Craftastic

Let’s Talk about Crafting.

Since I have several years of making costumes under my belt, I thought I’d share a little bit of the know-how I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Say howdy to the Hoodie

Hooded sweatshirts are the single greatest base for Halloween costumes. They are warm but not sweaty, guaranteed to be comfortable and very versatile.  I am a big fan of the child’s face inside the mouth of the costume look.  As seen here:

  

(Dragon from a few years ago modeled by the young master)

Teeth line the inside of the hood and plop a couple of googly eyes on top and viola!  Using this template you can create a wide variety of creatures: dog, cat, mouse, vampire bat, monster, unicorn, dragon, bear, elephant…this list could go on forever.

2. Felt is your Friend

Felt is cheap, forgiving, soft yet not without form and it doesn’t demand hemming – which saves you time and effort.  You can purchase it by the yard for tunics, dresses or jackets,  or by the square for small accessories.

3.  Keep it in Perspective.

If you don’t think it looks quite right, truck right on through. Sometimes what seemed to be a huge mistake when you did it, turns out miniscule when the project is finished.   Don’t forget:  it’s optional! You can always purchase a costume if it doesn’t work out.  In the meantime, allow yourself to have fun with it.

4. Don’t waste money on thread.

Unless I am doing some fancy stitch work, I only use one color of thread on my costumes: white.  Before you start imagining my every mistake showing up in brilliant contrast to the fabric, let me let you in on my little secret: markers.  Once I have finished sewing a piece, I color in the thread with a permanent marker that matches the cloth.  This way I am only purchasing one spool of thread for costumes that contain multiple colors.  Thread goes for about $2 a pop around here so I saved myself $16 dollars through this step alone this year.  (Our costumes contain green/black/blue/white/yellow/orange/red and purple)

5. Check out the thrift store first.

Sometimes a costume needs accessories that are not easily made.  A top hat, cane or some dapper shoes, for example.  Always check out your local thrift stores before heading to the Halloween shop.  It’s also a good place to look for the base of costumes that are not hoodie based – pants, dresses etc can be altered more easily than made from scratch.

That’s pretty much my guidelines each year. I will sketch out what I need to do ahead of time but generally I just jump into it.  I rarely measure other than hanging fabric off of my victim … errr, model, and cutting a bit. Remember this girl from Project Runway?

   I work like her – minus all the spit.

Happy Halloweening and remember to show off those costumes when you’re done!