Who makes their kids' Halloween costumes?

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

Are you thinking about this already? Anyone actually start?

 

I am the only one I know who still does this. I haven't made them every year, but I love doing it.

 

Last year dd was "Land Shark" from Sat. Night Live (homemade), the year before that she was Queen Amidala (bought), the year before that she was Mary from Little House (homemade but I didn't make it), then a bat (made it), octopus (made it), and her 1st Halloween she was CNN (made it).

 

This year we are thinking either Ahsoka Tano (from Clone Wars) or a flamingo

http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=3663

[Jennifer in MI]

We do!!! We've done: pirates, astronaut, jedi knight, clowns, andfootball/baseball player (not homemade - just their Little League uniforms!). We also do a WWI war vet. Dh has a jacket worn by his great grandfather in WWI. It was neat to see who recognized it!

 

I get the ideas from Family Fun and run with it.

[Plucky]

Yes, if my simplified version counts. I make capes out of black fabric and safety pins. I've wrapped people in gauze as a mummy and I apply make up of all kinds. I try to encourage my kids to piece stuff together from thrift shops and dollar stores. My mom sends us a bunch of costumes from garage sales as well since my younger ones still dress up every other day.

[mo2]

Yes, I still make the Halloween costumes. That's actually why I came here to post today. :lol:

[yorkshire_parkin]

I do, I also seem to make 1/2 of the worlds costumes too!

 

I make costumes for a living, and its just now really starting to ramp up. UGG!

 

August thru October is extremely crazy at our house!!

 

-rebecca-

[abbeyej]

Not *every* year, but many years. But I can never start this early -- my kids will change their minds six times between now and Halloween!

[Mrs Mungo]

Not *every* year, but many years. But I can never start this early -- my kids will change their minds six times between now and Halloween!

 

Same here! :)

[Renthead Mommy]

I always make them. And right after his birthday (mid July) he started working on his list of what he wanted to be! We've been through MANY choices, but he keeps repeating about 3, so most likely it will narrow down to one of those!

 

For me we do need to narrow it down soon in case I need to order anything (like Wolverine claws!) so it has enough time to get here and before things at costume places start to backorder.

 

I will say I made him the greatest pirate costume the year he was 3.5. It had puffy shirt (think Seinfield!), a waist coat, belt with sword hold, and even up to the leather boots that folded over at the knee.

 

Some mom looked at it and said "That's a great costume, where did you buy it?" I guess I should have taken it as a compliment, but I was really insulted she thought I bought it!

[Diane in CO]

Never used to, however this year my oldest wants to be a Dalek (Think Dr. Who, "Exterminate, Exterminate ;)) for Halloween this year, so we are in the process of saving plastic applesauce containers as part of the costume.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

Rebecca, what do you make? Maybe I will shoot you some business sometime.

 

Mo, I saw your post. I can not imagine where to find that jacket!

 

Jennifer, I bet that WWI jacket was cool as all get out!

 

I know what you guys mean about changing minds. We were all set with flamingo and she came up with Ahsoka today. As long as she figures it out by Sept. we're cool. I looked at the store-bought version of Ahsoka just now and it looks lame. We start narrowing down our list on July too.

 

Good thing applesauce is good for you!

[Tarheel Heather]

They have fun when they can help with it.

[WTMindy]

I did when the kids were too little to appreciate them, and now....I'm lucky if I think about it the week before Halloween!

[KAR120C]

DS wants to be Spaceman Spiff this year.... which I'm hoping is very very easy... Blue sweats, yellow belt, cool sunglasses, ray gun.... ;)

 

We've done the Headless Horseman, Tock (from the Phantom Tollbooth), a rhinoceros beetle, electric eel (with battery operated LEDs!), a policeman, a bumblebee, and when he was a tiny baby, Mojo Jojo. (DH was Professor Utonium and two friends and I were Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. I was Bubbles. :D)

 

Fortunately DS decides early and sticks with it, or there would be no hope!

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

(DH was Professor Utonium and two friends and I were Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. I was Bubbles. :D)

 

I was Buttercup one year before I had dd. :lol:

 

I bet that eel was out of this world!

[dragons in the flower bed]

Are you thinking about this already? Anyone actually start?

 

 

Yeah, we think about it way in advance and DP usually makes or modifies at least some of the costumes. We try to rope the kids into a theme, but sometimes they buck.

 

The year before last, DP, 22yo & 22yo's fiance were all Star Wars M&Ms. This year I think he's trying to talk the kids into being Indiana Jones Lego minifigs. My favorite, of all the costumes he's made, was the robot. He used foam and shimmering fabric, and glued it all together, and he gave it an electrical cord tail that was just so adorable on our then 5yo.

