Remembering Halloween Costumes

I was running around packing and cleaning to get ready to fly back to Indiana to see my dad and other mother, and to Cape Cod to see my mom, and when I went to dump a load of laundry in the machine I discovered a bag from JoAnn sitting on top.  When I looked in, I groaned.  Why?  Because there, sitting in the bag, forgotten, were the makings for a 40's style hat that I had promised Elder Progeny I would make for her this week so I could mail it to her before I left.  Ugh. 

So, I sat down at the sewing machine and started.  And what happened was this - I had fun.  I realized that I really miss those days before Halloween, when I would be frantically trying to finish not one but two costumes by the day of the class party (except in the year when I made American Girl doll costumes to MATCH the girls' costumes AND made a Holly Golightly costume for our babysitter.  Nuts.  Majorly mental.  I was also working almost full time and volunteering for everything under the sun.  Those days are LONG gone....)  But I enjoyed those days - loved the whole process from picking out the costume pattern on through the end.

In fact, it's only because of those costumes of yore that I had buckram around instead of having to go buy it today in the midst of crazy packing!  How many people do YOU know who have buckram in their house?!  (For those of you who don't know, buckram is heavy open weave cotton that has been stiffened with starch.  It's used for lining, to help things keep their shape.)

Anyway, here's the (almost) finished product.  EP still needs to put on a frill of netting and the elastic strap to hold it on. 

 

Our babysitter as Holly Golightly...

 

Maybe my niece will let me make a costume for her daughter next year!