Friday, November 8, 2013

Homemade Halloween

As much as I like to sew, before recently I hardly ever sewed for myself. Kids clothes are just so much easier. They don't require a perfect fit and they're just tiny which makes them adorable. Adult clothes you have to be a little more careful with.


I've wanted to make my Halloween costume for a few years now but Halloween falls about mid semester when sh*t seems to hit the fan and it just doesn't happen. But I was bound and determined to make it happen this year. (side note: I really got DOUBLE handmade Halloween points this year because Jani wore the Dorothy costume I made for her sophomore year for Big/Little reveal! :) )


Our wonderful Catholic missionaries got me hooked on BBC's show "Call the Midwife" this semester (Studio time = lots of time to watch TV). It's a cute, feel-good show about midwives working in poor London in the 1950's. It's actually based off one of the nurse's memoirs which makes it even better! In one of the episodes, the protagonist, Nurse Lee, has to work in the London Hospital. One look at the uniforms and I was IN LOVE. How crazy that they actually wore couture nurse uniforms?


I debated whether people would get it but I loved it so much that I decided to just go for it and it was a huge hit :) Luckily this year, I went to three Halloween events so I'm glad it actually got some good use!


I wound up winning "Most Original Costume" at St. Michael's Halloween Hop (I think it was a function of a certain missionary bragging on me that I made it myself but I'll take awards where I can ;) ). I know I often joke with an over exaggerated self-confidence but really, I'm not one to go around and say "guess what? I made my costume!". It's weird…I love sewing which is really not normal for someone my age to say but surprisingly a lot of people thing it's really cool instead of nerdy (although I'm self-admitted nerd!) Anyway…


For the pattern, I used Rae's Washi Dress pattern and changed the neckline and added the sleeves and collar. I based my nurse hat loosely on a pattern that was originally too small.


And I made the executive decision to wear Uggs with my costume when I was going to be outside for the last two events I went to so the whole "sticking to the time period" thing went out the window. But who knows? Maybe they WERE secretly wearing Uggs then. You can't know for sure!


And for a last thought...I don't know when this "grown up" thing happened but sitting in the bar with Jani we realized we enjoyed wearing our more modest costumes and felt bad for the girls in their skimpy costumes that were just trying too hard. And the fact that we hadn't talked to any boys all night made it a good night :) 




**sorry about the iPhone but I'm a college student…I do what I can for pictures! :)



xoxo,