I've started asking the children about 6 months ahead of time what they want to be for Hallowe'en. Partly I do this to see if they're going to change their minds repeatedly; this way I don't get invested in producing a costume until I hear something consistent. I also do this with the idea that "I'll get started early this year" - which - hahahahaha! Hilarious. I kill me. In any case: both kids were clear for a long time about what they wanted to be: Neva wanted to be a chick, and Hugh wanted to be Batman. Neva helped choose the fabric for her costume, and I cobbled together a pattern from two other costume designs - would you guess that this chick is in fact the love-child of a parrot and a bumblebee? Pattern: Combination of Simplicity 3663 and Simplicity 2829
Fabric: Fleece, Cabbage Rose Jersey, Craft Foam
Value Village came through for me again for Hugh's costume. I was there getting him some black clothes to wear underneath his costume, and found this pre-fab Batman chest, complete with logo and muscle definition. All I needed to make were the cape and hood. The cape is particularly awesome - nice and full, unlike many Hallowe'en capes for kids. They are both delighted, which makes me feel happy, and reminds me that the time and effort I put in to creating these costumes for them is all worth it.
Patterns: Cape - Simplicity 5927; Hood - McCall's 4951
Fabric: Satin
(The full Hallowe'en 2009 recap is here.)
