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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew, and it’s basically all we want to talk about.

Caroline: In today’s treat of an episode, we’re talking about sewing costumes. We’ll share the costumes we’ve made and worn, talk about special costume considerations, give some tips for working with unusual fabrics, and share some costume ideas. We’re just dying to dress up.

Helen: If you love to sew, this is your show.

Caroline: Hi, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m good. Goooood. How are you?

Caroline: I’m goood, too.

Helen: Happy October!

Caroline: Happy October! We are recording this a little bit early because on October 3rd when this episode comes out, I will be on vacation.

Helen: Yeah! Yeah, but we can pretend. I can picture the fall leaves. I can hear the crunch when I step on them…

Caroline: Oh, yeah.

Helen: …and I can smell the pumpkin spice, and I’m ready for October.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. I had some pumpkin spice ice cream today.

Helen: Whoa, that’s early.

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, you know, pumpkin spice has been out since August, so…

Helen: I know, I know. It’s so true. Well, we’re very excited to talk about costumes with y’all today. But first off, we have some listener feedback from Adam about sewing for pets from our Sewing for Pets episode last spring: “My name’s Adam. I’m 27 years old, and I’m from Montreal.”

Ooh, Caroline, fellow Montrealer.

Caroline: Hi, Adam.

Helen: “Lately, I’ve really enjoyed sewing for my two bunnies. Here’s what I’ve made them so far. A fleece bed with a washable cover. To avoid choking hazards, the ends of the cushion are tacked in place by hand, and when it’s time for a wash, I unpick the seam. A patchwork cushion for the IKEA Duktig doll bed made with scraps and also filled with scraps.

“Three is a reusable pee pad. Now this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like to avoid creating waste where I can, and I’ve made this pee pad to put on the bottom of my buns’ carrier when we go for long car rides. The smell of bunny pee isn’t very strong, so I simply soak the pee pad in a bucket when I get home, wring it out, and throw it in the next wash. It’s a sandwich of cotton flannel, terry cloth, and PUL finished with bias tape.

“Number four is a hay bag. 80% of a bunny’s diet is hay, and it’s essential for them to have access to a lot of it, but putting it on a plate gets very messy, very fast. This bag is hung on top of the litter box, and it’s easy to remove and refill as it has a wide zippered top. It’s basically a huge denim zipper pouch with two round openings on the front and two lobster clips that I harvested from a broken purse at the top. I finished the openings with floral bias tape and added vintage patches and tassels to decorate it.”

By the way, this is so cute. Adam sent us a picture of some of these items…

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: …and the hay bag is so good. And, I mean, I saw some Liberty fabric in there.

Caroline: There was Liberty fabric.

Helen: This hay bag is fancy. Yeah.

Caroline: It is gorge.

Helen: We’ll definitely include some pictures in the show notes. Adam goes on to say: “Some of the things I want to make next include a deep snuffle mat because buns love digging and a sturdy cover for ice packs that they can comfortably lie against during hot summer days. Bunnies are prone to overheating but can also be tempted to munch on the forbidden popsicles.

“Also, that cat bed that you showed on the episode looks super comfy and would make a great bunny hideout. I’d like to end this pretty long email with a PSA. Contrary to popular belief, bunnies are not easy starter pets, and they’re not a good option for young children.

They are very delicate and need a long time to trust the people who live with them. Most of them do not like being picked up or held. For people considering adopting bunnies, I highly recommend checking out The Bunny Lady on YouTube.”

Caroline: Hi, Adam. Well, first I want to thank you because I will forever be referring to ice packs as forbidden popsicles now.

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: Hilarious. But I love all of these projects. It sounds like you’ve taken a lot of care to make sure your bunny’s safe and happy, and that’s awesome. Adam sent us pictures of the patchwork cushion on the doll bed and also that denim hay bag that we mentioned. So, of course, we’ll include that in the show notes. But yes, it’s so, so cute. They’re both so cute. And the idea of a fluffy bunny laying on that doll bed absolutely kills me. It’s so adorable.

And I also think the pee pad sounds really practical. It’s just like a flat cloth diaper, so great job with that. I never thought about sewing one, but it makes total sense. And it also sounds like Adam has a good system for washing it. So great job, Adam. I also think it’s so cute that bunnies love ice packs. I mean, come on, adorable.

Helen: I know.

Caroline: I also want to lay down with an ice pack in the summer.

Helen: Right? That sounds really nice. And like having a little cloth cover for your ice pack so you could snuggle it would be great.

Caroline: It’s so caring. I love it. All right. Now let’s get into the bloody gory meat of this episode: Costumes.

Helen: We’re only joking. It’s not gonna get too bloody and gory in this episode. Although if that’s your thing, then I say go for it. That’s right. It is spooktober and a lot of us are thinking about what we are going to dress up as this year. I mean, I know I am.

Caroline: Yes, and the word costumes covers a ton of ground. It could mean everything from historically accurate hand sewn ensembles to elaborate fantasy cosplays to theatre costumes to throwing on a striped shirt and an eye patch and saying you’re a pirate.

Helen: It’s so true. It really can cover a ton of ground. But in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about more casual costumes, the kind you would wear to a costume party or go trick or treating in. So somewhere in between, “I bought this at Party City,” and “I spent six months glueing rhinestones to this ball gown.”

