The Halloween Collection 2008

Without further ado....here's the 2008 Halloween Collection, lovingly handcrafted by Mommy.

First we have a Knight in Shining Armor with a crocheted "chainmail" helmet, hauberk, and gloves. The ensemble is finished with a purchased playset shield, sword & holder, chest protector, and helmet. It's modeled by our first grader and he is so happy with his outfit.

Next up, we have a pair from Star Wars, throw-backs to Mommy's own childhood. The Lego Star Wars game for the Nintendo Wii is very popular in these parts and they have been fascinated by it for some time. When it came time to pick costumes, they thought Princess Leia and Wicket the Ewok would be great.

Here's Princess Leia, modeled by our 4th grade daughter, complete with a crochet cap with the "Leia" buns. The dress will be a warm snuggly nightgown after Halloween as it is made with flannel-backed satin. I used a quick and easy nightgown pattern by Stretch and Sew. The cap is a basic crochet cap and I wound yarn hair buns to attach to it. There is a great online reference for Leia costumes.

Then we have our preschooler as Wicket W. Warrick, Ewok. His suit is supposed to be jammies later, too, but he has to quit growing! He's complete with his spear, felt-tipped, and pouch. Now he wants a slingshot. The suit is an OOP KwikSew sleeper pattern with added length to the arms and legs (should have added a bit width, too!) and the hood with ears is from an OOP Butterick pattern I used 4 years ago for Care Bear Costumes. The accessories were made on the fly with no patterns. The colors are not exactly correct, but he is thrilled! That makes Mommy happy!

To round out this year's collection, we have a Lego block. Yes, that's correct. A Lego block. Our 2nd grade son is not big on dressing up. He has a hard time deciding on a costume. I checked the internet for ideas. A quick and easy costume from a cardboard box, a Lego seemed just right. Afterall, he LOVES Legos. He thought the idea was great. I wasn't sold on the box to be taking to school, lugging on the bus, etc. So I had to think of another way to make it. Enter some blue felt and leftover foam from a bench cushion. He is quite pleased with the results and so am I! (The preschooler looks cute in it, too! I tried to get all of them to be different color Legos, but the others weren't buying into it.)

Happy Halloween!