 

We usually modify, rather than sew from scratch. Last year I did a super simple mod, sewing stars onto a bear costume so the 2yo could be Ursa Minor. I went as Hestia, and DP modified a bull costume so he could be the Minotaur. Greek god costumes are really easy to make.

 

I was just looking at costumes for me earlier today. I kind of want to go steampunk this year, but I haven't decided steampunk what.

[dragons in the flower bed]

We've done the Headless Horseman, Tock (from the Phantom Tollbooth), a rhinoceros beetle, electric eel (with battery operated LEDs!), a policeman, a bumblebee, and when he was a tiny baby, Mojo Jojo. (DH was Professor Utonium and two friends and I were Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. I was Bubbles. :D)

 

Cool! Pictures?

[paula j]

I almost always make their costumes, although I did make an exception one year when oldest ds was about 8 and begged and pleaded for a sonic the Hedgehog costume he saw. It was a worthwhile purchase though as he wore it everywhere till it was nothing but rags.:D I have made everything from a big puffy jack-o-lantern costume to a silk princess gown and an awesome poodle skirt with a matching one for dd's American Girl doll. I hate to waste $20 + on something that will only be worn once more than likely.

[Parrothead]

It depends on what she wants to be. If I can easily find a costume I'll buy it. If I can't I'll make one.

[Holly in FL]

Yep! Every year. Last year, my middle DD wanted to be a chick! I made up the costume...had feathers all over the place!

 

~Holly

[Lady_Dulcinea]

Either made from scratch or pulling things together.

 

So far this only one kid has put in a request. ds7 wants to be a killer cheese curl from the Veggie Tales Pirates Who Don't Do Anything movie. That should be easy. :lol:

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

The year before last, DP, 22yo & 22yo's fiance were all Star Wars M&Ms.

 

Oh that sounds too cool! Might have to steal that one one of these days.

 

ROFL at the "killer cheese curl"

[Melissa in NC]

I have finished a Tinker Bell costume for my DD. I am still working on mine.

[Jenny in Florida]

You're right, though. I think we're the only family we know that does this every year.

 

As of a couple of years ago, I made a rule that no one was allowed to talk to me about Halloween costumes until at least August.

 

We used to do themes for the whole family: Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired fairies, clothing from different eras of American history, witches for the girls/pirates for the guys, Greek gods/goddesses, characters from the boardgame Clue . . .

 

One year, we were puns: My daughter was Eleanor of Aquitaine; my son was King Arthur; my husband was a yardstick wearing a bowler hat and carrying a walking stick; I wore a t-shirt with a Union Jack on it and a pair of butterfly wings. Give up? We were all British rulers/monarchs.

 

Since my daughter is off at college for Halloween, I'm down to just making my son's costume. And he likes to be very involved in the process. Last year, he was a samurai. Here's a link to an entry on my blog with photos of the costume we made: http://tweakedacademy.blogspot.com/2007/10/forging-ahead.html

 

And here's an old Wordless Wednesday with a photo of him playing in our backyard in the costume: http://tweakedacademy.blogspot.com/2008/01/wordless-wednesday-samurai-in-my.html

 

This year, I think the current plan is to dress him up as Percy Jackson from the Rick Riordan books. It should be cute.

[Amy in NH]

Yep. We make our costumes, here.

 

Now that the older boys are good stitchers, they make their own!

[King Alfred Academy]

We totally get into it! A couple years ago the boys were vikings and they were the BEST costumes ever! Not sure what we are going to do this year, but we have been talking about it already. They said something about being Bono and The Edge (U2). That could be kind of cute.

[KAR120C]

Cool! Pictures?

I'm sure I have pictures.... The grandparents would never have let any of those slip (although I'm not positive about the Mojo Jojo... I don't think we had any of our own pictures of that, what with our hands full of baby and whatnot... LOL) -- no idea where I've put them though!

[Sasharowan]

We've made costumes several times and store bought others. The most memorable was

peter pan theme. Oldest ds was Hook, dd was Peter, and ds7 who was 1 was the skunk. Have also made Blues Clues. The kids save their costumes and make plays through the year until they fall apart or get passed on.

[Carpe Diem]

I can't imagine not making them.

[anissarobert]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Our classical support group has history day in October. The kids dress up as an historical character, and then give clues, so the other children can guess who they are.

 

Last year I spent weeks researching authentic pilgrim clothing. Who knew they didn't wear black and white? There were no patterns so I had to alter several to get anything close for my daughter who just has to be Mrs. Bradford. I didn't know why she would pick the one pilgrim woman who never even made it ashore. My son was Samoset which was easier, because the pilgrims recorded that he came into their settlement wearing nothing buy a loincloth. Of course, I wouldn't let him be that authentic!:)

 

I hope I can restrain myself this year. If not at least we are studying the ancients and their clothes are easier!

