Made in the USA
Looking back, my dad’s parents might have had a point. As much as possible, they bought items that were made in the USA. Of course, that was easier in the past but times like these remind us that we too have the ability to make things for ourselves.
As you know, I am a card-carrying craftaholic, not so anonymous, and am currently working with a student to make her Halloween costume. No pattern, just 4 yards of fabric and some online pictures for reference. (Some are even of that exact costume you can click and buy but we are old school here.) I applaud her effort because, not only is it fun, it also involves a lot of designing, measuring and imagining on the fly, three of my favorite pastimes. OK, not so much the measuring.
Speaking of old school, if you grew up in the 70’s or before, there was no trip to the Halloween store-- For shame! You want to be a ghost, cut eye holes in a sheet. Boom. You want to be a gypsy? Grab mom’s blouse, a scarf and raid her costume jewelry. Boom done. Need a treat sack? Hello old pillowcase.
Here are my Top 3 DIY Costumes over the years, in reverse order for dramatic effect:
#3: I sewed the potato bag label onto burlap, fashioned with arm holes and a drawstring around the neck. I dressed my 20-pound baby as a sack of potatoes because that’s what it felt like to lift him. He’s 6’4” now, there’s zero lifting going on.
#2: I wrote the words for different emotions on strips of fabric and glued them to an old garment bag. After cutting arm holes, I was ‘emotional baggage.’ That actually didn’t go over so well with some, can’t imagine why not.
#1: Day of the party, thrown together costume…wait for it… I donned my fur coat, red cowboy boots and tied a bag of Doritos around my neck with a ribbon. I was ‘All That and a Bag of Chips.” That was until I drank some wine and got hungry and ended up “NOT All That and Half a Bag of Chips.”
I hope my wacky stories have inspired you. The next few holidays offer abundant opportunities to be creative. Just remember my golden rule to always strive for “progress not perfection” and you will be well on your way to Made in the USA (By You)!
Boom. Done. Happy Halloween.
Ellie
