With Halloween coming up "soon"... ?

Question

What were some of your favorite costumes... HOMEMADE costumes (as opposed to purchased/boxed/rented) ... that you had through your growing years?

Describe them as best you can, especially if they are unique.

Answer 1

Soon!!! It is two months away!  

Answer 2

I have to admit I was into those plastic boxed costumes as a kid. Although one year I went as a vampire wearing a long, fancy white gown that was homemade. I painted my face white, wore fangs, and used bright red lipstick.

One of my favorite costumes was my daughter's. When she was about 8 she went as Medusa. I tied a curly, black-haired wig into an ancient Greek style, laced gold thread through it, then sewed small glow-in-the-dark snakes into it. Then I took a piece of black material and wrapped it around her to make a long toga. One person asked her, "Who are you supposed to be?" to which she proudly proclaimed, "Medusa!". Then the person replied, "I don't know who that is. I don't keep up with the latest rock groups."

Answer 3

I knew some people that painted coffee filters silver, put them on their head, and went as a singing 6-pack.

Answer 4

Thats my birthday so I have had alot of good halloweens and I always dress as a withch.

Answer 5

I have made so many over the years for kids and grandkids . . . .Some that were the kid's favorites . . .

Haunted House . . .Take a box, cut a hole in the bottom just big enough for your hesd to pop through.  Wrap the box in white paper, and draw on it to make it look like a haunted house.  Fold a piece of cardboard in half, for the roof, and draw tiles all over it and maybe add a black hole.  Attach  cord to tie under your chin  Put white face make up on and blacken your eyes. Wear white pants.  Now you are the ghost in the haunted house ! !

Others, were a shark, a 2 liter bottle of Coke, a bag of jelly beans, a bumble bee, and simpler ones like a cowboy, Raggedy Ann, a bum, a cat, and a witch . . . .all homemade.  That was half the fun, making your own costumes . . .email me if you want further info on these . It's on the profile page. . . . Good luck and have fun ! ! !  

Answer 6

We still use the old bed sheet for one as a ghost, the other kid likes to dress up like hobo,

we try and keep it simple the way we did it when we were young  

Answer 7

Witch, the "costume" was handed down to me. *cackles*

Answer 8

When I was a little girl, about 9 years old, my neighbor made me a go-go outfit out of one of her granddaughter's professional ones!  I loved it!  The white leather, the white long fringe, and it had a bra!  LOL  Oh, and her old long white boots!  I left from her house trick or treating, and came home to one very surprised, and not too happy father!  

Hey, every stitch done with love, and all that!  Thanks Gramma!

It was fun!

Answer 9

I dressed my husband as a mime one year.  He wore black sweatpants and a skin tight (women's) striped t-shirt that we found at Goodwill.  A beret and white gloves came from the army surplus store.  And of course, I gooped white makeup all over his face.

The effect was pretty awesome because, at 6'6", he is one tall and intimidating mime.

Answer 10

I'm a country gal.  Our costumes were always homemade.  Our costumes also always included our horses!  It was great fun, and a wonderful excuse for us to ride horses in the dark.  The older of us teens would gather the younger neighborhood children about, and shepard them about with our horses.  If any child got too tired, we'd pull them up on our horses, and let them ride with us.

I loved dressing as a gypsy, and my horse was a unicorn.

One of my friends did a VERY good headless horsemen....she used a real pumpkin with a candle in it too, to carry about as her head.  Pumpkin got too heavy though, so she had to dash her head to the roadway, much to the delight of the small children with us.

I went as a Druid once...that costume got me the most looks (leers) from the guys.  It was a very long velvet gown, of dark forest green (formfitting) that went smashingly with my red hair.  The cape was all the way to the ground, with a hood on it.  The cape was ivory white, with lovely designs on it, the inside was lined with gold.  I rode sidesaddle in that costume.

We went as Indians and painted our horses up with all kinds of designs.

