would be sure. So help me God, because if I had to make their costumes I need time I told them, and time doesn’t mean 2 days before their classroom Halloween party. We went to the big W place and looked around to start getting idea’s. C was dead set on being a pirate, A was torn between being a horse (ok, I can do that) and a princess possibly snow white, B wanted to be something from Star Wars, and K would be anything we decided to dress her up as. We found the white storm trooper (?) (ya’ll know I’m wrong it was probably not a storm trooper. I don’t pay attention during movies.) which B said that he wanted to be. OK. Now I bought the costume and we went home… see where this is going? Yeah. me too. cause it was way to easy, and I knew he wasn’t as happy as he should be.
a week or two after we bought the white star wars-whatever costume B fessed up that he would rather be a sith. But a good one (which I think is a Jedi, but I really have no idea), not a bad one like Darth Maul. You have no idea how bloody confused I was, am still am. There is so much about Star Wars that I have no idea about. Really I think he is picking out his costumes based on the weapon that goes with it. He didn’t want to be Anakin or the other guy from the first (or do they call it the forth one now?) movie, Hans Solo (I think, all I remember is that the character was played by Harrison Ford and he was so hot in that movie.) He wanted his own set of Jedi robes. I looked around for a costume, looked in local stores and online. Now the costume snob in me came out. I have a *really* hard time buying a $40 costume when its made out of crappy thin polyester crap. Yep double crap. Its even harder to do so when I know that I can make a better one for less. Abi came to my rescue with this link on how to make a Jedi robe, and with a brown flat bed sheet and a few yards of off white muslin I was on my way. Best thing is this pattern is exactly what I love, no real measurements just winging it. I did make B’s robe a little short by double folding the hem so he wouldn’t trip over it while we where out trick-or-treating, I let out the hem the next day so its long, billowy and very Jedi like. We took full advantage of K being unable to decide and/or tell us what she wanted to be for Halloween.
so we dressed her up as Yoda. Robe is just like B’s, I used a pair of K’s pjs to figure out the measurements, the arms are short because I ran out of fabric. Hat is raveled here. I used this pattern with some Lion Brand fisherman’s wool that I dyed with kool-aid a few years ago. I had to use some leftover cascade 220 for the ties that ended up getting cut off because K wouldn’t allow them to be tied. Following the pattern authors advise, the ears where stiffened using watered down white glue, they took three days to freaking dry. Thank goodness I thought about this a week before hand, small miracle in itself. Now A decided that she didn’t want to be a horse, she wanted to be a princess. We talked her into Snow White. I purchased her costume from Disney’s website, it was a really good price and is very well made. Even though every time she wears it freaking gold glitter ends up everywhere.
C still wanted to be a pirate, and again my costume snob came out. I couldn’t find a pirate costume that was 1. appropriate 2. not expensive and made from crap and 3. again with the appropriate for a 10 year old. Turning to the internets I found this pattern. Measured my kid and smarty pants me made a practice one out of muslin. Which is a good thing because I had a hell of a time with the waistband and ended up doing my own thing, thanks to what I learned from my practice skirt, and a frantic phone call to my mom. I cut my waistband 2″ longer instead of 1, folded it in half and then sewed it into the skirt leaving the ends open. Basically I made a casing. Then I threaded the elastic through and had my kid try it on, pulled the elastic tight but not too tight, marked it, had the kid take it off, sewed the elastic together where marked and then sewed the ends of the casing shut.
Sounds confusing but it was way easier than what the author wrote to do. And the skirt had give this way, so it can actually go over the thighs, imagine that. I purchased from white and red fabric from Joanns for the pirate skirt, white shirt from my mom embellished by me with red ribbon, wide belt that was never worn with the jeans it came with, black boots, black leggings, red handkerchief and a pirate hat from Kmart. I was going to make a hat but I ran out of time. Thanks flu. I think she makes a pretty cute pirate.
It ended up raining during the morning of Halloween and trick or treating was smack in the middle of K’s nap, Mike stayed home with her while she napped even though it was his turn to walk the kids around. We where pretty lucky that it didn’t rain while we where out, but the kids where done after an hour (trick or treating here is 2 hours long) and ready to go home. I’m still in shock with that one. B is still wearing his Jedi robe constantly. Which makes this momma happy.
the costume snob too.
PS. its been one hellva week here. A came home last friday with head lice. OMG it was hard not to scream when I saw them, instead I resorted to my usual “Crap.” . I’m very paranoid about them and do a quick check when my kids come home, while they are doing their homework. Heck when my older kids where in 2nd grade they don’t have lockers they have a closet, yep, my kids get plastic bags to put there stuff in when A and B get to 4th where the classrooms have closets again they will get plastic bags too. There are four of them people, kids that is. Could you imagine how horrible it would be if they all got it?? My mother says I’m this way because she must have traumatized me when I had it as a kid. I think that 1. its traumatizing no matter what and 2. I don’t want them again, even if it was 20 years ago that I had them last. I have never done this much laundry in so many days in my life. The dryer didn’t stop till yesterday, and my van is finally sparkly clean. (people I vacuumed everything, couches, mattresses, chairs, car seats everything that might have possibly been touched or been near. I realize this maybe a bit overboard but this is the only way I can sleep) I haven’t found another nit on her head yet (I’m checking twice a day, when she wakes up and when she comes home from school. She shares a locker with another kid. Who when I called her mom to let her know {I was worried if that kid had it and the mom didn’t know my kid would get it again} the mom said “oh I didn’t know they shared lockers.” Srsly, you did. Open house, your kid told you lady.) The one thing that has been bothering me is… What happened to the one louse that laid the nits, where did that one go? *shiver* I think if I call my sil again to check my head she’s going to kill me.
PPS. I’m really proud of this, before the head lice drama I replaced the dryer vent the cats had ripped. Mike forgot to do this when he was home. After I was finished I only hurt myself twice and required one band aid.
PPPS Mike had to tighten the clamps up when he got home because I couldn’t get the one screw to tighten down. I sorta gave up after I stabbed myself in the hand with the screwdriver. Apparently I don’t screw well.
PPPPS. I’m still really proud of myself for fixing it, even though I didn’t really…
Mistress Stash Enhancer 