Halloween 2010 Geisha Costume

Here's Kivi's 2010 Halloween costume. Not pictured are the matching trick or treat bag made from remnants, and the other flower ornament in her hair (it's on her other temple).

This year, aside from picking what she was going to be, I chose most of the individual details of her costume. She's currently very big on the color teal/turquoise, so when I saw the fabric, I knew it would be perfect. I told her about it, and she OK'd the choice from my description, so I acquired it the next time I was at JoAnne's with a 50% off coupon. She picked (and paid for) the parasol on her own, and chose which style of flip-flops she wanted (pretty slim pickings this time of year!).


She's wearing Teva flip flops (instead of the elaborate - and tall - wooden sandals that Geisha wear) and the tabi socks are converted from regular socks.

Here are the individual stories about the different parts of her costume:

• Kimono Pattern
• Finished Kimono
• Tabi Socks
• Repairing the parasol
• Trick or Treat Bag
• Kanzashi Hair ornaments
  

Memory Lane: Halloween 2009

Over the summer, we saw the new Star Trek movie, and Kivi turned into a Trekkie over night. That's my girl!


This is the third time I've used that Simplicity pattern (purple queen, and spider witch previously). This time though, I made some major modifications. You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this sewing thing!

First off, I used the sleeves from the boy's knight costume instead of the long flowy sleeves. Next, I bound the neckline in black to simulate a female Starfleet uniform. And finally - I cut it off a little above the knee. The uniform is supposed to be short enough that it barely covers the butt, but Kivi was only 7 1/2 years old. Plenty of time for the sexpot look when she's older. Oh, and did I mention that this is the first time I've worked with a knit? I'm glad the stretched out lettuce edge on the lower hem looks deliberate (and good). Ok... I'm starting to want a serger.

She already had the boots and the black leggings. I bought the black turtle neck. The Starfleet insignia was mine from when I was a kid. I just mounted it on black foam and turned it into a pin.

Kivi wanted to be a Vulcan, but I wouldn't let her dye her hair (sound familiar?). So she's a red-headed half-human Vulcan. The eyebrows turned out great. I used powder and glue stick to cover her real eyebrows, and a brown eyebrow pencil to create the slanted ones.

Creating the holster belt for the communicator and phaser was tough - sewing is an exercise in spacial relations, and that doesn't really come naturally to me.

AND... This is the first year my sewing machine didn't quit on me right after starting the Halloween costume project. Yeah!!

Memory Lane: Halloween 2008

Kivi really kind of designed her Spider Witch costume herself. She knew she wanted to be a witch, and that she wanted to be scary. So then, she found the fabrics and said "we should buy this see-through fabric and put it on top of this shiny fabric." Huh. Can I do that? "Ok, hon, that sounds like fun." (DOH! Not only am I working with a see-through fabric again, but now I'm working with a slithery slippery metallic fabric??? I'm insane).


It was hard to figure out the modifications to the pattern (the same pattern as her purple queen costume from 2 years before) to make a 2-layer costume. I don't mean to brag, but DAMN, Kivi and I make a great team. I think this costume is lovely. And the neighborhood girls have been playing dressup with it ever since. I bought the hat and jewelry at Party City or some place like that.

Oh, and did I mention that my sewing machine went on the blink AGAIN??? It HATED that hot-pink fabric. This time when I took it in to be fixed, I came home with a new sewing machine.

Memory Lane: Halloween 2007

This time Kivi wanted to be Medusa. I think we had just watched the 1980s era movie Clash of the Titans or something. We looked at artist renditions of Medusa, and she decided to be a beautiful version.


The costume turned out GREAT. The snake hat was an utter pain in the ass. My fingers got so sore poking holes through the plastic snakes so that I could sew them on, that I ended up drilling tiny holes through them with my Dremel. Never again. (Hmmm... is a pattern emerging here?)

This was also the first (and so far only) time that I've made a vintage pattern. This one was from the 1960s, and I got it from someone on eBay. Pattern conventions haven't really changed that much, at least not in the last 40 years. They are still written for people who know what they are doing. At least I knew slightly more this time around.

I got the fabric on clearance for about $2/yard. It's this slithery stretchy costume fabric, and my sewing machine HATED HATED HATED it. I was getting pretty tired of dealing with that temperamental beast. Another trip to the repairman, who made a minor adjustment, and it started working again.

Memory Lane: Halloween 2006

This year, Kivi asked to be a queen. We picked a pattern this time: Simplicity 5520. I made the view on the lower right.


This was the first time I'd ever actually followed a pattern on my own (the wrap skirt I made in 7th grade Home Ec doesn't count).

Have you ever actually LOOKED at a pattern envelope and instructions??? They are totally written for someone who actually knows how to sew. It was really, really hard, and I had to read each instruction like 200 times, and wrestle with my mother's 30+ year old Singer Athena 2000 which fritzed out on me (again!). Got it fixed and kept plugging away, and after lots and lots of calls to my mother, I wound up with this:


Not too bad for a beginner! And that see-through sleeve fabric was a PITA to work with. Never again. I did manage to add a set of inner sleeves to keep Kivi warm. I made tubes and sewed them in. Wrong shape, but you can't see the flaws, as they are hidden under the real sleeves. They worked, so can't complain. Got the garland at the RenFest that year.

Memory Lane: Halloween 2005

This is the very first Halloween costume that I made for Kivi. Not only did I make it, but I designed it myself! I made a poncho out of white fabric by taking a rectangle, and cutting a hole for Kivi's head. Then I sewed on some ties to hold it closer to her neck. I then made a hood, and sewed TONS of strips of fabric and gauze all over it.


The darned thing was uncomfortable, and probably dangerous for my then-four-year-old. She couldn't see very well with the hood, and we ended up trick-or-treating with the hood off most of the time.

This was the first year that my sewing machine got temperamental on me, and I had to borrow a machine from a friend to finish Kivi's costume.

Book Highlight - Sewing Green

"By its nature, do-it-yourself sewing is environmentally friendly. In Sewing Green, Betz White takes stitching to an even higher level of sustainability, presenting 25 projects made from "repurposed" thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics.

White’s whimsical yet practical designs include an apron constructed from men’s dress shirts (and a wallet from the shirts’ cuffs!), a soft blanket pieced from secondhand cashmere sweaters, and even a tote bag refashioned from used Tyvek envelopes. Along the way, White dispenses tips on everything from how to deconstruct old garments for reuse in new creations to how to wrap gifts with resusable fabric scraps instead of paper.

Inspiring profiles about well-known leaders in the eco-stitching movement are sprinkled throughout, and a complete resources section helps crafters make eco-smart choices. With Sewing Green, today’s sewers will be fashioning handmade heirlooms and sustaining traditions for generations to come."