Halloween Ideas: Costumes

A couple months ago, I started using a website called Pintrest.  Pintrest is like a digital pin board, where you can store bookmarks to all the great things you want to remember on the web.  They are all stored with an image from the page you bookmark, so you end up with a collection of great pictures, showing all the things you love. Or, you can collect images other people have posted.

One of my collections is Halloween.  Here are some of the costumes I've found:

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

Gold Velvet

For the Renaissance Festival this year, I made Dan a new doublet and hat.  The night before we went.  So, the finishing details were a little rushed, and I left off all the flaps around the bottom of the vest.  I just happened to have some pretty awesome gold velvet, and some gold and blue fabric to line part of the vest and the hat.  The back of the vest got some basic brown.

I saw a bunch of the same doublet at the fair the next day, which was fun for me.  It seems this pattern (Simplicity 4059) is a popular one for the Renaissance Festival.  Dan enjoyed it at the fair.  Emily and Tabitha have also enjoyed it as well.

Renaissance Festival

While Grandma Boling was visiting, we went to the Renaissance Festival, up in Holly Michigan.  They have been operating for many, many years, and have permanent structures.  Dan and I have gone every year since we got married (except for last year).

2007 Just Married

2008 Pregnant with Emily

This year, unfortunately, the only picture I got at the fair was of Emily at the playground.  There were a couple little houses; she loved the purple one. It DID go with her dress.

Yesterday we put our costumes back on to get pictures.
 

 

Unfortunately, my mother-in-law is on vacation, and Dan works in the evening, when his dad would be home.  So Dan held the camera for our family shot.

Tabitha's costume

Today I finished Tabitha's Halloween costume.  I started it last night, after I realized that the baby shower I had been planning on going to was actually next week.  Oops.  At least I checked when it started before I went, so I didn't show up a week early.

Today I also had a cold, so putting all the finishing touches on Tabitha's Halloween costume was a nice excuse for sitting and watching TV most of the afternoon.  After I spent the morning sewing, of course.

This costumes makes me happy.  And Tabitha is going to look absolutely adorable in it.  I made it from a couple old white T shirts, a yellow T shirt (in my high school's lovely yellow) and a purple sweater.  One of the white T shirts was mine, from my last year of girls camp.  The other shirts I got from my mom; they used to be my brother's.  Or maybe brothers'.  Not sure who exactly owned them originally. 

 

I used the front of the T shirts for the inside of Tabitha's costume; there is batting between the layers in the bottom half.  And I designed the "Learning to walk with the light" T shirt (except the little people all over the letters; that was a committee decision).  So that was pretty neat to include in Tabitha's costume.


I based the legging off of a tutorial I saw at Made By Rae; I believe she has a pattern she is willing to share, but I just winged it.  And thus ended up with leggings that don't cover Tabitha's diaper.  I'm not too worried, since that area will be covered by her overalls.  I also didn't bother with elastic.  Again, because I didn't want to put in that much effort.

I used Tabitha's snow suit as a basis for the overalls and sweater; this gave me the idea to put those pocket things at the end of the sleeve that you can fold over, and then the sleeve ends in a mitt.  It was surprisingly easy.  Easier than finishing the neck seam.  Mostly because I didn't bother pinning the last step.  And I had to do it over.

The hat actually took the longest to make.  I didn't use a pattern, and I had to tweak the seams on the top.  I also embellished it with a face, and hand hemmed the bottom, since it ended up looking better that way, and I had already put on the bill.  And, of course, I had to attach the bow.  The eyes are made of felt and buttons covered in black fabric.  Since I did not have two black buttons that match.  My black buttons are all the ones you get with clothing, in case you lose one.  I really like the way they turned out.

Emily's Halloween costume

So, I've been bouncing an idea for Halloween costumes for the girls around in my head for quite some time: Minnie and Daisy.  A couple days ago I was trolling on Etsy (a website where you can sell handmade items) and I found this:

[etsy shop]

Emily and I both liked it.  I just happened to already have some red tulle, and I set out to make a red Minnie tutu for Emily. With some of the leftover tulle I whipped up a hair bow.

Tabitha very kindly modeled the tutu and bow for me

Of course, half of the cuteness of the original tutu was the white polka dots, so, I got out my white felt and added some of that as well.

Now all we need is some black leggings and a red shirt.

And I need to make Tabitha a duck costume.  This is going to be awesome.

Catching Up . . .

So I haven't been able to think of anything to post. Coincidentally, I also haven't been transferring my pictures onto my computer from my camera for a while. So, here are some things I (might have) posted:

Halloween Party
Emily went to her very first party! One of the sisters in the ward has a annual baby/toddler/little kid halloween party. Emily went as a fairy. Here she is trying out her costume before hand.Her second cousin, Owen, went as a caveman. He was very cute.Emily als0 got to hang out with her partner in crime, Eli. Eli is only a couple months older than Emily. They hang out a church together, and Eli's mom babysits for me sometimes.

Read Read
That afternoon of the Halloween Party, Emily and I went to pick up Daddy at his work. She played at a little end table they have in a corner of their waiting room. There was a pamphlet or newsletter on it, and she looked at it and said "re re." Probably just a coincidence, but oh so cute.

So big!I hung Emily's growth chart on her nursery wall. Here is a picture of her standing next to it:At that time (mid November) she was 28 inches tall by the growth chart. Now it says she is 30 inches tall! She is busy growing. In related news, she now has ankles (she used to have very chubby legs) and a neck (still a short neck, though).

Just Like Hallie!
Hallie and her parents came to Indianapolis in November so Hallie's dad, Devin, could run a marathon. (The rest of Dan's out-of-town family came too.) Emily loved having Hallie stay with us. She now loves her penguin and monkey, because Hallie did. Before Hallie showed her how fun they were, she would ignore them.

Here they are, hanging out at the mall, dancing to the music: I also snapped a picture of Dan's sister, Amy. She is due a couple days after Emily's birthday.


Sunbonnet Sue
So, I was going through stuff in my room, and I found my pioneer bonnet. I had to snap a picture of Emily in it. She did not like it.