Caroline: It’s a spectrum.

Helen: It’s a spectrum. Yes.

Caroline: Yes. And we’re also going to talk about special considerations for designing your ideal costume and working with unusual fabrics. And then at the end, we’re going to share a bunch of costume ideas. I need them, Helen, because Halloween is no joke at Blackbird, so…

Helen: Ooh, I look forward to hearing about that. Yeah.

Caroline: Okay, first up, let’s have a costume catch up. Helen, what costumes did you wear when you were a kid and have you ever made any costumes?

Helen: My mom definitely made our Halloween costumes as a kid, and she would go all out. She was truly fantastic with the costume making. Some of my favourites include a lion costume I got to wear one year that had, like, a full lion head hood thing that could pull up, and it had, like, all this faux fur all over it, and it was so cool. I also went as Cleopatra one year, and I can remember going to the fabric store with her and picking out the fabric and the trim to put on the costume, and that was so fun.

And then another one that sticks out is one that she made for my sister, which was the spider costume, and she was all dressed in black, and it was, like, a black bodysuit basically and then from the arms was, like, hanging other arms so when she spread her arms out wide it was like she had eight arms because they were, like, hanging from, like, fishing line or something so it’s invisible.

Caroline: That sounds like a lot of work.

Helen: It was so genius, right?

Caroline: Yeah. It’s really smart.

Helen: Yeah. But yeah, I love dressing up. I have made many costumes for myself, but most of them have been pretty simple. I’m the kind of person that always waits until the last minute, and then, I throw something together using my sewing and crafting skills and some help from the thrift store or the costume shop. So I’m definitely not going all out with the costumes, but I do love getting dressed up for Halloween.

I’ve been Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus and mostly that costume was making, like, a stuffed chameleon to wear on my shoulder. I think I have a picture of it. So I’m going to try and bring that up.

Caroline: Ooh, fun

Helen: A couple of years ago, I went as Velma from Scooby Doo, and that was a fun one ‘cause I just wore all the, like, orange and red things that I had in my closet. And then I made some, like, giant cutout glasses out of some, like, black foam core and painted some freckles on my face. It was [a] pretty simple costume in the end.

Caroline: Cute!

Yeah. And then last year Sam and I went as Morticia and Gomez from The Addams Family. And I used the Staystitch Pattern Co Sophia Dress and Top to make that, and I actually made it into two pieces so I had, like, a top piece and a skirt because I knew that I probably wouldn’t wear it as a dress all the time, but I would wear it as separates. So that was a way that I, kind of, got around that so that I could reuse it for my normal wardrobe, and then, I just added on some bits and bobs, so I really like doing that and using things that I already have in my closet, you know?

Caroline: Yeah, I think that’s a great strategy for not making things that you’re just gonna, like, throw away and not be able to wear again.

Helen: Yeah. exactly. How about you? Did you get dressed up when you were a little kid?

Caroline: Oh, for sure. Growing up, Halloween was really an important holiday in our house. We loved dressing up. One of the things we always had to think about was whether we could layer a coat under our costume because it would either be raining or snowing on Halloween in Montreal almost every year, so you have to be prepared.

But like you, my mom also made our Halloween costumes, and she alternated between me and my two siblings every year. So I only got a new costume every few years. And then the other years I was, kind of, on my own. I’d wear hand me downs from my siblings or, kind of, cobble what I could together. But I remember being Dracula, which, that was a hand-me-down. I believe my brother was Dracula first. I also have a really cute picture in a little pink bunny costume that actually I believe my niece or nephew got to wear recently. My mom kept all of her old costumes and now she’s, like, refashioning them for my niece and nephew for Halloween…

Helen: Oh, fun.

Caroline: …which is so cute. Definitely have been a witch, and there are others for sure. I’ll have to try to dig up some pictures because I know my mom made a lot of costumes for us. But, more recently, if I’m being 100% honest, I’m not huge on dressing up. I’m not, like, a Halloween party costume gal, but in recent years, I’ve been more and more inspired because the Birdies take Halloween very seriously.

We actually have Halloweek at the office, usually involving themed days where everyone will, kind of, dress according to a theme, and I did a few of them last year. Most memorably, I dressed up as my cat Fraidy, for one of the days, which I thought turned out really cute. And I just used things that I had, and I made some little cat ears and used face paint, so it was very fun, quick and dirty costume, but it turned out really cute, so…

We have fun. It’s, it’s very fun to be at Blackbird over Halloween. And I, I love people’s reactions because we do pick up local pickup orders. And when my team answers the door in, like, full costume, it always gets a great reaction out of people.

Helen: Yeah!

Caroline: So it’s pretty fun. Yeah. And a couple of my team members are really into cosplay, so they have intense costumes, like serious stuff. So, yeah.

Helen: Oh, I know. Cosplay is a whole other level. Like, the stuff that people create is unbelievable. It’s so cool. And they must have so much fun on Halloween because they have all this cool stuff to wear.

Caroline: Yeah, they have great wardrobes to pull from. We’ve done, like, vampire-themed days, and I’m sure I can guarantee this year we’re going to have a Barbie theme, so yeah…

Helen: Oh, yes! Of course!

