Halloween! Halloween! Trick or Treat?!
Children young and old, far and wide are counting down the days to their annual costume parties and trick or treating adventures! It's the only day of the year that you can pretend to be whatever you want! IN PUBLIC! This is huge. A very big deal. If you miss out on this opportunity your inner Broadway, Tony award winning performance is going to have to wait 365 days for it's next curtain rise. Do be so kind as to allow yourself some creative freedom for a day. Just one. That's all your imagination is asking for.
Given the fact that the majority of us do not have screenplays flooding our inbox we must be selective with our choice of character. To thoroughly enjoy your Halloween experience there are many things to consider.
1. Who are you when you sing in the shower and dance like nobody is looking?
2. Is your personality strong and brave or weak and timid?
3. Do you want to reflect the type of personality you wish you were or who you are?
4. Are you a dead ringer for a political figure or celebrity?
5. Are you secretly scared if every costume is of a dark nature but yours?
6. Is your party indoors or out? Weather hot or cold?
7. Are you 18 or older? (Some costumes really should be for adults only)
8. How much money are you prepared to spend?
9. Are you trying to win a costume contest?
10. Are you making your costume or buying it?
What this questionnaire boils down to is: Be something that makes you excited to have fun even if you are timid. If you hate the creepy costumes you might not be as afraid if you wear one too. Don't dress as a hula dancer if you're trick or treating outside in Ohio. If you're under 18 maybe swap the fishnets for opaque stockings. If you're entering a costume contest an over the top get up usually makes the final round.
Now, down to the nitty gritty. You're either going to pay an arm and a leg for a prefab costume or you're going to dig down deeeeep into your memory for how your old granny used to thread a needle. Okay, okay. That was a little dramatic. Of coarse you're not going to sew the entire thing from scratch. But you may need to make a few alterations. If you're not hip to sewing, the iron and a Heatnbond tape roll (or a similar product brand) is your new Gotta-Have-The-Best-Costume-I've-Ever-Had-In-My-Entire-Life best friend. It's a sew free way to bond fabrics quickly and easily. It's cheap as dirt and can be found in most craft sections at your favorite store.
If you've already made the decision to purchase your costume at one of those nightmare inducing pop up Halloween shops, congratulations ahead of time. You're going to tie for first at your costume party for the most common and predictable get up. You'll still go home with some candy though.
Now for all you imaginative entrepreneurs. Your possessions are your canvas. Go, create! Reduce, reuse, recycle! If you need to bond some fabrics, minus the needle and thread, check out http://www.thermowebonline.com/content.php?t=Directions&k=86490id=126 on how to use Heatnbond. They do have a product option that you can sew over for a stronger hold if you plan on moving around a lot. The trick is though....wash your intended fabrics FIRST (even if you just pulled them out of your closet) with NO FABRIC SOFTENER IN THE WASHER OR THE DRYER. The fabric softener leaves that yucky, invisible slime on your clothes making the Heatnbond completely useless. It only glues fabrics together that are clean, dry and yuck free. This doesn't mean you can't have that soft, fluffy fabric we've all come to love. During the drying cycle toss in a half dozen or so Leaping Sheep Wool Dryer Balls to fluff your future costume while retaining a bond friendly surface.
Once you've created your masterpiece, please do a few dry runs on hair, make-up and character traits. Remember, this is your once a year opportunity to party like a (fill in the blank)!!! Have fun and be safe!!
Written by:
Jessica Connor
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