Whether you have sewn for your entire life or are just starting out as a new sewer, Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your creativity and make your own Halloween costume. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s a costume. It’s a project to try new techniques and/or perfect old ones. And better yet there is no right or wrong way of doing things! Create and enjoy the ride!
I tell my students to browse in the retail Halloween stores and look in books, magazines, and the internet to get an idea of what they would like to be. Make sure you pay attention to the details that you would like to incorporate into your costume. When you have decided on a costume to make you can approach making your Halloween costume in several ways.
The first approach is to check the pattern catalogs in your local fabric store to see if there is a pattern for your costume that you’ve chosen to make for Halloween. If you are a new sewer just make sure that the pattern isn’t too complicated. I like to tell my new sewers to purchase a pattern with no more than 10-12 pieces unless you’ve consulted your sewing teacher or other experienced sewer. Look at the fabric, trims, and notions on the back of the pattern envelope for the costume pieces that you are making from the pattern and purchase these items. Prepare the fabric, find the pattern pieces needed for your view, cut it out and have some fun sewing up your costume. Make sure that you ask for help if needed. Embellish your costume to make it your own. Remember, you are the designer and it’s what you like that really counts!
Now, if you have this great idea in your head but can’t find a pattern then you have to go a different route. Think of the designers on shows like Project Runway and the steps that they must follow to get from a drawing or an idea in their mind to the final project. Break the design down and see what you will have to do to get the look that you want. Look for patterns that have the shapes that you have in mind and substitute these patterns to make your costume. Or, if you have a Goodwill store or a Salvation Army store near you, they are usually treasure troves of great pieces that can be adapted to make any costume. Alter and embellish them and your costume will be smashing!
To summarize, decide on what you want to be for Halloween, decide on how you want to go about it, and get going sewing. And remember, the best thing about making your own costume is when someone complements you on your costume you’ll be able to smile and say “Thank you, I made it myself!”

I’m so excited! Why? Because last week 32 “Measure Me Dolls” were born in the first-grade classes at Tower Hill School in Wilmington Delaware. And Ms. Bobbi stitched each one of them with lots of love.

The “Measure Me Doll” project was started by a Tower Hill first grade teacher about 3 years ago. Jill had done the project in another school and wanted to try it at Tower Hill. We fine-tuned the project, eliminating adding birth weight to the babies and found a better pattern that looked more like real babies and we were off and running.

Each doll is the height of the student when they were born. Students choose the fabric (skin tone) and then the dolls are cut by parents and sent to me for stitching. When the dolls are returned, each class spends a day stuffing their dolls, making hair, choosing faces, decorating a onesie, putting on a diaper, and making an identifying necklace with their name for the baby.

After the babies are born, the first-grade classes spend a week doing activities relating to their births and taking care of their babies. It’s a great project and I enjoy stitching the babies every year and listening to the kids tell me stories about when they were little!

Scroll down for pictures! You can click each one to view their full size.

Until next time,

Ms. Bobbi

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