In which I attempt to be creative...

So, again my plans got cancelled due to Patrick's job and I missed my first night out in weeks and weeks. Not really surprised when he called last night. But disappointed that I wasn't able to follow thru with plans... Again. Not his fault. Just the way the job goes. Sucks, cuz I really needed time away from the house and kids.

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It's hot and humid and I am MAD about that. October is supposed to be mainly cool with a FEW warm days. Not days and days of hot and muggy. Frickin global warming. Scares me to death to think of what the normal conditions will be in 5 years. My kids will grow up thinking that fall is in November and that winter is a month or two of cold weather.

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I bought material for Justin's Halloween costume yetserday. This year, he wants to be a knight. Looking around, I didn't see any costumes that were worth the money or were what he really wanted to be, so I decided to sew it this year. (insert head smacking here. Go ahead. I'll wait...) Corinne and I hit the fabric store (only got lost for 20 minutes! Only had the van die once on a busy corner!!) and we walked around, looking at the material. Found a good red on sale and a silver on sale for the tunic and hood/cape etc. Cut it, bought it, got it home.... And... the red had flowers on it. Yes. I am a loser. HOWEVER!! The red material reversed is gonna work, so the flowers will be on the inside. Just thought that it FIGURES that the first time in 5 years that I attempt to sew again, and I screwed up the first step.

I apparently screwed up step 2, as well, when I started cutting before pre-washing. Oh well. My nails will eventually go back to their regular color...

Now, I am a person that doesn't get all anal about measurements and such. I rarely use a recipe (to be honest, I rarely cook. BUT when I do? I can do a good job with just being creative), and I don't see much use for patterns on most projects. I think you can figure out a basic shirt or pants by just inspecting what you already have and recreating it. And for a Halloween costume? Perfection is really unimportant. We're going for a look, not something that will win contests. So, as I talk on the phone to my sister, I eyeballed the tunic and freehand cut the pieces for it. I then figured out how to make a hood by tracing a hood off of his sweatshirt and did that, too. I cut pieces for the neck drape thing and even made some calf coverings to look like boots. Now, we'll just see if my sewing machine still works and if I remember how to thread a bobbin... Hmmmm.... If all else fails, I can go to my mom's house and commandeer her sewing room. She has made lots of the kids' costumes. I'll see if I can post a few of them, here. I've made a few of their costumes, too, but they were BASIC to be blunt.

Oh, and as I'm cutting it all yesterday, Evan walks in and says "Where's MY costume??" This, of course, after he and I had a lengthy conversation when he decided to be a Power Ranger again. I told him I couldn't just whip another knight's costume out of thin air and he said he really wanted to be a Ranger, so I silently did a jig and said "Ok, no problem." So, NOW he wants to be a knight, too.... Grrrr.... I don't know if I have it in me to make two. Especially since I haven't even made ONE yet. We'll see. Maybe he can be bought off?

Wish me luck with the machine...

(Harry Potter by Nana and a fairy princess made by ME. 2006)

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy by Nana, 2006.

Little Indian by Nana and Cowboy by Mommy, 2002 (Ok, the cowboy costume entailed buying a hat at a garage sale, borrowing a neckerchief from Daddy and sewing by hand a little vest with a star on it, but SO WHAT?) Oh, and the Indian had moccassins too. And that blue thing on his head is actually a very tall headdress that he kept pushing back.