Caroline: I’m excited. So hopefully this episode will get me inspired to maybe put a little bit more effort in this year.

Helen: Well, it’s part of, half the battle I feel like is having somewhere to wear the costume to, right?

Caroline: Totally.

Helen: Like, if you’re not going to a party or if you don’t have kids to go trick or treating with, it can be hard to find a place to wear a Halloween costume.

Caroline: Oh, for sure.

Helen: So I’m glad that you guys get to wear them at the office. That sounds really fun.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay, so we are going to make an argument for why you should sew a costume rather than buy one. Obviously, we love to sew, so we love an excuse to sew something. But first of all, it’s just fun. Halloween and costume parties are the times when you can really step outside of your everyday self and play.

Helen: Yeah, great opportunity to express yourself for sure. And as a bonus, you have a chance to make a costume that fits you well and is actually comfortable unlike those store-bought costumes, which just, like, you know, you put them on and you’re immediately just so, like, the most uncomfortable you’ve ever been.

Caroline: Like, the ones that come in a bag with, like, a picture taped on the outside. That’s what I’m imagining. Also, like, absolutely not size inclusive.

Helen: No.

Caroline: Can we just talk about that for a second?

Helen: God.

Caroline: A Halloween costume ready to wear for a plus size body is nearly impossible.

Helen: I know. It’s so true. Or, like, there’s certain costumes that will work. And it’s like, I don’t want to be that.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. I don’t want to just put a sheet on my head and be a ghost.

Helen: Making a costume is also a great way to break through a creative slump. Like, the sheer freedom and over-the-top-ness of it all is like a tall glass of sewjo. You can really colour outside the lines. You can skip the pattern and just make it up as you go along. This is your wild time to create.

Caroline: I love the idea of pouring myself a tall glass of sewjo. It’s, like, kind of, gross, but also I’m into it.

Helen: I think sewjo would be delicious. Maybe it’d be, kind of, like soju.

Caroline: And costumes are great opportunities to work with materials you’ve never used before. Maybe you’ve been interested in sewing sequins for a long time, but you just haven’t had an opportunity. Also, if you’re afraid of messing it up, a costume is a good opportunity to just go for it. No one expects the costume to be perfectly executed. And if you’re trick or treating, it’s probably dark anyways. So people won’t really see much of the details.

Helen: Yeah, it’s so true. Parties, hopefully, are dark, too. I hate when people have a lot of lights on at parties.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. Lower those lights, y’all.

Helen: Costumes are also the perfect opportunity to cheat.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. Project runway style. Yeah.

Helen: We’re down to the wire here. Bust out the hot glue. You skip the hemming. You don’t finish your seams. Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not even going to be washed and worn nearly as much as a regular garment would, so you can really get away with a lot here.

Caroline: Yeah, I don’t know about you, but when I am thinking about a Halloween costume and how I’m going to put it together, it’s usually the day before I have to wear it…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …or in the days leading up to the day I have to wear it.

Helen: Sometimes it’s even after a trip to the costume store where you’re just, like, defeated because there was nothing there that you liked or you realise that for some reason costumes are, like, 50. And then you’re like, what?

Caroline: Yeah. And then you’re like, I can make that.

Helen: Yeah. And then here you are in your sewing studio with your hot glue gun.

Caroline: Okay. Now let’s dig into some things to consider when you’re designing your costume. So first don’t leave it until the last minute.

Helen: Don’t leave it. Do as we say, not as we do. Do not leave it to the last minute.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. Yes, we are doing this episode nice and early in the hopes that you’ll have time to think about this and make something. And you can even start way ahead of time. Past guest Tabitha Sewer has made some incredible costumes, and they’re not the kind that you can start a few weeks before, so…

Helen: No.

Caroline: …or a few days before.

Helen: If you want to make that kind of costume, you’re making costumes for 2024. So just be ready.

Caroline: And we’ll link up some of Tabitha’s amazing creations in the show notes because they are…

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: …absolutely awesome.

Helen: And something else to think about, which we’ve already mentioned, is do you want to be able to wear it again or wear parts of it as an everyday garment? And here are a couple strategies for making everyday garments into costumes. So you can tack or pin some extras onto your everyday garment.

For example, you could take a gingham dress and pin on a bunch of big plastic ants. You could glue them to pin backs, so they’re removable, and then you could glue some plastic play food to a straw hat and voila, you are a picnic.

Or you could take a white dress and tack stitch or baste large brown spots onto it, and all you need is a headband and a couple of horns and a bell necklace, and you’re a cow. And when you’re done, all you have to do is unpick the tacks or the basting stitches, so it’s super easy.

Caroline: Yes, I love the idea of dressing up as food, like my favourite food. I could be a hot dog. I could be corn.

Helen: I could be cheese.

Caroline: Chee-, oh, cheese. Can I be a slice of prosciutto? Let’s see if that can happen. I feel like it would be…

Helen: That might look kind of gross. People are going to think you’re just like…

Caroline: Like, raw meat.

Helen: …skinned. It is Halloween after all.

Caroline: I don’t know. It sounds, it sounds funny.

Helen: It does sound funny. Please go as prosciutto this year. I look forward to seeing that.