I went as a biker babe once, on my NOT iron horse.  Real leather biker jacket, white t-shirt, with a fake pack of cigarettes rolled up in the shoulder, lots of make-up.  I put motorcycle mirrors on my horses halter, which was under her bridle.  Didn't think that one out too well....the first car that came up behind us with its lights on blinded my horse....had to take the mirrors off.

Our worst costume was the first year we went out on our horses.  Our parents insisted our costumes be VISABLE.  So we tried something very simple....we tried to dress ourselves, and our horses up to look like ghosts.  I'm afraid everyone thought we look like the KKK instead.  We were so naive, we didn't even know what the KKK was!

Two of the cutest costumes I ever saw on a child, were on a baby that was born on moth before Halloween.  The first year the mother (a very crafty lady) sewed up a costume that made the baby look like a mouse, with big fuzzy ears.  He was absolutely adorable, and warm in his little one piece costume!  The next year she made a little head to toe costume that had him looking like a lion.  Adorable, and completely warm for the baby.

Fun memories....thank you!

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 11

My favourite was many years ago when my husband decided to go to the Halloween party as The Hulk.  I obtained a can of Bright Green Tempra paint from the local school kindergarten class with the instructions to mix it with liquid dish soap.  Thinking about it on the way home, I thought having soap on his skin all night might get itchy or cause a rash so instead of using dish soap, I mixed it with glycerine!

Now how was I to know that glycerine (along with the green paint) would totally soak into the skin!  The next day, my husband had to leave for the Ontario Police College where he had to teach for the week and he was the first totally green instructor they ever had!!  Needless to say, when I asked him if he wanted to be a Smurf the next year, he didn't think it was very funny!

Answer 12

Mine was a witch costume. My mom bascially made my dress. It was an woman's black dress that she had found in a thrift store, and she remade it to fit me. It was perfect when she finished it. I was 8 yrs old then. I had this really ugly rubber witch mask. We bought the witch hat and the gray scraggly hair (wig.) I won the prize in my Brownie troop for the scariest costume. I even remember my prize. It was a Barbie ring. woohoo. lol

As an adult I dressed up like Clem Kadiddlehopper. I used some pillows to fatten me up, wore my husband's size 9 work boots, and this really funny clown mask that looked a lot like Clem and that sad face he would make. I had red suspenders and wore my husband old jeans stuffed with those pillows in front and back. I also used a long johns top as my shirt. I only weighed 110 at the time, so I had to pad myself up really good. I went to the local Senior Citizens center and signed in as Clem and had a ball with the seniors. dancing and being silly. I finally unveiled, and was introduced as the cousin the the Director of the Senior Center. I was 22 at the time. It was a lot of fun.

Answer 13

LOL!  I love Fiona's answer!  And her unique costume for her daughter is a wonderful idea.

I grew up in a military family and many times we were in the middle of moving during Halloween.  One year when I was 6, my younger brothers popped out with chicken pox.  They were so disappointed not being able to trick or treat.  My mother hurriedly dressed me in one of my ballet recital costumes and sent me out with three pillowcases (back in the days when you could actually do that safely!).

I loved that costume and my brothers really enjoyed the candy I brought home.  It was not unique but the story about my brothers garnered a lot of sympathy, and a lot of candy!

Answer 14

I favor either a Queen or Duchess-wear lots of sparkly jewelry and get a crown or tiara and a old mink coat, and a gypsy is always fun.

Answer 15

My favorite last minute costume is a dog costume.  I pin two black or brown socks to the inside of a stocking cap or a baseball cap so that when I put the cap on the socks hang down like ears.  I paint my nose shiny black and put on black or brown clothes.   Woof! Woof!

Answer 16

I like to see the homemade ones.  the effort that goes into them!

Answer 17

I don't celebrate Halloween.  But when I was a kid.  I was a ghost.

Answer 18

a black cat costume, all that is needed is a headband, add felt pointy cat ears, black tights and a black bathing suit, use black makeup to add whiskers, blacken your nose, add a bow for the neck, for tail, buy black material......do a long tube and secure to back of bathing suit....this was my favorite...........