Monday, October 27, 2008

Zebrafied



October 1

 ME: What do you want to dress as for Halloween? 

WILL: A round cracker. 

October 3


 ME: Let's go to the Recycling Center and get some cardboard for your cracker costume. 

WILL: I changed my mind--now I want to be a kitten stuck up a tree. 

October 7


 ME: Do you still want to dress as a kitten stuck up a tree? 

WILL: Yes. 

October 10


 ME: Do you still want to be a kitten stuck up a tree? 

WILL: Yes! 

October 15


 ME: What do you want to be for Halloween again? 

WILL: A kitten stuck up a tree. 

October 20


 ME: Should we make your tree branches out of real sticks or PVC pipe? 

WILL: I don't want to be a kitten anymore; I want to be a duck-billed dinosaur. 

October 25


 ME: Come try on this romper--it's going to be your duckbilled dinosaur body. 

WILL: I changed my mind--I really, really, really, really want to be a rainbow pony! 

October 27


 ME: Come look in your horses encyclopedia and show me kind of what your rainbow pony should be shaped like. 

WILL (flipping through book): No, I want to be a zebra! A zebra! Zebraaaaaaa! 

My only solution? Sit right down in the midst of the mess and chaos of our Monday morning and spend five hours making this zebra costume before the kid can change her mind and want to be something else!The best part for me? This is all stash! I used a well-fitting fleece romper of Will's as a template to create a new romper pattern with this black-and-white stretch jersey that a friend gave me a while ago. The zipper is from some I bought at a garage sale for about a nickel a piece this summer. 

I've actually never put together a piece of clothing like this before, so the structuring required lots of deep thinking and there are a few wonky parts, but who cares about those, right? The tail has some black fleece from my scrap bin--I really wanted to sew on a button, like on Eeyore's tail, but alas! my button stash is very thin these days. Some days I wish a big jar of buttons would just fall into my lap--that's a very boring wish, isn't it?

The zebra's mane is cut from a boa that lives in the kids' dress-up bin; unfortunately, it doesn't sit very straight when the hood is being worn, but whatever.

 
And for the ears, I used some pink acrylic felt (made out of recycled plastic bottles!) from the approximately one thousand yards I bought when it was on major sale at Joann's a few weeks ago. I think I'm going to use it again in another little birthday present this week...

Fortunately, Syd, being two, knows her own mind better than Will knows hers--Syd has wanted to be a lion from day one, and is perfectly happy with the lion costume that lives in the dress-up bin. 

Next year, though, I know: I'll keep asking about Halloween costumes until a kid mentions one I think I know how to make, and then I'll make it right that very freakin' minute! 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

God, woman, is there anything you CAN'T do? You're making me feel extremely inadequate, you know that.

Your costume conversation with Willow had me ROTFLOL! I'm so glad my kids don't wear costumes anymore.

Abby said...

I LOVE IT! Great job! Aren't you glad she chose a zebra, instead of the cat in a tree? It turned out really, really cute.

You really are a crafty girl.

Good to see you in REAL LIFE today at the library. Maybe I'll make myself do that more often.

Kimberly said...

Ok, just so's you know, Julie, my mother in law found me a sewing machine at a garage sale in Indianapolis. Reading your blog has inspired me to learn to sew! I took a sewing class in middle school, but I was too busy flirting with Nick Finley to care about my letter shaped pillows or little boxer shorts...so, yeah...you're a total source of inspiration!

julie said...

I flatter myself that my posts about pig-filthy houses and fights with my husband are equally as inspiring as the stuff I do to avoid cleaning my house and nurturing my husband!

Okay, I totally CAN'T make awesome soap, TERESA!!! I'm hoping I can take the soap-making workshop at Barefoot Kids next month.

Well, if Nick Finley was in your sewing class, he was totally a good enough catch to ignore your sewing for! You've got to post your very first sewing project, too--will it be another letter-shaped pillow, or boxer shorts?

Kimberly said...

Well, considering the letter shaped pillows were pathetic, I'm going to stick with something easy. I'm using the 1/2 yard of red and white polka dot material that I bought (not enough of, of course) I was going to use to make the bandana that Rosie the Riveter wears (this year's halloween costume) to make a generic square pillow. I'm going to slowly dip into the pool of sewing :-)

julie said...

The more pillows, the merrier! That's a great beginning sewing project.

My first sewing machine project was a ring sling--I still shudder at the fits that thing gave me. I used it through two kids, though.

Anonymous said...

I can't make awesome soap yet, but I'm working on it. I'd like to go to the Barefoot class, but I'll have to see also...it'd be fun to take it with you, that's for sure!

julie said...

Can we giggle and get into trouble? Cause that would be SO awesome!