Thursday, October 29, 2015

Pat On The Back




Today I am happy as a lark, because I can CLEAN UP MY SEWING ROOM.

And I can clean up my sewing room because I am done using it.

And I am done using it because I have finished all the Halloween costumes.

Tralalalala!

And I didn't even freak out, or have my annual mental breakdown procrastinate, and I even answered the phone when the telemarketers called and spoke to their recorded messages just for the fun of it.

How interesting it is to have a day to spare before Halloween! What a quaint notion - not panicking or last-minuting or improvising. I hardly knew what to do with myself today, and kept feeling guilty that I wasn't at my sewing machine. Is this how other regular, well-organized moms feel, who are lucky enough to buy their kids' costumes, or who are sufficiently farsighted to begin handmaking them in July?

Wow! I could get used to this.

So I finished my costumes a day ahead of time (we need them tomorrow for school parties); to what do I attribute this bizarre turn of events?

Answer: the fact that none of my children wanted to be glittery this year.

See, glitter/sparkle/princess/mermaid/fairy + Minnesota = death by sewing.

People who live in Texas and other such lovely unwinter states can literally whip up a sparkly princess costume in a single gossamer layer and then kick back on their porch swings and down wine while watching their kids frolic in the perfect-temperature sunset an entire week before Halloween.

In Minnesota, though, we diligently monitor the weather forecasts, make sacrifices to the weather deities and pray for non-snow and non-rain and non-50 mph winds on the 31st, then make multiple-layered dresses with polar fleece and/or design costumes that involve modified RTW sweatsuits. And then sew an additional layer of glitter/sparkle fabric over everything so the children don't feel like they're all going to snag candy as the Michellin Man. We're usually sewing late into the night, way up to Candy Day itself, trying to squeeze all those insulating layers (and that outer bling one) into the same outfit, and then throwing in an extra fleece cloak and a winter parka anyway, just to be safe.

Hilarious.

Unless, of course, your children are unusually kind to you and say they "don't care for princesses this year."

Whoohoo!

I'll wait for the weekend (when the temperature is supposed to get a little better than the rainy 45 F of the past couple days) to take real photos of people wearing this year's costumes.

Today, here are some shots of some of the accessories for Emily's hunting outfit. We bought her jacket and pants (hooray), and all I needed to contribute were a two-way quiver, a faux leather satchel and a long hunting cloak.

The quiver first:

It can be worn the usual way, on the back.

and that back strap can be detached, and a hip adaptor snapped on and threaded onto a belt,

so it can be worn as a hip quiver.

Emily's satchel is a no-frills messenger bag:


The only embellishment is topstitching. 

I'll show you her cloak with the rest of her outfit this weekend.

Before I forget, if you want the free MedHub pattern with your purchase of an Owie Doll kit, you'll need to buy your kit by 31 October (you can email me your proof of purchase anytime, though). I actually have no idea if there are any kits left in stock, because I've been in my sewing cave and not interacting with the world till today, let alone checking sales and so on. But just thought I'd remind you guys, in case you were planning to get one - there are a couple days left to take advantage of that promotion!


6 comments:

  1. Wow! Congratulations! And what a cool satchel and quiver! I'll add my pat to your back, too. And then I may start worrying about this drastic change in you. Or maybe I should ask you to teach me how you did it. The change, I mean. My procrastination is in high gear. You taught me that so well.... ;)

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  2. Congratulations!!! I love the satchel and quiver.

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  3. I love Emily's accessories, I cannot wait to see the rest of the costumes. You are so right... I am always a little envious of people who live in warmer climates, just for Halloween though. I love the snow.

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  4. Those are some beautiful costume elements! Of the variety I would have LOVED as a kid. Where did you find such real-looking fake leather?
    HannahS

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    1. Hannah:
      I got my fake leather at SR Harris. It's actually more fabric than plasticky vinyl, and sews like cloth.

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  5. Great work! I was done at noon on the 31st :p
    Coming from Norway, snow and frost is a real risk when trick-or-treating. I highly recommend wool underwear. It's thin and comes in many different colors (at least around here) and so is easy to hide under most costumes. This year we had a nice, warm 7 degrees Celsius and no extra coats or sweaters were needed ;)

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