Caroline: Another strategy is to lean into the face paint so you could put on a brightly coloured dress and do makeup inspired by Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein – now you’re a work of pop art. One word of advice here, set your face paints with translucent powder to prevent them from rubbing off on your clothes too much and try to pick pieces of clothing that don’t go too far up the neck so that you don’t have to worry about it too much.

Helen: Oh, so true. Of course, if you want your costume to be wearable again, you’re going to want to spend a little bit more time finishing those seams and making sure that the fit is right, but you don’t have to worry too much, too. You can just go for it.

Caroline: Yeah. Just go for it. Another thing you want to consider is what’s your costume comfort level? What would make you feel confident and have a great time at the event or whatever it is you’re making the costume for? This is very personal. Some people love to go really elaborate with their costumes and others would rather not feel like the centre of attention, so it’s totally up to you.

Helen: And costume sewing is really exciting, so sometimes it can become a big project. Stop and consider what level of project are you looking for, and where does the costume fit into your sewing plans. If you want to make a gorgeous Marie Antoinette copycat gown, we absolutely support you, but just know that it might be the only thing you work on for a few months, so be honest with yourself about how much work you want to put into the costume. And do you want to, like, prioritise it over the jeans you want to make, you know?

Caroline: Along these lines, consider whether you would like to start from scratch or whether you’d rather do some refashioning. Maybe you can work with something old from your closet or go thrifting for parts of the costume. For example, if you want to make a hippie costume, you could thrift some jeans and insert a colourful panel at the lower legs instead of making bell bottoms from scratch.

Helen: And consider whether you want to use a costume pattern. Those are actually a thing. The big 4 come out with costume patterns every year that are inspired by movies and TV. There’s also some really great indie historical patterns out there. Some of them even have theatrical versions of garments, like corsets, that are less complicated than the totally historically accurate versions. And the nice thing about using a pattern is that a lot of the design work is already done for you. You just follow the instructions and do a bit of fitting and that’s it. It’s like the sewing that you’re used to.

Caroline: I never thought about looking for a Halloween specific costume pattern.

Helen: Oh, really?

Caroline: Like, I would think I’d use, like, an indie pattern or a pattern that’s just for, like, a garment that you would wear every day and transform it into a Halloween costume pattern.

Helen: Yeah, no, they exist.

Caroline: It exists?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: That’s kinda cool.

Helen: it totally exists. And there’s, like, a huge archive of options. I mean, my mom definitely used some patterns for us when we were kids, but I don’t think I’ve ever used an adult sewing pattern, but they, they’re definitely out there.

Caroline: Yeah, I’ve definitely seen my mom use them for, for us when we were kids but very cool. We’ve got options. You can also design your own either from scratch or by hacking patterns. Think about the general shapes and silhouette that you want your costume to be, separate it into top, bottom, and sleeves, and then, search for patterns that have those basic shapes and hack them together.

Helen: And here’s a tip. When you’re in the design phase, go over the top, like, design your dream costume if you had all the time, money and fabric in the world, and then, you can pare it back to something more doable or substitute easier materials or things that you find at a thrift store or something. You’re probably going to come up with some great ideas when you let your imagination run free, and then, you can use some of them when you’re changing the design to fit your budget and your time.

Caroline: Consider how you’ll stay warm if you’re going to be wearing your costume outside. Your Dream of Jeannie costume might be the cutest costume ever, but no one’s going to see it if you have to throw a sweatshirt over top. So we do have a few strategies for staying warm. You want to wear base layers, like long sleeve bodysuits or leggings, tights, underneath your costume. You could even choose colours close to your skin tone if you want it to, kind of, blend in.

Helen: And consider whether it’s going to be cold when you’re picking out your costume. Choose a Jedi costume rather than a mermaid costume or a long sleeve Bridgerton ensemble rather than a Clueless costume with a mini skirt. Just think about how warm you’re going to be.

Caroline: Yeah. Or make the costume larger so that you can wear your winter coat underneath.

Helen: Yeah. Wear your ski pants under those tights.

Caroline: I mean, I’ve done it. You’re laughing, but I, we had to do that when we were kids. But you could also make your costume out of warm fabrics, like fleece. Your Wilma Flintstone outfit will feel like a cosy sweater.

Helen: The parts of it that are covering your body will feel really warm. It’s gonna be great.

Caroline: Alright, we’re gonna take a quick break, and we’ll be right back with more about sewing costumes.

Love to Sew is made possible by listeners like you. We are so grateful for the support of our amazing patrons and subscribers. If you love Love to Sew and you want to help support the pod, we have a new option for you.

Helen: You can now become a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Subscribers get access to our monthly bonus episodes, and it’s so convenient. If you already use Apple Podcasts, the episodes are right there in your feed.

Caroline: So what are the bonus episodes? Well, we do a chatty catch-up on what’s been happening in our lives, share about the realities of running a small business, discuss new indie pattern releases, and talk about what we’re sewing right now.

Many of our subscribers say these fun bonus episodes are their favourite. And if you subscribe, you get access to the full back catalogue. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. We also do a mini episode that deep dives into a specific topic. We get to discuss so many fun sewing techniques and answer specific subscriber questions about sewing.

