Halloween 2014

I have been working on Halloween Costumes all month and was so excited to finish this past Friday, just in time for our local Boo at the Zoo. This year my son broke my sewing heart when he asked for a store-bought costume instead of a handmade costume like we always do. To his credit, he didn’t actually dismiss a handmade costume. He just asked to be a clone trooper and that is definitely a territory I’m not willing to venture into the handmade way. But I had a ton of fun making Miss E’s Super Girl Costume and it kept me plenty busy! We used McCall’s 7001.

Because I’ve always found the Big pattern company patterns to be wide and short, I started off with a muslin. I cut her bodice size from some unbleached cotton and sewed it up without closures to test for fit. As I suspected, it was too wide, so I pinched out some vertical tucks in the pattern to adjust for the width and went to work on the real dress.

I got absolutely everything I needed from F&M Fabrics locally – but you can shop at their online shop from wherever you are! They have a great selection of satin and tulle, not to mention vinyl, notions & thread and the best prices around. You should see the vinyl boot covers and cuffs I made – the ones I stayed up late Friday night to finish so we could go to Boo at the Zoo…? Yeah, she wouldn’t wear them. She just got these cowgirl boots and won’t take them off or have them covered, so Super Cow Girl it is!

Boo at the Zoo is lots of fun! Besides the animals, there are lots of games and a playground.

My little storm trooper proved to be great protection against the scary dinosaurs on the train ride!

I made the costume just as instructed, except for the removable cape. The instructions asked me to make 3 thread eyes on the top of each shoulder seam. Then I needed to sew three hooks on the cape. I a) didn’t want to do that and b) wasn’t sure how it’d hold up. I briefly considered velcro, but was concerned it would get caught up on the tulle skirt in the wash. Then it occurred to me – KAM SNAPS!

So that’s what we did! And it worked perfectly.

Those of you who follow my Instagram feed might be wondering where my matching costume is? Well for now, it’s all laid out in our bedroom until Friday Night. I wish I were better at Photoshop to make it look as epic as it feels every time I pass it – like a super hero displays their uniform in that glass structure…? It’s going to be fun. Watch that IG feed for the costume in action. 🙂

There were a lot of components to these costumes this year – dress, shorts, cuffs, belt, cape, boot covers – the pattern even has pieces for a mask or star appliques on the skirt and it could easily be made into bat girl or any super hero for that matter. I love making costumes as you can choose fabrics that hold up or are more comfortable. For exacmple, I was able to line the satin bodice in cotton. I would love to see your costumes this year!! Please leave me pics or links in the comments below. Until next year, Happy Halloween!

*This Post may contain affiliate links*