The big costume sewing challenge started back when the grandaughters in North Dakota asked if I would make part of their costumes for this year’s Halloween.

Mmmmmmmm. Ok……

Piper sent me this picture for her costume. It’s Axolotl from Minecraft. Did she want a square box with antennae?

After much texting, she then sent me this photo to clarify.

Oooookkkkkkk

Actually Easy Peasy.

I’ve been making these animal hoods for about 5 years. They are from LemonSqueezeyHome.com The pattern is free and the tutorial is very easy to follow.

The first two…

I think those were a small and an extra small. They run a little big. Here’s my daughter and I in the same hoods!

I made costumes for our afterschool program a few years ago. One of the girls asked for a unicorn leopard hood. I used this pattern and adjusted for a horn in the middle of the head. I didn’t get a picture but she was thrilled with it!

Here’s a hood from my Sew Cool class–no unicorn horn with this one.

I sent that one to my daughter in DC. She wore it! Cause my daughter is cool and knows these hoods are cool!

So when Piper asked for the axolotl hood, I knew just what to do.

She said two shades of pink. And I had the perfect two shades in my felt basket.

I made the hood with felt and lined it with minky so it would be soft on her face. For testing purposes the “horns” were made with cardstock and clipped into the hood. Sent off this photo for approval.

And Piper responded, “Wonderful!”

So I took Peltex 71 which is one side fusible and ultra firm and pressed the squares of different pinks on the fusible side. Glued on the other side and stitched around each square. Sent off to Piper. Who was ecstatic!

I don’t have photos of her in the hood yet. She tried it on during Facetime so I know it fits! Trick or Treating isn’t until Sunday. Hopefully I’ll be able to share some photos next week.

And there’s more.

Terry and I are invited to a community Halloween party every year (well last year’s was canceled) There is a theme which is announced about a month before the party. This year’s was Mad Scientist.

Terry decided to go as Doctor Strangelove and I was Nurse Rat-ched, a lab rat. Once again. The animal hood was made!

I also needed to take along some little rats. An excuse to buy another puppet. The rest I made from the Very Nice Mice pattern from Ann Wood Handmade.

I used this very old pattern to make my nurses’s dress and Terry’s mad doctor skull cap.

I machine embroidered patches for Terry’s lab coat and my nurse’s costume.

And how about that tail?

The party was last week and amazing. The house was set up as an insane asylum. So! Much! Fun! But there were two other lab rats! I thought I was being so clever and unique.

Okay. Next week I’ll post about what I made for Adley’s costume, my other ND granddaughter. And hopefully some snaps from the big night!