Helen: And we are still on Patreon. If you subscribe over there, you can get access to the bonus episodes, behind the scenes photos, and a special 15% off discount code at our super fan patron tier. That discount applies at Helen’s Closet, Cedar Quilt Co., Blackbird Fabrics, and BF Patterns. If you shop with us regularly, it basically pays for itself. Head to patreon.com/LoveToSew to see all the perks and options.

Caroline: If you’d like to try out Patreon or Apple podcast subscriptions and check out our bonus content, you can sign up for a free seven-day trial. And, of course, you can help support the show by listening just like you are right now.

You can also leave a review. Reviews really help our show get discovered by new listeners. We know that financial support isn’t always possible. And we want you to know that we love you for listening.

Helen: Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew or visit our show’s page in the Apple podcast app to become a paid subscriber. Thank you to all our listeners, patrons, and subscribers. You’re the best.

And we are back! Okay, my favourite part of the episode, Helen, we get to talk about fabric.

Helen: Yes! And chances are if you’re making a costume, you’re going to be working with unusual fabrics. So let’s talk about some of them and give y’all some tips for sewing with them. There are a lot of polyester fabrics that work great for costumes. A lot of the brightest, shiniest, most over the top fabrics are made of polyester, and it usually comes at a lower price point than natural fibre fabric, so it’s a good choice for a one time use.

Caroline: Yeah. And when you’re working with polyester, you want to remember to use a low iron setting because poly can melt at too high of a heat. And you also want to wash it on cold or warm and tumble dry low. You don’t necessarily have to prewash the fabric if you don’t want to, though, because poly doesn’t shrink, which is great.

Helen: If the fabric is super slippery, filmy, or otherwise unruly, you can cut it on a single layer to make things easier. And it can also help to spray it with spray starch, but you want to give that a test first to make sure it doesn’t leave any stains or anything.

Caroline: And some polyester fabrics are prone to fraying. If yours is, you may want to add extra seam allowance or finish the edges of your pattern pieces.

Helen: The other thing to think about is that polyester doesn’t hold creases very well, so it might not be the best choice for a costume that needs any sharp pleats or details.

Caroline: Good point. Next up, faux leather. This is another fabric that is fabulous for costumes. You want to be sewing this one carefully and test out your tension on scraps. Stitching will leave permanent holes in most faux leathers.

The exception are some faux suedes that have a knit backing. It’s not the end of the world if you have some extra needle holes in a costume. I doubt anyone would notice, but we thought we’d just mention it just in case.

Helen: Faux leather can also have problems with sticking to the machine’s foot or the throat plate, so you can try a teflon foot to help it glide smoothly, or you could mimic a teflon foot by sticking scotch tape under your regular foot. Another strategy is to lay sheets of tissue paper over the fabric, then you do your sewing, and tear it away when the seam is finished.

Caroline: Sometimes the machine’s feed dogs can leave marks on faux leather, so test your machine out on some scraps and check to see if there are any marks, and if there are, use tissue paper under your fabric when you sew.

Helen: And faux leather does not press very well. You can make your seams lay flatter by topstitching the seam allowance down, kind of like a faux flat felled seam. You can also add some topstitching to pieces that need a crisper look, like around necklines and around the edges of belts.

Caroline: Faux fur is so much fun for costumes, so don’t be afraid to work with it – it gives such a fun effect. You want to draw the pattern pieces onto the flat backside of the faux fur fabric using your scissors to part the fur. Cut in little snips using the lines you drew as a guide. This is going to prevent your fabric from having a weird haircut at the edges.

Helen: And when you go to sew your seams, try to push the fur away from the seam that you’re sewing as you pin it. If you have fur get caught in the seams, you can take a pin and, kind of, free the strands of fur by pulling them out. Most fur fabrics will need fluffing up after each seam to, kind of, hide the fact that there is a seam there.

Caroline: I’m imagining, like, taking a comb to your, like, faux fur jacket and just, like, combing it.

Helen: Fluffing it, right?

Caroline: Yeah. Or teasing it.

Helen: I’ve never made anything out of faux fur, but I, kind of, want to, you know?

Caroline: Yeah. It does scare me a little bit because I just imagine tiny little fur snips all over the place and…

Helen: That’s true. You need to, like, do a good vacuum after, but hey, we both have pets. Let’s be real.

Caroline: That’s true. Yeah. Let’s be real. Clips are easier to use than pins with faux fur, and you also want to lengthen your stitches because most faux furs are thick.

Helen: Yeah, and because they’re thick you might want to use a hump jumper to start your seams or get over lumps where the seams meet. And most faux fur is synthetic so you’re not going to want to try and press it. I don’t even know how you would go about pressing it. This is really just, like, get it sewn and it’s done situation.

Caroline: Don’t even try. Ooh, sequins! These are great for a glittery, glamorous costume. Just don’t use your best scissors to cut out sequins because the plastic and metal could really dull them, so use your backup scissors.

Helen: Ooh, that’s a great tip. And sequined fabrics usually have a nap. This means you want to have all your pattern pieces facing one way. There isn’t usually one correct direction. Just choose the direction that you like best and stick with it.

The exception would be fabrics where sequins are sewn in, kind of, a haphazard way, so they aren’t all facing in the same direction. I love those sequin fabrics that you can brush with your hand and it’s, like, one colour one way and another colour the other way. Oh, they’re so fun. I need to make a sequined Halloween costume. What am I doing with my life?

