The Costumes

For the past few months my life has been consumed by making costumes.  Every other year I go a little batty on our families Halloween costumes, this  year it was Alice in Wonderland.  Making these costumes was a journey!  One of the added bonuses this year was that my niece, Autumn got to join us! 



Autumn



I made Autumns costume first.  I had to make sure it fit her and she had to have it in time so she could use it in her own neck of the woods.  (Autumn lives about six hours away from us.)  One of the hardest parts was that I had to use a pattern that was three sizes too large for her and then guess from my children's size if I was making it the right size for a five year old.  Luck was on my side and it worked.  She was the most darling red queen I could ever hope for!  It was so much fun to be able to watch at the Halloween party and the trick or treating we did.  She is so full of life and excitement!  (Autumns response to all the make up on her face was: "I look like Mulan!")



Warren as the white rabbit.

 Warren's was the second costume I made.  This one was fun and easy.  Warren is at home with me all day so I was able to work on this one at really convenient times.  He LOVED helping me and being able to try on the costume.  We even worked out a system were he would push the foot pedal and I would direct the sewing of the fabric.  He really loved it when he found a bag of poly-fil in my craft room!  His imagination went nuts.  That stuff became his best friend.  Not only did Warren look darling in this costume, he owned it.  He lived and breathed his part.  He would walk past people and casually say, "white rabbit hear!"  Or he would stop random strangers and tell them that he was the white rabbit. I just can't get enough of him in the costume!



Kimball as the Cheshire Cat

Kimball was a trooper this Halloween.  He wanted to be every character in Alice in Wonderland, including the piano that is in the scene were Alice falls down the rabbit hole.  But after I told him that he got to have a huge smile painted on his face and that he was the only one with the smile for the part he was in love.  He sure loved having a tail.  He made the best Cheshire cat I could ever want. 



Phoebe as the white queen

Once I started Phoebes costume I knew I was getting to the harder ones.  Phoebe really wanted to be the white queen  over being Alice.  I asked her why and she told me that she is a lot like the White Queen in that she does not like to hurt animals.  Wow.  This girl blows my mind everyday.  She also told me that she wanted to wear a princess dress.  So a princess dress she gets!  It wasn't too difficult but I had to battle with HUGE sleeves and slippery fabric.  I really had a special experience making Phoebes costume.  Because Phoebe is so tall and skinny you have to alter her pattern.  She has the waist of a four year old and the height of an almost size 10 child!  As I was making the costume it because apparent that the neck line was incredibly too low and at this point there was no starting over.  I was a little upset and stress.  Okay, I was  a lot upset and a lot stressed.  But I was able to clear my head enough and say a little prayer for help.  Once I did, my stress melted away and I felt the presence of my great grandmother, aka Granny in the room.  Granny was such an amazing women,  she is whole other blog post, but know that  I want to be like her!  Granny could sewing anything you could imagine too.  Once I prayed,  I felt Granny in the room with me and the idea of how to fix the problem was mapped out in my head.  Almost like a mental you tube tutorial.  I had the extra sheer-ish fabric and I was able to make the costume how it looks now.  By time time I was done I was moved to tears.  It was a special experience that I will treasure forever.

By the time I was left to the last two costumes I was just days before our first party.  I had to get started.  Jake's costume terrified me.  I had never sewn a suit coat.  It took my a few weeks to find the right kind of fabric and a lot of searching at good will for a vest.  Would would think it would be hard to find a suit vest?  I sure didn't.  But apparently it is very hard to find one.  I actually found on at Good Will in the ladies department.  I cut the back in half  and added about eight inches of fabric down the middle and then it fit!  Yippee, and no one could tell!    Basically I spent 24 hours with out sleep to finish Jake and I's costumes. The jacket wasn't as hard as I though it would be but I don't think I will be sewing another one anytime soon.  I am glad to say that I have sewn one. It about killed my machine too. (Don't worry, my macine hung on till the very last costume, then bit the dust.  Again, another blog post coming really soon!)  Jake looked so amazing.  I found a tutorial on You Tube to do his make up and it just came together like a dream!  
  

Jake as the Mad Hatter

Now to my costume.  I am not a huge fan of dressing up in costumes.  Two years ago I got stuck being Glenda the Good Witch.  A huge puffy dress.  Ugh.  But I took one for the team.  When I first started the Alice idea with the family I though Phoebe would be Alice, Autumn would be the Red Queen and I would get out of it!  Wrong. Phoebe through that not hurting animals thing at me.  We couldn't NOT have a Alice, so I was stuck.  By the time I got to my costume It was about two o'clock the morning on the day of the 1st Halloween party.  I was grumpy, tired and cold, but I pushed through telling myself it was for the family!  I woke the family up that morning wearing my Alice outfit.  They all thought is was funny.    

Me,  as Alice.  Again a costume with puffy sleeves.


If you think I was done having special experience with this Halloween you are wrong.  The first Halloween party on the day I had, had no sleep.  It was a trunk or treat.  I immediately claimed the honor of sitting in the trunk of my van passing out candy while Jake took the kids around to all the cars. That is what he really wanted to do anyways.   I have to say I was sitting in the trunk, cold and sleepy and feeling a bit sorry for myself, when I hear a squeal.  I looked  up to see a very special little girl with her mother.  This young girl was glowing with happiness and showing her mother Alice, me.  This special angel really thought I was Alice.  She tired to give me a huge but I was sitting down.  I hopped up fast then I ever thought I could knelt to her level and started talking to her as if I was Alice.  She couldn't say much but I knew she was thrilled to meet Alice.  Little did she know how thrilled I was to meet her!  Her mother asked if she could get a picture of us together.  I felt a little like I worked at Disneyland as a princess.  I agree and we got a picture of me hugging her.  I cried a little as she moved on to the next car.  She really touched my heart.   I didn't mind the puffy sleeved costume anymore.  In fact, I happy to be wearing it.  Not only did I bring joy and happiness to my immediate family, my sister, my niece but this little girl.  I felt like Scrooge after his night with the Spirits.  I was happy to be out in my costume and making people smile. 

It was a really special Halloween. 

PS  I also made my little sister a costume.  She wanted to be a white rabbit.  I still laugh when I see her in the costume. 



Warren was thrilled to have a partner in crime.

PPS

We found the best looking Captain Jack Sparrow ever!  Totally impressed!  Get this, he even wanted a picture with us!  What a complement!