Readers, today I'm delighted to introduce you to another MPB Halloween Sew-Alonger, Derek G. I could tell you all about his project, but I thought I'd let Derek describe it in his own words:
A: This costume is for our annual Halloween party, with this year's theme being The Wizard of Oz. As the organizers, we wanted the main character roles to go to our guests. There was also a real danger of having to sing a karaoke solo if I chose the wrong character.
My criteria became offbeat, but recognizable, with little to no dialogue or singing. The generally snarky persona of the Lollipop Guild sealed the deal. The green Lollipop Guild munchkin also carries a large sucker, which is something I can use to *smack* around our guests if they get too rowdy!
My criteria became offbeat, but recognizable, with little to no dialogue or singing. The generally snarky persona of the Lollipop Guild sealed the deal. The green Lollipop Guild munchkin also carries a large sucker, which is something I can use to *smack* around our guests if they get too rowdy!
Q: What challenges, if any, are you experiencing?
A: The last time I used a sewing machine I was 10 years old. Patterns are new to me and the language used on the patterns is clearly aimed at sewers "in the know". As a complete noob, I also chose the worst material possible for the shirt and shorts. My body measurements also squarely indicated a size M, but the shorts are tight and the shirt is already cut. Guess I'll skip that chocolate brownie in the fridge :)
Q: Where are you going to go in your costume?
Our party is being held at our house with 22 guests expected. Good thing The Wizard of Oz has a large cast of characters. Fingers crossed for good weather so we can use the decks and patio. Otherwise we'll expect mayhem in the closer quarters.
Readers, I am so excited to see Derek's final costume, aren't you? And I can't wait to see how he does his hair!
If you'd like to share some details about your Halloween costume here on MPB, just shoot me an email. It's so much fun to see what other people are sewing and, let's face it, how much can I drag out a harem outfit?
Speaking of harem outfits, readers, today I treated myself to something special: shoes, new shoes.
The reason is related to something I haven't shared with you because, frankly, I didn't want to upset you. Six weeks ago to the day, I left my apartment to go running, and I ran directly onto a freshly poured cement sidewalk, into which I collapsed, badly spraining my right ankle. The scene was a cross between planting one's footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater and every episode of Gilligan's Island involving quicksand -- a mess. Anyway, my ankle is 85% recovered, but I cannot handle very high heels, and that's pretty much all I can find at thrift stores these days. Yes, I could have opted for flats, and that might even have been more historically accurate, but it sounded too drab for words. So I splurged on these, which I purchased at a dance shoe store in my neighborhood. (Thankfully, they were on sale, though I have to pay extra to have rubber soles put on.) Since they're made for ballroom dancers, they're super stable and very well constructed. I may even share them with Cathy, who will swoon over their retro good looks.
Readers, that's all for today. I want to thank Derek for sharing his project (and sense of humor) with us and I know we all wish him lots of luck over the next week finishing his costume. Derek, don't forget to take lots of photos at the party and please, stay away from those Lullaby League girls — they're trouble!
Have a great day, everybody! How are your costumes coming along?
***
Readers, I am so excited to see Derek's final costume, aren't you? And I can't wait to see how he does his hair!
If you'd like to share some details about your Halloween costume here on MPB, just shoot me an email. It's so much fun to see what other people are sewing and, let's face it, how much can I drag out a harem outfit?
Speaking of harem outfits, readers, today I treated myself to something special: shoes, new shoes.
The reason is related to something I haven't shared with you because, frankly, I didn't want to upset you. Six weeks ago to the day, I left my apartment to go running, and I ran directly onto a freshly poured cement sidewalk, into which I collapsed, badly spraining my right ankle. The scene was a cross between planting one's footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater and every episode of Gilligan's Island involving quicksand -- a mess. Anyway, my ankle is 85% recovered, but I cannot handle very high heels, and that's pretty much all I can find at thrift stores these days. Yes, I could have opted for flats, and that might even have been more historically accurate, but it sounded too drab for words. So I splurged on these, which I purchased at a dance shoe store in my neighborhood. (Thankfully, they were on sale, though I have to pay extra to have rubber soles put on.) Since they're made for ballroom dancers, they're super stable and very well constructed. I may even share them with Cathy, who will swoon over their retro good looks.
Readers, that's all for today. I want to thank Derek for sharing his project (and sense of humor) with us and I know we all wish him lots of luck over the next week finishing his costume. Derek, don't forget to take lots of photos at the party and please, stay away from those Lullaby League girls — they're trouble!
Have a great day, everybody! How are your costumes coming along?
I can't wait to see how he does his hair either. If he wants to get it accurate he'll either have to wear a wig over a bald cap or shave his forehead!
ReplyDeleteUnless he's a balding blonde with a cowlick...
DeleteThose shoes is so gorgeous! The costume looks fantastic and I cant wait to see his hair. I'm doing a Dia De Los Muertos outfit this year. I have a few Guanengos that I can wear. I just need to make a skirt.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see the finished costume, either! I'm just thankful to avoid midnight sewing for Halloween this year. I'm done. I'm staying home to hand out homemade cookies. See, I live on a gravel road, so the only kids we get are related to us, so they'll take 'em. Frankly, by the time we get to Halloween, I may just go to sleep--my sister is dumping her kids off tomorrow for the weekend, and her four-year-old is a hellion!
ReplyDeleteevery year I get so sad that halloween isn't really a thing here... Thank god more and more people just have a dress up night or watch scary movies together as an excuse to dress up! I don't have time to create an elaborate costume, but I have a housewarming/roadkill themed party coming up so I'll just make an orange shift dress with a tail and ears and have my dad run over it with paint on his tires.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the ankle. I do hope you are not going to appear in grainy footage on Funniest Home Videos. Very nice shoes. Your definition of high heels obviously differs from mine, so I must congratulate on having mastered them. Please do make sure there are closeups of these being worn, n your final photo shoot.
ReplyDeleteFunniest line EVER! So sorry to hear that you were hurt, but for that line... maybe in some small cosmic way... it needed to be put out there for the rest of us?
ReplyDelete"The scene was a cross between planting one's footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater and every episode of Gilligan's Island involving quicksand -- a mess."
You know your readers very well. Yes we would have gotten upset.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the ankle, but I do love the shoes. I have done a lot of swing dancing and I fully agree with the sturdiness of dance shoes. I laughed at your putting rubber soles on because one of the great things about dance shoes is that they have the proper (leather or swede) soles for dancing. Rubber soles are really bad news on the dance floor because they do not slide. (They would be reason to get a worse sprain.)
ReplyDeleteI really am anxious to see the entire outfit.
So sorry about your ankle! I am really looking forward to seeing your costume and more reader costumes. I LOVE Halloween! I'm going as Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games and I made the whole outfit myself. I would love to be featured on your blog!
ReplyDeleteAmy, just shoot me an email (peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com) answering the same questions Derek did. Please add some photos or post them on the Sew-Along Flickr site and I'll cut and paste them from there. That's it!
DeleteOoh, I had sent an email to your other address. I'll answer the questions and forward it!
DeleteOuch! Your poor ankle! Hope you're back to 100% soon! At least you have some rad new kicks to help nurse you back to good health... ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry about your ankle. Love the shoes.
ReplyDelete