Halloween Costumes

This year costumes were MUCH easier. And good thing too. I don't think I could have pulled another sewing marathon this year. (Apparently even though I was able to finish the costumes on time this year, it was too much to have me blog about them in anything close to a timely manner!)

Claire wanted to be a penguin again this year, so she made it easy on me! Last year's costume still fit, so I took the opportunity to add the elastic here and there and stitch a few things closed that I didn't get around to last year.


Scott wanted to be a "scary mummy." I wasn't so sure about the scary part, but I was game for the mummy part. (I don't think a four year old with buck teeth and enormously long dark lashes can be scary even if he tries anyway... Unless you count being scary-skinny because he refuses to eat anything. And really really pale because he is my son.)

If you're wondering about construction on this mummy one, here's the deal (if not, feel free to skip ahead):
I used a long-sleeved white t-shirt and I sewed a pair of basic (pajama pattern in fact) elastic waist white pants with leftover fabric. Then I bought several yards of unbleached muslin. I tore the muslin into approximately 3 inch wide strips the length of the muslin. Then I quickly hand stitched along the top of the strips to attach them onto the shirt and pants. I just wound it around and around, making sure to overlap. Don't think quality hand-stitching here. I'm crazy, but not THAT crazy. Just rough and very long running stitch. Every time I stopped and started a strip I left a little hanging down to give it that disheveled look. In order for the shirt to fit over his head, I stretched it and pinned it around the neck and then made sure to sew it very loosely there. I started there and then did the chest. On the chest I didn't wrap around but rather zig-zagged back and forth until I got below the armpits. Then I made sure the wrapping a the shoulders covered the folded edges. Other than that, I worked up from the hands, up from the bottom of the shirt and up from the feet. I sewed a few of the longer ends into random places to complete the "not too perfect look." Because looking messy should always be premeditated, right?

Kate wore a little kimono that used to belong to M's mom when she was a little girl. Let's see if I get this story right. I believe it goes that M's mom was born in Japan while her father was there with the military. She was wearing this little kimono when she returned to the states.

The only thing I did was make a fake little obi (belt) using some leftover scraps of fabric, velcro, and cardboard from a graham cracker box.

I don't have photos, but M and I wore some recycled costumes from a few years ago. We were "The Track Team" or "Run-Over Runners." Basically we just wore running clothes with a t-shirt that had a large black tire track up the front. We continued the tire track onto our faces with black face paint.


Our main Halloween celebration this year was a party at church. Here are a few highlights:

Claire, I don't think that's the conventional way for penguins to catch fish...


Kate pretty much didn't stop moving the entire evening...



Except while she was on the "hay ride."