May the Force be Vigue!

Carving pumpkins a week before Halloween. It was still, like, 60 degrees outside. Henry wanted a "mean pumpkin with star eyes", Sheridan wanted a pumpkin with a "heart face. Heart eyes and heart nose and a heart mouth." Jack drew out his design and had Tyler cut it out.Making Halloween costumes is something I really enjoy. It's one of the few times I really pay attention to detail and finish the project. The deadline of Halloween without a costume is a surprisingly great motivator for me. This year, I needed to have costumes done for our church party on the 25th. Fortunately, Grammy had purchased Jack his Jengo Fett costume at a yard sale the summer before last, so he was at least good to go!
Still had some costume tweaks to make after the Trunk or Treat. Needed to figure out how to keep R2D2's shoulders from sagging all over the place, add the "lights" to the bottom of Amidala's dress, and hem up the Leia dress--that thing was BLACK by the end of the church party!

The whole, nerdy famPrincess Leia, complete with "Leia buns" hat and belt. She insisted that she needed the hood, and I have to concur that she made a good fashion call. Sheridan was SO PROUD of her costume!

R2D2.
I tried to talk him into something simpler--like Yoda or a Jawa--but he insisted that he would only go along with the theme if he was R2D2. He made cute little beeps and boops when in costume.
(to make: use white felt covered in reg. white fabric for the tube part. Sew a channel at the top for a clothes hanger. Sew on various blue felt and silver-covered felt shapes--use an R2 toy to figure out the shapes. Quilt the white lines with grey thread. Cut armholes low enough that the tube comes around mouth level. Curse when you realize that you've cut them too high and add the leg hubs to cover the fact. Spray paint your recycle trash can lid silver after you've cut a hole out of the lid using tin snips and hot glued it shut. Add various felt shapes, again using the toy as a guide. Raid your husband's shop and find odds and ends for the 3-D elements. Use a mirror for the "light" part since you waited too long to make an LED light, then lose said mirror while trick or treating. Glue the insert of a hard hat into the head, then duct tape to keep it in place. Still spend half the time trick or treating carrying it. Sew up the side of the tube and insert the mangled wire coat hanger into the channel. Use various coat hangers bent up and pipe insulation or pool noodles to keep the top of the tube from sagging. Call it good!).

Queen Amidala
(to make: use all those old pieces of red satin from your wedding centerpieces. Make a skirt from 3--long and wide enough to fit over the body cast!--by sewing them side by side and putting elastic along the top edge. Use black felt left over from a pirate costume 3 years ago along the bottom edge. Sew on circles that were white felt painted yellow and orange with black felt circles sewn on top. Use 1 table-topper to make the top--a T shape with a neck hole and cut down the front. Line with black felt. Make that silly bib-thingy with yet another centerpiece thingy, velcro, and a gold fabric paint. Make sure that it is a defective bottle of fabric paint so you can't just squeeze it on, but have to use a paint brush and try to make the gold lines look consistent. Laugh at yourself when you realize how long your taking on a costume your daughter will never be able to fit into again! Then make the hat--using a bonnet as a guide--with gold for the bonnet part and accents, and another wire coat hanger and pipe insulation as the hair. Do this knowing she can't possible keep the silly thing on for more than 10 minutes!)You know your costumes are cool when people (you don't know) walking down the street stop to take pictures of your kids. When neighbors you don't know give your kid dressed as R2D2 extra candy just because "R2D2 needs extra candy!". When a random person (again, whom you've never met) stops their car, gets out and says (of Leia), "That is the cutest costume EVER!" and drives away.

I don't know that I can top this year. Maybe next year we'll all just go as nerds or something...oh wait, I think this year's costumes showed that already! :)

All said, it was a lot of fun.