Finished

My little ghostie and Peter Pan are ready for Halloween.

My son's costume was easy - everything I made for him used commercial patterns. (Shirt: Butterick 6295, pants: Butterick B4319, hat: Butterick 4319 (minus the brim,) and the shoes: Butterick B4632.) Most of them I inherited from my friend Maggie after she inherited them and realized they'd be of more use to me. (Thanks Maggie.) My favorite part of his whole outfit is his little moccasins. I altered the pattern so they would fit over his shoes. Given all the horses Mackinac Island is not a good place to walk without appropriate footwear, so wearing shoes underneath is a must.

Little Miss Ghost was a completely different story. I had a picture in my head of what I wanted her costume to look like after seeing this pattern at the store. However, it didn't come in child sizes. No problem, I thought, I can draft something similar in her size...

Sorry about the cheesy leaf - it was the only way I could show you the whole costume without showing her face. I started out with a pattern I've used before and just altered it to look like the picture. It ended up fairly similar to the original, but mine is puffier. I suppose it isn't bad for a first try, but if I ever make another one I will do a few things differently. First of all I will use three layers of fabric for the main body (instead of two) and I will use fewer layers on her arms. The way it is, I think she looks a little top heavy.

I really like how the lettuce effect on the edges of the fabric turned out. It was the first time I've sewn with such sheer fabric and I was a little worried about it. But it worked out O.K. I also like how having her wear black underneath helps her body fade away. I think that will look really good when we go out on Halloween; hopefully she'll look like she is hovering.

I guess it really doesn't matter what I think, she likes it and that's what really matters...