Halloween 2011

For the record, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I never really bought into the scary element of Halloween and I don't like dressing up. But since having kids, I have enjoyed the excitement they have running about collecting candy in the dark. 

The last few years of costume selection have been easy. I have either had hand-me-down costumes from cousins or a quick trip to the store with $20 and the task was complete. If only I really appreciated the ease of those years before now.

Early in October I asked the kids what they wanted to be for Halloween. This question is usually timed with the arrival of the local halloween costume store's sale flyer. They looked through the pictures and were undecided. After pressing them for some sort of idea throughout the week, CJ declared that she wanted to be Tweety bird. Shortly after hearing this proclamation, Alex followed suit and decided on Sylvester. 

However happy I was that they were focusing their attention to one idea, but then I was instantly frightened when I realized that no Walmart, Target, Party City, etc. carried a Tweety or Sylvester costume. Hmmm. Back to step one.

Silly me. After 5 full days of me lobbying for them to pick ANY costume at ANY store (for under $20), they held to their guns and flat out denied my efforts. They wanted to be Tweety and Sylvester. When I explained that you couldn't buy those costumes anywhere, they simply said, "Just sew it, Mom."

My previous sewing experience was a handy little seam on some curtains made of sheets. I did that project under the watchful eye of my sister Ann. She watched me tangle the thread, break the needle on the machine at least three times, and pull the thread out of the seam that was completely crooked. My thoughts on this new project: I'm Screwed.

Fueled by my children's unfounded confidence in my sewing-ability, I headed to the fabric store. (My dislike for the fabric store stems from a very early age when my aforementioned sister Ann and my Mom would drag me on a Saturday to some random fabric mecca for hours and hours and hours on end. But this psychosis is a topic for another blog entry.) Saddled with yards of felt, some feathers, and a pattern for a duck that is two sizes too small for CJ, I headed home to find my sewing machine somewhere in the basement.

 The War Room.

 Hope this is what your suppose to do...

Everything is cut out. Now let's see what this machine can do.

 

Tada!! I did it!! I did it!!

Now the really hard part. I didn't have a pattern or even a good example to go from to make the heads. I searched for images of the characters and then tried to break-down the elements of the face and make a felt pillow. Then I attached it to the felt cap that came with the duck pattern. And this is what I did.....

 Tweety Feet.

 Alex's costume. I was so pleased with the belly. Totally free-handed that one!

 I stuffed the tail and made it look like the pics I found with black hair overlapping the white tip.

 The trial-run fitting.

The school had their parade on the Friday before Halloween. The kids were marching proudly and I was just sooo excited to see them strutting in my handy work.

The Sunday prior to Halloween, State College hosts a kids halloween parade. Anyone can march in the parade and then you head to the high school football field to be "judged". By some freak of nature, the judges were teenage boys who didn't pick our two incredible kids. Idiots.

 Even Zack and I decided about an hour before we left the house to join in the dressing-up.

Finally, Halloween night. Can you tell how excited they are to go 'twick or tweeting'? They were thrilled at all the candy loot, but I was so thrilled to hear the people repeatedly saying, "Those are the BEST costumes". Yeah me!!