[CLHCO]

Oh, my. I get painfully ridiculous on Halloween. Last year my older daughters took pity on me and were only Ancient Greeks. The previous year they made 14th century style dresses like the characters in Narnia. My son decided to be a Pizza and I designed a little pizza costume with toppings he could slip over his head. I made my youngest a full Holly Hobbie, all fluffy layers and hat, with a matching cloth doll.

 

This year I can't convince my oldest two that 14 is really getting a bit old to trick-or-treat and I don't know that I want them out in the Civil War ball gowns in the cold doing it anyway. :tongue_smilie: I'm making a ball gown of a sort for my youngest so she can be like her big sisters, who have a Civil War ball they'll be attending shortly before Halloween. My son hasn't decided what he'll be and I'm voting for a purchased costume this year after making ball gowns.

 

Oh, and one ball gown is finished, the next is about to be started this next week. They have to do most of the sewing on those at their ages. I'll sew the younger set's costumes.

[Amy in Orlando]

I've always made the kids' costumes (peas-in-a-pod when the twins were babies, cavemen, circus folk, dinosaurs, a wolf, mad scientist, Romans, a spider, lifeguard, real estate agent (I'm NOT kidding - it was funny) . . .

 

The older boys still are into Halloween and they make their own costumes for parties they attend. My youngest son and I collaborate on his costume each year. We usually don't start work on it until October because he changes his mind so often. I do pick up sundry things that I think might come in handy throughout the year, usually someone can use them.

[anissarobert]

My dd 14 keeps asking for a civil war ball gown. I told her she should practice sewing so she could make it herself! But if we had a ball around here, I would make it. They look so complicated in the pattern books. That would be a lot of work for halloween or history day. I am impressed that you are willing to tackly several!

[bettyandbob]

a bear, a crane (construction, not bird), Dumbledore (before movie), pink and purple witch, generic adult size wizard, ninja, astronaut, Mr. Potato Head, Cat in the Hat, other stuff I can't remember.

 

When the kids were very young I started sewing early. However, my oldest is "too old", my dd hasn't decided, and my youngest, due to disabilities, is not verbal enough to tell me his interests. I've made enough costumes that costume parts can find new life as something else. I guess I'll start trying to figure out what would be good for the little guy (Curious George?--he loves the books).

[sweetTN]

I consider making costumes part of home ec. We make our own costumes based on what historical period we are reading about. Last year we did American History, so the costume was a prairie type dress. I had dd pick out the pattern, figure out how much and what type of material, and do all the cutting. I don't know who was more frustrated, her or me:banghead: I did alot of the sewing, but she had to sew the apron by hand, making her very glad she didn't live back then! This year we are on the Middle Ages so she has already picked out a dress pattern and material for the both of us. She tried to talk my dh into a costume and he immediatly found umpteen reasons why, even though he really wanted to, just couldn't participate.

[GailV]

You better believe we make our own costumes! What's the point of buying something everyone else has?

 

This year they're leaning towards a Star Wars theme (this will involve at least one neighbor).

 

Most creative moment might've been when dh went as Noah's Ark -- it involved upholstery foam and Fisher Price animals.

[dangermom]

Yep, I make my kids' costumes--not every year, but a lot.

 

Last year it was Robin Hood and Maid Marian--the younger one kept changing her mind every day about her costume, so I didn't make her one, but at the last minute she decided to be Marian in a green princess costume I made a few years ago.

 

I made a new medieval princess dress for my oldest a couple of months ago, and she wants to wear that this year. It's a pretty good one, I must say--indigo panne velvet with silver braid, and it laces up the back.

 

Younger sister changes her mind every week, so nothing there yet. If I asked her today it would probably be something from Star Wars. Or else a winged unicorn. Oh dear.

 

I can't understand why there aren't patterns that look just like Lucy and Susan's dresses in the Narnia movies. Every time I see those I want to make them and have my two girls be Lucy and Susan! I have this friend with two boys...

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

Something else I can't find any kid size patterns for are early 1900's dresses like Rose from Titanic. Dd also wants a civil war ball gown, but I am no dressmaker. I might have someone make her one next year or so.

 

It's cool to know so many people still make costumes.

[Desert Rat]

I make costumes about half of the time. My favorite was the year my 8yo was an entomologist, bug scientist. I sewed plastic bugs all over an old lab coat. He had a butterfly net and a bug catcher was his goody bag. The best part? His little brother was a bumble bee! Ahhhh.....:o)

[dragons in the flower bed]

This year I can't convince my oldest two that 14 is really getting a bit old to trick-or-treat and I don't know that I want them out in the Civil War ball gowns in the cold doing it anyway.

 

At that age, you have to find little kids so they can go as escorts.