Caroline: I’ve seen ones where it’s like, if you brush it one way, there’s, like, a picture that shows up..

Helen: Oh, yeah!

Caroline: …or writing that shows up. And then you can brush it down on it, you won’t see it anymore. It’s pretty cool.

Helen: So cool.

Caroline: Lay the fabric sequin side down when you’re ready to cut. This is going to minimise sequins flying everywhere. And you might want to consider wearing glasses or safety goggles when working with sequins. I’m not even kidding, even though I’m laughing, they really do fly around, and you want to protect those little eyeballs.

Helen: Protect your little eyeballs. You may also want to consider removing the sequins within the seam allowance. This is going to make the fabric more comfortable to wear because there won’t be sequins digging into your side and also less likely to break your needles, and it will prevent bulky seams. So you just use your seam ripper to remove them. If you’re working with finer sequins, you can just try to sew right through them. Use a stronger needle, like a leather needle, if you’re going to try and sew over it.

Caroline: And if you need to press, use a pressing cloth and press from the wrong side and use a low iron because remember a lot of the time these sequins are made out of plastic.

Helen: You might need a lining, slip, or base layer to keep the sequin fabric from irritating you. And if you’re sewing a stretch sequin fabric, do not use your serger. The sequins could damage the knife and the needle and just get all up in there. You do not want it.

Caroline: And you can keep the sequins you pull off to repair any bald spots later. I’ve also seen… I’m just, oh my gosh, we’re talking about some funny things today. You know the bald spots on your sequins? Yeah, you can repair those, everyone, just so you know.

Oh, no. I was just thinking about, I’ve seen some really cool fabrics that have the look of sequins or that metallic look, but they’re much easier to sew, like lamé or even, like, a knit that has a bobbly, kind of, texture to it almost, but it’s metallic, or almost, like, a, um, appliqué of metallic or something, so it’s fabric on fabric, but it’s not, those plastic-y sequins.

So there are options out there if you hunt them down. You could also look at, like, holiday fabrics, if you want to get that sequin look. I feel like there’s a lot of options out there.

Helen: Oh, so true. Yeah, and all these tips would apply to sewing with holiday fabrics, too. Imagine a sequin gown, a faux fur jacket. Just living. You can reuse your Halloween costume for Christmas.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Okay, velvet is another showstopper fabric that looks great on costumes. Velvet also has a nap, so choose one direction for your pattern pieces.

Caroline: Pressing is tricky on velvet. You can avoid it by finger pressing cold or with steam. You can lay a fluffy towel over your ironing board and lay the fabric on it wrong side up. And when you press, try to press as little of the fabric as possible.

Helen: And keep your pattern choices simple with velvet. It doesn’t press or topstitch super well and details tend to get lost in the pile. it can also be frustrating to sew, so you want to make sure you’re doing something relatively simple for the most success.

Caroline: Yeah. And you might work with spandex also known as elastane or Lycra, if you’re making a costume. This is a synthetic fibre blended with other fibres to give fabrics elasticity and good recovery. Most swimwear and activewear fabrics has, have a significant amount of spandex. By significant, I mean 10 to 20%. And if you want to make a tight fitting costume, like a cat suit, you will definitely want spandex in your fabric and a lot of it.

Helen: A lot. For knits with spandex, you don’t have to worry about finishing your seams, which is awesome.

Caroline: And fitting a tight, stretchy costume is a challenge for two reasons. Firstly, stretch fabrics vary so much that you basically can only make a muslin with your final fabric. And secondly, fitting the body closely even with stretchy fabrics can be a challenge, so you can expect to have to unpick seams to make adjustments. You might want to add a bit of extra seam allowance for this reason, as well.

Helen: Okay, let’s talk about adding trim. For a casual costume, I say whatever works works. Who cares if your stitches are visible? I’m definitely not going to be hand sewing trim onto a Halloween costume. You can also use hot glue, as we mentioned before, or fabric glue to attach trims. Don’t do this with knit fabrics though, because it will compromise the stretch and potentially melt the spandex. Just know that hot glued trims will probably not make it through the wash, so it’s… definitely a temporary application, um, but that doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.

Caroline: That would be a bold move to throw something that’s been hot glued together in the washing machine. Just a hope and a prayer.

Helen: Yeah, exactly.

Caroline: You might want to use polyfill to stuff parts of your costume, like to round out a pumpkin. If you pull the stuffing apart into small pieces before you start stuffing, it’s going to give a smooth rather than lumpy appearance. And always add more stuffing than you think you’ll need because it can lose some of its volume over time. I’m imagining, like, a, like, imagine if you get caught in the rain with, like, a stuffed costume and be so limp.

Helen: A deflated pumpkin.

Caroline: A wet pumpkin.

Helen: I mean, a wet pumpkin is very accurate to Vancouver Halloween ‘cause it would always rain, and everything would be soaking wet. Pumpkins would be, like, rotting by the time Halloween came around.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

Helen: You might also encounter unexpected things when you’re making your costume, like wire, other items from the hardware store. Definitely want to think outside the box. Wire hangers make great armatures. Pool noodles, foam mats, and hula hoops can create structure, and don’t forget about cardboard boxes. You probably already have some of this stuff hanging around your house, and you can also find helpful things at the dollar store.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m imagining the transparent thread that your mom probably used to make those little spider leggies stay in place.

