Best thing about holidays? Having an excuse to make something other than food. I love making Christmas cards, picking Thanksgiving bouquets from the woods behind the house, and–as I’m discovering–putting together Halloween costumes from whatever weird stuff is lying around the house.
The other day, I was about to go to the fabric store to get some material for Elsie’s costume, and had a small epiphany. Why spend money, use gas and stress out over a purchase when there’s a mountain of crafty stuff in the attic? Surely we can come up with a good costume using materials we already own.
Behold: the Unconventional Witch Costume.
The first key element is, of course, the hat. We were lucky to have a pointy knitted cap made by a friend, to which we added a brim (a donut shape cut from leftover matboard).
Then there’s the toddler-sized broom: a stick from the yard, and dried flower stalks lashed to it with twine.
And finally, the cape. A readymade! I’d picked up this upholstery fabric sample from The Artful Lodger a couple of years ago (it was free or very cheap; I can’t remember which–they were getting rid of it). It happened to be the perfect size, and came with these super handy grommets! Through which we tied orange ribbon to keep it around Elsie’s neck.
The rest of the outfit consisted of clothes we already had around. (Fortunately, toddlers tend to own stuff like red patent leather shoes and stripey leggings.)
I must say I was pleased with the results. As for me, I wore an old red bridesmaid’s dress, plus a red cape that I’ve owned since high school for no reason at all. It pays to be cheap.