We’re gearing up for Halloween around here. Instead of sewing a big costume this year, I decided to make a bunch of pieces. My kid loves costumes every day of the year, so better to have a little mix and match. Up first is super boots! They’re a little big, but I figure over pants and shoes, they’ll be fine. The Simplicity 5520 pattern was super easy to follow - we’re making the helmet and armor next. The shiny red fabric is something from the halloween shelf at Joann’s. It’s super silky and shiny. We got a bunch of colors (red, black, silver, gold) for the costume parts.

My kid is dino crazy. They had a special Dinosaur Train deal at the Houston Zoo a few weeks back, and if you wore a costume, you got a prize. Well, we only have superhero costumes around here, so I whipped up some pterodactyl wings real quick.

For inspiration, we used this shirt…now a little too small, but it worked for one more day.

First I sketched out what I was aiming for - just the webbing that hangs down from their arms.

I started with a rectangle folded over to give me the double sided wing that I was aiming for:

Then I used some fancy stitches that kind of look like fangs to make casings for my bendy straws - these are the ‘veins’ in the glider wing, so they hold their shape. After sliding the straws in, I cut away some arches in the bottom and then sewed the bottom closed with some top-stiching. I sewed right over the straws so they wouldn’t fall out.

After making two ‘wings’, I connected them with some binding with a backpack clip in the middle (because pterodactyls grow so quickly!). On each end of the binding, I sewed a smaller double fold bias strip with a little snap, so I could attach the wings to his wrists.

And to keep the glider up in the center of his shoulders, I just safety-pinned it to his shirt.

Ta Daaaa!

And some action shots:

with claws:

Oh, there are so many! First of all, it’s nice to know I’m not alone. Second, I was over at Heather Bailey’s lovely blog, and I found this super cute free pattern for a bat named Betty Boo. While there, taking in the sites, I noticed a link for Trick-Or-Eat. Feast your eyes on this lovely collection…”nine favorite food, craft & lifestyle bloggers await behind nine haunted houses — with an array of holiday tricks and treats to greet you.” It’s a great collection of recipes and fun ideas…plus the little house graphics are super cute. Great job to all those super bloggers! And while on NotMartha.org - one of said super bloggers, I stumbled onto this fun site…treasure abounds at Ask MetaFilter.

For Halloween at the Blabbery house, we are bionicle crazy. This year’s creation was a big success - in fact, this bionicle costume was the first thing I’ve made for my son that he actually liked. His exact words were, “mom, you can make anything!” and “my costume is awesome!” And then he wouldn’t take it off for two days.

There is no higher praise. Meet Mata Nui…

I was just telling you about the cute panel I bought that has three trick or treat bags that you cut out and sew. The thing is that even though halloween is a marketers dream, with more cute products than you can shake a stick at, I always feel a little funny about it. Like I’m celebrating the devil. Is that crazy? I think a lot of people feel that way. Which is why churches have things like harvest festivals, where kids dress up as biblical characters and walk around the church (or church parking lot) and get candy. All the fun, no Satan :)

This year was the first year that I actually bought Halloween fabric. Am I going to hell? Well, if I am, I bet there are cute Halloween invitations to invite me.

I joined a “handmade holiday” group on flickr, to motivate me to finish all my holiday gifts this year, rather than not finishing any of them, and ending up buying a bunch of gifts right before Christmas. I’m not doing that great this year either. It’s already Sept, basically, and I’m still in the idea phase. I have been buying lots of fabric in preparation for the things I’m GOING to make, but it’s not the same as making them, now is it?

Plus, I need to plan a few Thanksgiving gifts first anyway. I have some patterns for table runners that I think are so adorable, and would be perfect for my step-mom. She changes her table decorations for each holiday, so she’s the one person who could actually use seasonal table runners and place mats. I love making these small projects. Plus, I’d love to make some cute little felt napkin rings with leaves or turkeys or pilgrim shoes. Since everyone is getting cloth napkins for Christmas (which I’ve yet to make), they’re going to need napkin rings, right?

I also have some super cute panel fabric to make trick-or-treat bags for Halloween. My nieces just moved here from Germany, so that panel I bought that makes 3 bags is now perfect for my 2 nieces and my son. I just have to GET SEWING.

Finally, there’s Christmas. I have the 3 quilts kits that I bought for gifts for last year, still neatly tied in their piles in my fabric bins. One is the cutest fleece with hot cocoa cups all over. I’d really like to make that one. Plus, I got special fabric for small quilts for my nieces and nephews.

Basically, I need to get off this macbook and get sewing. Today. See ya.