Helen: Could be dental floss for all I know.

Caroline: Could be dental floss. It’s true.

Alright, we’re going to get to the fun part and talk about some costume ideas. We have some really fun ones, so hopefully, this will inspire you all. Uh, but we’re going to begin with the timeless ones. So first up is a witch or a wizard.

Helen: Yeah, I definitely went as both a witch and a wizard when I was a kid, and I had a really cool wizard cape that my mom made. It had moons and stars appliquéd onto the back with sequin trim sewn in, like, loop-de-loops all over it. And I’m pretty sure it was all just, like, stitched, or maybe even glued, right on.

It definitely was not fancy, like, the polyester material. I can still feel it, of that cape was, like, so, so cheap, but it looked so good because it was so sparkly, and it was all covered in these moons and stars. And it was, like, big enough to wrap all the way around my body, and I loved that cape. I used to play dress up with it all the time.

Caroline: That sounds amazing. You have to try to find a picture of it.

Helen: Oh, I wish I could. Okay. I’ll see. I’ll see.

Caroline: But really all you need is black clothes and a pointy black hat to be a witch or a wizard. There are so many ways to amp it up and so many different directions to take. You could paint your face green like the Wicked Witch of the West. You could make it pin up glam with a vintage style dress and a little tilt hat. Or you could do, like, a cottagecore green witch situation with a brown dress and a pinafore and a basket of red and white mushrooms and a pointy straw hat. I think the Basque Dress by Stitch Witch Patterns would be great for that. It has puffy sleeves, a square neckline, and a pointy V shape waistline. This pattern will also be a really great option for a princess costume in organza or taffeta.

Helen: Ooh. Yeah. Oh, it’s so true. I love that V shaped waistline. Okay, Caroline, we mentioned not wanting to put a white sheet over your head and being a ghost, but I just want to put it out there that it’s a pretty, it’s a pretty good costume.

Caroline: I just don’t want it to be my only option, you know? I want options.

Helen: There’s a quilt designer I follow, Toad and Sew, and last, I think it was last Halloween, she got a bunch of her friends to come over and put her quilts on over their heads, and then they put, like, sunglasses on over the quilts, and they were little quilt ghosts.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: It was so freaking cute. Oh, my gosh. I mean, you don’t want to cut a hole so you can see. So you literally have to just stumble around blind, but it’s worth it, you know?

Caroline: I mean throwing a pair of sunglasses on a ghost really elevates it, I say.

Helen: It really does. Yeah. A pair of aviators, something cool like that.

Caroline: Yeah. But if you want a more detailed spooky ghost look, you can put together a historically inspired outfit in muted greyish tones and then do some ghostly face paint.

Helen: Ooh, totally. Pirate is another really great one because the beauty of a pirate costume is that you can really hodgepodge it as long as you have the tricorn hat, maybe an eye patch or a parrot stuffed animal, you can, kind of, put together what-, whatever you want. It can be as low effort as a pair of shorts and a striped top.

Or it can be as elaborate as an 18th century shirt and frockcoat. The Darcy Shirt pattern Collab by Clockwork Fairy and Bernadette Banner is a great option for an old time-y shirt You can also just use a button up you have lying around. I mean pirates can look like anything Anything. As long as you’re going, Arrrr, you’re good. Ha ha ha.

Caroline: And vampire is a great one, too. I think one of the best things about a vampire costume is that you can get super glam with it. Vampires are the fashionistas of the monster world.

Helen: It’s so true. You could just keep it simple and make a killer cape, like I was saying earlier. Try one with a coloured lining, like a nice burgundy or purple. The Kinsale Cloak by Folkwear would be a good pattern option, but there’s also lots of great tutorials out there for making a cape, too.

Caroline: Ooh, okay, I have to make a correction because I think earlier I said that we had a vampire theme last year at Blackbird, but it was actually Vampirate.

Helen: Oh.

Caroline: It was one or the other or both.

Helen: Oh that’s awesome.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh, I really need to find some pictures and maybe we’ll put them in the show notes because, y’all, they delivered,

Helen: I mean, obviously you go as both because you just put some fangs on, and you’re good.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay, and now here are some more trendy ideas. I think we all know that Barbie costumes are gonna be huge this Halloween and The Fold Line did a whole video and blog post finding patterns for different costumes from the movie. We will link that for you in the show notes. But what was your favourite costume from Barbie, Helen? What would you dress up

Helen: I loved the rollerblading looks when they go to the real world, and they’re rollerblading along the strip, and they’re wearing their neon. I think that would be a really fun look to recreate as a costume.

Caroline: Mhm. Okay. I loved weird Barbie. I would love to dress up as weird Barbie. But also the cowgirl look was so good. The pink outfit. Oh, my gosh. With the fringe. Those jeans with the tie in the front. I mean, I don’t know. It would be a pretty involved project, but it would be pretty cool.

Helen: It would be pretty cool. I think Ken’s stripy beach outfit would be really fun and simple to make, too. You could use the Samford Set by Peppermint Magazine. You’ve got that camp collar shirt, elastic waist shorts, and just find some pink and teal striped fabric, and you’re ready to go.

