(ARA) – Whether
you’re planning to go trick-or-treating, heading out to
a party, or just answering the door to neighborhood kids, Halloween
is a time to have fun. You get to pretend you’re someone
or something else for the night, and escape from reality.
Most people don’t put a lot of thought into
the holiday; simply going out to buy a costume a few days before
the 31st. And then there are people like Beth Baumgartel of Bridgeport,
Connecticut. She is among the growing number of do-it-yourselfers
who make their own costumes from scratch each year instead of
buying them in the store.
“I have been making costumes for my four kids
since they were born,” says Baumgartel, whose oldest child
is now 13. “I do it because I enjoy sewing and it’s
something we can do together. The kids love thumbing through the
pattern books at the fabric store, picking out a costume, then
finding the fabric and trim and watching me put it all together.”
Over the years, Katie Baumgartel, 13, has been everything
from a princess to Mrs. Claus. Her 12-year-old sister, Erin, has
been Sleeping Beauty, a witch, and a hippie. Brooke, 9, has been
a pink princess with purple trim, Esmeralda and Cleopatra. Last
year, three-year-old Jack’s dream came true when he got
to be a white dragon. Baumgartel says some of the costumes were
easier to make than others, “but I always had a pattern
to follow so none of them were too hard.”
Costume patterns are big business these days, and
not just in the fall around Halloween. Civil war and Renaissance
costumes are big sellers throughout the year; but around Halloween
time, costumes that allow you to transform yourself and your kids
into wizards, witches, cowboys, Indians, monsters or superheroes
are extremely popular.
“Movies have a lot of influence on costume
choices – whatever is on the big screen is how people want
to dress. This year, we’ve seen a jump in our pirate costume
sales, which is probably due to the recent release of Disney’s
Pirates of the Caribbean,” says Kathy Marrone, promotion
manager at The McCall Pattern Company. “Dressing up for
Halloween isn’t just for children. Our adult costumes are
just as popular, and our new matching mother and daughter glamorous
vampire costumes are at the top of the best seller list.”
You don’t have to be an expert seamstress
to create a memorable costume. If you don’t have a lot of
experience with a sewing machine, the experts recommend that you
start simple. Just about anyone can sew a cape. Once you have
one of those, you or your child can quickly transform into a favorite
character with the aid of some makeup.
Here are some other suggestions for people who decide
to sew their own costumes:
* Look on the pattern envelope for suggested fabrics
and follow the designer’s advice. One of the biggest mistakes
people make is picking the wrong kind of fabric.
* Even if you think you know what size your child
-- or you for that matter -- wears, take measurements before you
start sewing. A size 10 in clothing you buy at the store will
not have the same measurements as a pattern.
* Sew reflective materials right into the costume
so your kids will be visible to oncoming traffic.
“Halloween offers parents and kids a chance
to bond, and the best thing for me is it’s very forgiving,”
says Baumgartel. “You don’t have to be an expert seamstress
to sew a great costume. It doesn’t have to fit perfectly,
and if you make a mistake, you can cover it up with trim.”
You can find McCall’s and Butterick Halloween
patterns at fabric stores, craft stores and discount retailers
across the country. To preview available patterns, log onto www.mccallpatterns.com.
-Courtesy of ARA
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