One of the best things growing up was having a dad who could fabricate anything and I do mean anything. It wasn't his job, he worked for a large computer company in management, it was his talent. I was little in the 70's and early 80's and had the BEST costumes because my parents exercised their imaginations and made them. I was a Battlestar Galactica pilot with a light up helmet before glow sticks and a battery pack in your helmet wasn't normal at the time. My dad basically created neon on my helmet and made it portable in a time when that was unheard of. I was a nursery rhyme (hickory dickory dock - I'll post the food series on that soon) for one year. We had family costumes a few years in elementary school and I can't remember ever thinking there was anything I couldn't be.. or that my dad couldn't make happen. That concept that your imagination and dreams can come true with the help, time, energy and love of a parent is what I want to continue with Spencer. I'm not knocking a store bought costume if that's what your child wants, or you have the time for. I just want my son to think his mom can do ANYTHING like I think my dad can. Last year little S wasn't even six months old at Halloween and couldn't eat candy so taking him would have been saying.. Hey people I want candy and I'm pimping out my baby to get it... I didn't take him trick or treating although he did dress up. He had a store bought (see I'm not against them) Baby Dragon costume because if you've read enough of this blog you know he's my baby dragon born during the Chinese year of the dragon. This year was the first year for trick or treating and needing a costume.
My son now being almost 18 months walks.. not necessarily where you want him to, or very quickly because we're exploring so I needed a way to get him down the block and back within the two hour time limit the city has for trick or treating. Here in our town trick or treating this year was scheduled from 530-730pm. You know you have two hours to hand out candy and if you don't want to participate you do not turn your porch light on and no one will stop at your house. If you have a little one you know two hours of walking could be a few houses or a couple of blocks it just depends on how much carrying you do. I needed a way to move him, and his loot (candy) quickly without offending him. Putting him in a stroller isn't popular always now that he knows he isn't a baby. I came up with his wagon. My parents sent him a dual seat red wagon last year for the holidays it's tricked out with seat belts, cup holders and juice box holders and has holes at the bottom so you can hose it out.
I decided he could be a pirate and I could turn his wagon into his pirate ship. He and I had played before where I had turned his pack and play into a pirate ship and he was dressed like a pirate so I figured he was at least familiar with the idea. Next year he can decide or have input this year I decided what he was going to be and created for myself a concept drawing. I knew I needed to make him his costume and the ship so I sketched it out.
Looks doable right? :)
Little S and I went to Home Depot and got the basics for his ship - Styrofoam insulation sheets, black duck tape, and spray paint in a beige wood like color.
Dad and Little S took a nap while mommy got started.
I cut two sheets per side because the Styrofoam wasn't very thick and then attached them together with the duck tape.
I then attached strips of the tape to the front face (the side of the ship people would see) in a pattern like a wood floor staggering the joints.
This was for a couple of reasons. I know spray paint eats the Styrofoam so I needed the tape to act as a barrier, it also looks more like the ship planking for an old pirate ship and it gives color depth with the spray paint. Spray paint often doesn't go on in one solid layer you can see through it in parts and I wanted that variation to make the ship look weathered.
Once the side was completed I attached it with more tape to his wagon and spray painted it. I used some plastic so his whole wagon wasn't painted.
You can see how the spray painted tape looks weathered and there are areas of the black showing through. To me this really came out looking like weathered wood.
I then repeated the steps for the other side and back of the ship and let it dry completely.
I created the name of the ship on my computer and printed it out. I cut around the name and the image then stuck it to clear contact paper so that it would be protected and stick to the back of the ship.
SS Sleepy Dragon
I went back to Home Depot and got a four foot piece of PVP pipe and a coupler so that I could fit it into one of the holes in the bottom of his wagon and made the ship mast. I did use clear tape to help brace it and the sides together because I was afraid little S might be inclined to pull on it and I wanted it to stay in place. I used the same spray paint as before and put on an extra thick layer to make it a solid coat and let dry.
I got two pieces of black poster board to make the sail. I attached them together with clear packing tape, then I added two reflective stickers I found at Target - one was a skull and crossbones and the other said trick or treat. I had to coat the front of the sail in clear contact paper as it was raining Halloween and I didn't want his sail to get mushy. I should have also coated the back but at the time it just didn't seem necessary.
I cut a whole one inch down from the top and another one inch in from the bottom the size of the pipe and slid on his sail, tapping it down with the clear tape also. On Halloween I also braced up the sides and back because the boat was really low to the ground and I wanted to raise it up some to avoid dragging it through the puddling from two days of rain and all the wet leaves on the ground.
This is what his ship looked like completed
He also needed a pirate costume. My little pirate doesn't live in the Caribbean we live in southern Wisconsin where the weather for Halloween could be anything from -15 and snow to 80 degrees and sunny. As October had more than a week at 40 degrees for the high temps I needed to make his pirate costume warmer. I chose to make his vest out of two layers of black fleece. I created it so that the only seams were at the top of the shoulders to keep him as warm as possible. I had originally planned on putting him in a white onesie but thought it would be a little too cold and took a look at what I had in his clothes to come closet.
I have a closet that has all the sizes labeled from what he is wearing now through 5T. I collect clothes in all sizes for him because someday he's going to need them and I have a tight budget. When you live on a tight budget you can't always run out and get him a whole new wardrobe every time he grows overnight so I shop garage sales, take hand me downs from my sister's boys and my mom sends care packages for things she finds for him at the upscale thrift store she works at in Washington. All these are washed and ready to go in his clothes to come closet. I shopped there for the needed pieces to his costume and found a cream color thermal shirt, and dark blue docker like pants that are one size bigger than he is wearing now.
I cut the pants legs in triangles to look like they were tattered and to make them fit since the pants were too long for him. Pirates normally have leather lacing at the top of their shirts (according to Disney and the internet) so I drew those on with black permanent marker. Since his pants were dark blue and not black I got a dark blue piece of crushed velvet at the fabric store and cut a piece for his sash.
So with slight modifications and about $4.00 in materials I had a pirate costume for a southern Wisconsin pirate. For shoes I just had him wear his sandals which made his feet a little cold as it was pouring rain but he hates real shoes anyway.
The total project was around $25.00 which depending on where you live may be more than you would probably spend for a costume at the store (although you wouldn't have a ship also) and took about 6 hours total to put together for the shopping, construction, sewing, and assembly. Drying time was not included in that estimate. I think my pirate came out pretty darn close and I know he had a great time and the people on the block were really impressed that he had a complete concept and decorated "ride" for Halloween.
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