Caroline: I, kind of, love the idea of dressing up as Ken. Like, I feel like anyone can bring Ken-energy to the table.

Helen: Yeah, there’s your faux fur opportunity, too, because he wears that killer faux fur coat in the movie.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. Yes!

Helen: It’d be so fun. You know what I’m not going to be dressing up as? Or who I’m not going to be dressing up as? Alan.

Caroline: Oh no!

Helen: How many Alans are you going to encounter this Halloween? Zero.

Caroline: Probably zero.

Helen: Okay, I could also see Wednesday Addams being really popular, too, especially her dance dress from the viral TikTok situation. I think you could hack it out of the Matilda Shirt Dress by Megan Nielsen Patterns. I would make the bodice out of, like, a sheer black fabric, like organza, and then, you could add ruffles going in a curve from the shoulders down to the bust just sewn on top of the dress. I would make the skirt maybe without the button placket and attach big ruffles to it. It’s probably not the easiest costume, but it would look so cool, and it would be a lot of fun to sew.

And if you want a more traditional Wednesday look, you could maybe combine the Fibre Mood Petula Dress, which is a simple swingy shift dress, with Tilly and the Buttons free detachable collar pattern, and then just redraw the collar to make it a little bit more pointy. and you’ve got classic Wednesday. Both of those would be really fun.

Caroline: Ooh, I love the idea of the detachable collar because it would really transform the look for Halloween or your costume party and then, you can just go back to wearing a regular dress after.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. That’s similar to what I did with my Morticia costume because I had that long sleeve shirt pattern, and then, I just added these, like, detachable, I don’t even know what you call them, like, wizard sleeves basically, so they were like dangling down, and I just like used elastic bands to hold them up on my elbows and then I took them off after.

Caroline: Mario, Luigi, or both would be a good idea for this year since the movie came out. And a lot of us have overalls laying around, so that part would already be done. Add a green or red shirt, white gloves, and maybe a hat and you’re ready to go. There’s a tutorial for a Mario hat on Instructables that we’ll link for you in the show notes. And don’t forget the moustaches.

Helen: Caroline you’re saying Mario, and I just have to say it’s Mario.

Caroline: I’m sorry. Mario!

Helen: It’s Mario.

Caroline: I say Super Mario.

Helen: No, you don’t.

Caroline: Yes, I do.

Helen: No, you do not.

Caroline: Listen, I am the daughter of immigrants, Helen, and I sometimes pronounce words wrong, and it’s not my fault.

Helen: They were playing Super Mario before they ever even came to this country.

Caroline: Listen, I’m going to ask my brother and sister what they say, and I will prove you wrong.

Helen: Oh, I’m gonna have so many good chats at this wedding.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: Okay, Caroline, what are you going to go as for Halloween this year? You got

Caroline: Oh, I do not know, but I’m feeling inspired. I’m going to have to go, go on Pinterest and do a little bit of digging and, you know?

Helen: Yeah, maybe Blackbird Fabrics could do a fun pattern roundup for us to give us some inspiration.

Caroline: You don’t have to ask me twice. I feel like Amanda, our social media manager, loves a pattern roundup

Helen: Yes, we need Amanda’s help, especially for the Barbie costumes ‘cause I definitely think that might be the direction we go in. Like Sam and I could totally pull off those rollerblading outfits. It’d be so fun.

Caroline: Oh, 100%! Yes! Oh, my gosh. No, I definitely want to do a Barbie costume, but there are several days to fill, so I’m gonna have to start early this year, because last year I didn’t start early enough, and I wasn’t prepared.

Helen: Yeah. Some of my favourite Halloween looks are honestly when people go as regular things, like a toaster or like a house plant or like cheese, you know?

Caroline: Cheese! I’m loving the cheese idea, but what about, like, blue cheese?

Helen: Ooh, that’s good. That’s fun. Like, a play on words is always fun. Like, you don’t have to look like what blue cheese looks like. You could just go as, like, cheese, but it’s blue, you know?

Caroline: But it’s blue, yes!

Helen: And then you’re that person who’s, like, getting everyone to guess their costume. And then you’re like, no, it’s blue cheese.

Caroline: Yes, and if you’re trying to brainstorm like me, you don’t have to go with something that’s currently in the zeitgeist. Think about your favourite things like movies, books, mythological creatures, just let your imagination go wild.

Helen: Yeah. And you can, of course, create Pinterest boards, like Caroline mentioned. Try to remember also the times that you’ve said to yourself, like, I wish I could wear that. Or I would love to wear something like that one day. And you can create costumes based on that feeling. Sometimes you don’t even have to be anything. Like, if I want to make a sequin dress and wear it on Halloween, I’ll just be a person wearing a sequin dress.

Caroline: Helen, not to get deep, but aren’t we all just wearing costumes every day?

Helen: Oh, it’s so true. Life is just one big costume party.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. We definitely want to hear about and see your costumes this year. Use the #LoveToSewCostumes, and we’ll share your posts in our Instagram stories throughout October. So excited to see what you get up to.

Caroline: Yes. And Happy Halloween, in advance, and Happy Spooktober!

Helen: Happy Spooktober! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew! You can find me, Helen, at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. and Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. We’re recording today in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Helen: You can head to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428, or send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.

Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of the PodCabin is our editor. Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye!

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