Thursday, October 29, 2009

Costume Fun

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the crisp autumn weather, the changing leaves, the flickering jack-o-lanterns, but most of all I love the costumes. There’s something magical about dressing up and transforming into someone or something else.






Despite failing Home Ec (I refused to sew trace all of the pattern markings on my fabric and genuinely failed the cooking portion) I’ve pretty much sewn all my life. I love that you can take a hunk of fabric and actually have something wearable at the end of the day. It’s that whole transformational process at work.


During high school and college, I got involved in theatre. I made a lot of the costumes I wore on stage and made even more for other people when I worked in the costume shop of my university’s theatre – there were the Elizabethan period pieces, the murdered bride, the holocaust survivors, a swamp monster, lepers...and I can’t even remember what else.







After college, I parlayed my sewing skills into a business—making wedding dresses, veils, bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses. Then I had kids. There’s nothing more insanity inducing than trying to keep your toddler from crawling under the skirts of near strangers while you’re trying to adjust the fit of their dresses. After a while, I ditched the dress business and went back to my first love – making costumes.

Over the years, my kids, my nieces and daycare kids have been a fruit bat, dragons, knights, princesses, an Egyptian goddess, a vampire princess, an anamie character, a Jawa, a Stormtrooper, pirates, Harry Potter, ninjas, a 1920s era baseball player, a Ring Wraith, a blacksmith and a kitten.


All of these - with the exception of Jen’s wedding dress - were made without patterns. Despite my epic inability to do math, I have a pretty good sense of spatial relations – at least in terms of fabric yardage and the shape of pattern pieces. I can usually use a picture for reference and come up with a reasonable facsimile.



Unfortunately, I didn’t have a digital camera for most of these costumes, but I can show you some of the more recent ones, along with the last wedding dress I made.

16 comments:

Jambrea said...

I'm in awe! These are awesome! My son wanted me to make him a Sully (from Monster's Inc.) costume and I had to tell him I couldn't. I'm NO good at sewing. I can barley sew a button back on.

Unknown said...

Wow Bron! Great job. I can't sew to save my life. My kids would've loved you growing up!

Anny Cook said...

You are soooo fabulous! I sew... with much angst.

Summer Jordan said...

I'm impressed, Bron. And without a pattern... Marvelous stuff.

Cindy Spencer Pape said...

these are so good. Wish you lived closer, lol!

Kris Norris said...

Hey Bron,

Is it too late to put in my kids' requests for Halloween? I'm sure you could whip three up in a day!

Anyway, just another talent for the awesomely talented Bronwyn Green. I knew you were overflowing with the sutff!!

Beautiful work, girl.
hugs,
Kris

Kenzie Michaels said...

Wow Bron! No patterns? That's pretty damn good!

Fran Lee said...

Wow...I think the last thing I sewed was a rip in the seam of my slacks. And it looked like a kindergärtner had sewn it. LOL! As for making costumes, I shop for curtains, spiderweb lace, etc. and simply run ribbons through the rod pocket to make capes. You go, girl!

Regina Carlysle said...

I'm so impressed. I can manage a button and that's about IT. Your creativity is just amazing.

Genella deGrey said...

Geeze, Bronwyn! That's some talent you got there!

I can sew bloomers because no one can see my mistakes . . . But I can hot glue gun anything in the world thanks to Disney!

LOL
G.

Lisabet Sarai said...

Hi, Bron,

These are great!

I've always loved to make Halloween costumes too. As my husband will tell you, I'm a whiz with velcro and staples!

Happy Halloween!
Warmly,
Lisabet

Unknown said...

Simply amazing girl! Amazing.

Molly Daniels said...

The only sewing I do is buttons and the occassional hem. Great job, Bron! And no patterns? That's....simply AMAZING! You ROCK!

Paris said...

Love the costumes! And the wedding dress is fabulous;-) You are sooooo creative!

Anna Mayle said...

Phenominal! I am completely useless without a pattern to go by. All I can say is wow. Those are amazing! That is some talent!

Margaret Yang said...

I don't know what that metallic bra is for, but I wants one.

Fabulous talent!