Halloween *$%^&#* Costumes!

Generally I enjoy Halloween.

It is one of my favorite holidays and the kick off to all the best ones to come. In a perfect world I have discussed with the kids their desired costume for that year by August and by month end of September it is ready, hanging and just waiting for that magical night to finally be worn. This year - forget it. I delayed! I didn't even want to think about costumes, let alone the time needed to complete any outfit. So I waited and procrastinated even beyond the safe time needed to order something. Why was I so surprised to find all the costumes SOLD OUT when I finally got on line. I blog everyday and I could not check on the costumes, what was I thinking.....? Needless to say the problem still remained, two kids and no costumes for them. Okay, I can do this I have the machine, I have the desire (sorda), I can make them costumes.

We begin.

Disclaimer: I took sewing in High school. It was a disaster. I do not do patterns, I do not do instructions. I feel boxed in, stifled, my creative energy snuffed out when guidelines have to be followed. Needless to say my teacher just shook her head and in the end gave me a very acceptable B- for my many, many, many attempts that just did not seem to ever look like the picture.

Thus, we begin the formulation of a plan for Drama Queens' outfit. All I have to go from is a black/white page from the Internet. Boy is this going to be fun.......

I think I pinned thrice and sewed once. It was annoying to Drama Queen that had to come over so I could measure and re-measure and then pin, then try on and then re-measure again and then sew and try on yet again.

I always consider it a great accomplishment to get to the sleeves. If I could just do a big square with no sleeves I would be in sewing heaven. Curse you sleeves and zippers.

We are complete. Three broken needles, interfacing that gummed up the machine resulting in the need to staple the last hem and we are done. It is nothing like the picture, but she is happy with it and I can state that project is done.

Drama Queens' version minus the broom.

The much desired but completely sold out Internet version.

In the end $39.99 was a bargain for this compared to my pain and suffering.

Now that Drama Queen was all set it was time for Sweet-boy to get his costume. His was one that I thought would be easy to do with some card-board and lots and lots of colored Duct-tape. So I pulled out the measuring tape and began carving out the pieces. Turning 2-dimensional pictures into functional costumes is something I hope not to do again soon. Sweet-boy was really a good sports with all the measuring and testing of this and that to make it all come together. His costume was not as time consuming but still hard to make work. In the end this is what we got.

My version of Optimus Prime and the one that was $29.99 and completely gone as well. He was such a good sport about having it taped to him. He also had to develop a swagger to walk with all that card-board on him.

All this stress was in preparation for a Trunk-or-Treat at the church. They had great chili and corn bread. Games for the kids and a costume parade and then the high-light of the night..... Trunk-or-Treat.

This a great way to get candy and not go very far. All the cars park by each other, open up the trunks that are/are not decorated. So in about 30 minutes they get gobs of candy and then we all go home.

At the end of the night I think it was a good night. I asked the kids if they had fun and of course they did. Sweet-boy grabbed me and said, "Mom, the big boys knew what I was and they thought it was a cool costume!"

Wahooo!!!!

That says success to this tired Mom and for all my trouble they shared some of their candy with me and a big HUG.