Halloween 2020
Halloween making is a time-honored tradition in our homes. Between us we have kids who know exactly what costume they want, and others who will decide a dozen times before settling on their final choice. Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, it is a lovely thing to make costumes so the kids in your life can explore through creative play. Sometimes our costume choices can teach us about who we are in real life.
A Walker the Dog (from Animal Crossing) costume for the kid who loves dogs and games.
For us a good costume includes warmth and long-term wearability. Rather than spending money on a disposable costume that is so cheaply constructed it would never survive a run through the washer we turn to fleece, felt, and hooded sweatshirts.
A well-loved penguin costume that has been worn many times over the past 5 years.
We spend days cutting out shapes from felt, consulting with kids, and scouring second hand shops for the right thing (we are in quarantine for Covid-19 this year – so more scouring each other’s closets!). We may start with a yard of fleece and a few felt shapes, some embroidery floss and a needle, but at the end we get the delight of a child seeing themselves as someone or something new. There is nothing better than seeing them finally try on the whole costume.
A new addition to the costume collection is Shadow the Hedgehog (from Sonic the Hedgehog).
By choosing fleece we know that our little ghost will be toasty warm. By choosing a hooded sweatshirt, our little penguin can emerge from the closet anytime they wish – just toss in with the regular laundry.
A fleece ghost costume that has lasted for 2 years so far. The mask was a 2020 addition.
Most of all we hope that our kids learn the joys of dressing up in costume, of making do with what you have, and the transformation that can occur with some simple stitches. Wishing all who celebrate a spooky and safe Halloween this year.
A portion of this year’s Miles “Tails” Prower (from Sonic the Hedgehog) costume. It’s nice to have some portions of the costume that can be removed for comfort.