Costumes Created At Home Are Simple, Imaginative, Cheap
For parents watching their wallets, spending $40 on a child’s ready-to-wear Halloween costume can be frightful. For a fraction of the cost, a trip to the fabric store produces loads of ideas for creative costuming. And this year, fabric stores are brimming with tricks for the can’t-sew customer.
I’m in that category. I was ready to pull out my credit card and order my son a Star Wars Storm Trooper costume via mail order. Instead, we headed to the fabric store, more out of curiosity than conviction. To my surprise, we had assembled the beginnings of a Hercules costume within minutes. A yard of shiny fabric becomes an easy cape; a plastic sword and chest plate were the perfect accessories. At home, we added sweat pants, turtleneck, belt and headband. Fun and satisfying, we created a costume that delights my son for under $10.
To get started, gather ideas from catalogues and costume shops, the Fashion Sewing Council suggests. Rather than getting stuck on the details of a costume, think of them in terms of simple shapes. A piece of fabric cut into a donut-shaped poncho or cape can yield a variety of characters. Embellish an orange felt poncho into a jack-o-lantern by adding eyes and mouth. Trim a basic black cape with silver for a magician or vampire look. A red satin cape adorned with gold trim becomes a superhero costume.
For girls, go with gowns. Visit a thrift store or rummage through your dress-up closet. Transform dusty dresses into glitzy gowns with fabric paint, glitter glue, sequins, faux gems and feathers. With a few glittery tricks, these basic garments become a medley of female favorites such queens, fairies and angels. Cut, hem or tie up the length, add a veil or crown - and don’t forget the magic wand.
For a ballerina outfit, start with a shiny bathing suit. Gather layers of metallic tulle into a poofy skirt and tie at the waist. Glue or stitch on rosettes for the finished look.
Looking for easy comfort? Unitards and leggings are perfect foundational garments for creating animal costumes such as dinosaurs, bunnies or Dalmatians. Add stripes or spots with iron-on appliques or fabric paint. Create a tail by sewing two strips of fabric. For the no-sew method, cut one leg off of an old pair of pantyhose, stuff it, and fasten. Embellish a baseball cap with animal ears or use a headband as the base for a crown, halo, or set of bunny ears.
Fabric paints produce imaginative and eerie effects. Try neon or glitter paints for a glow-in-the-dark look. Create an instant skeleton with silver paint on black sweats.
If you still need ideas, head to the nearest computer and check out the Halloween Costume Closet (http://www.FabricLink.com). This Web site, sponsored by FabricLink, is a one-stop resource for inexpensive costume ideas, spooky make-up tips and Halloween folklore. It is easy to navigate and provides more than 50 links to more ghoulishly great Web sites.
, DataTimes