You searched for Pumpkin costume

I feel so relieved that the girls Halloween costumes are complete. I went back and forth for several weeks try to decide what they were going to be, but could not decide. Finally, I took the girls to the fabric store and let Savannah decide.

I pulled out the Simplicity Halloween costume book and she said she wanted to be a pumpkin. Perfect! Not the most creative costume idea, but definitely a classic. I mean really, how long will they let you dress them up as pumpkins? Not long, I suppose.

So here is the pattern we settled on.

Today was Savannah’s ballet class and they were all supposed to dress up in their costumes. Not wanting to make Matilda feel left out, I dressed her up too.

Here are my two little pumpkin heads waiting for Savannah’s class to begin. They are looking and acting more and more like sisters these days. I love it! I have to admit that the idea of having two little ones 16-months apart scared me in the beginning, but I am realizing more and more that it is actually quite a blessing.

After Savannah went into class, I had to snap a few pictures of my littlest pumpkin head. She does not like to wear hats (unlike her sister), so I made sure to put a ribbon tie on her little hat.

Here’s Miss Matilda thinking about trying to take her hat off. The ribbon tie worked, she kept her hat on!

After ballet class was over, I took the girls to a local pumpkin patch to take a few more pictures of them in their costumes.

I have a hard time following patterns exactly. It’s probably the same reason I have trouble following recipes. I always like to make it my own by putting my own spin on it. I turned this costume into more of a pillowcase dress, drew my own faces, and changed up the hat a little bit. I do, however, think patterns are wonderful for help with sizing and inspiration.

The main fabric is orange fleece and the black, green and tan are all felt. I love working with fleece. It’s so easy to sew and you don’t have to worry about serging or finishing the edges. Not to mention the fact that this costume will be warm and toasty trick-or-treating in the cool October air.

I just love these two little pumpkin heads!

Cottage Mama’s Note: This costume was very simple to sew – perfect for beginners! If you have not made your child’s costume yet, you could probably get this done in about an hour or two. So if you have an hour to spare, go for it!

Fall and Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween! Well, a day after the fact, but I hope you all had a great one. It has been a whirlwind of a couple days returning on Tuesday from International Quilt Market in Houston, TX and then all of the Halloween festivities we had yesterday. Luckily my flight was only delayed an hour and a half due to high winds in Chicago from the big storm back east. I would have been beyond sad if I missed my babies all dressed up on Halloween.

The Quilt Market Recap post will be coming soon, but I thought I would share some pictures of my little cuties. Boy did I miss these kiddos when I was away for five days. I had a great time spending some one-on-one time with my mom, but it always feels good to be home.

I decided I could not miss this opportunity to dress Mr. Caspian Finn up as Charlie Brown this year. I love that bald head of his. Even though he is 14 months now, it still makes him look like such a little baby.

I thought I could get away with buying a store-bought yellow t-shirt and adding a zig-zag, but I could not find one in his size anywhere. There were lots of yellow shirts, but they all had prints and writing on them. I ended up finding one in the big boys section, so I just re-constructed the shirt and cut it down to size. The zig-zag is made from felt which was nice because there was no need to finish the edges.

This little guy is always on the move and climbing on everything! I’m starting to see a real difference between my boy and the two girls. He is going to keep me very busy.

Next up is our very own ‘Dora the Explorer’. Matilda had her mind set on this costume for about six months. Last year she knew exactly what she wanted to be (a Ballerina Princess), so I should have guessed that this year would be no different. I made her some orange fleece capris and we layered tons of things under her pink t-shirt. It was in the 30’s on Halloween…..brrrrrrrr. She also wore tights under the capris.

I had every good intention of making Matilda’s Dora backpack, but that did not happen. Every fabric I showed Matilda, she said was wrong (and you all know I have a lot of fabric) and she was telling me all sorts of things the backpack must have on it. I was running out of time before I left for quilt market, so when I found the one in the picture online for $11.00, I thought we would just go with that and make my life a little easier. Plus, that way I knew it would be just right.

This little lady had a ball trick-or-treating. Last year, when she was two, she got the concept, but this year she is three and she loved every minute of it!

And finally, we have Miss Savannah, our black cat. Again, this was another costume that she had settled on months ago. She loves to be something scary for Halloween with a little bit of a twist……you might remember her ‘Princess Witch‘ costume from last year. I had a lot of fun making this scary cat a little more on the girly side. It’s hard to tell from all the pictures, but she had a black petti-skirt and I made a sash out of a sequined black fabric. The sash went around the waist and tied in a bow in the back right above the cat tail that I added to the skirt.

I made a collar from the same sequined black fabric (that I found at a thrift store for 50 cents) by making a gathered ruffle and binding it with black bias tape. The hooded sweatshirt has a ruffle that runs up both sides and around the hood. I knew it would be chilly on Halloween so I always try to think ahead to how we can layer underneath so we don’t end up covering the kids costumes with big coats.

She wore a black knit hat and a headband with sparkly black cat ears finished with a satin bow on top.

Another event that has become an annual tradition is something out this way called the ‘Autumn Drive’. It takes place mid-October and is out in the country about 40 minutes from our house. Local farms open their doors and there are fall activities, crafts, food, pottery and lots and lots of pumpkins. This year my husband wanted to buy the largest pumpkin around and I think he might have succeeded………..

Matilda wearing the coat I made from felted wool (post found HERE).

Fall is definitely my favorite time here in the midwest! We have had so much fun and we still have another month to go. I have two large butternut squashes that are just begging to be roasted and turned into soup…….I think that sounds like a good project for today since it’s another chilly autumn day.