Halloween Madness

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween.  I know I did.  My brother came up to visit with his girlfriend, so we dressed up and went out for a night of drinking, dancing, and general merriment.

The club we went to was packed.  I have largely gotten over my intense dislike of crowds, but despite the fun I was having, I had to step out a couple times for some air.  I ran back in once I heard Thriller playing though.

Figuring out my costume was an issue this year.  Many costume elements from the past couple year are too big for me now.  And deciding on something new to do took a good bit of debating.  I decided to reuse what I could to be an assassin.  Pretty easy to dress in black, grab a cape, and be done with it.  However, I really wanted to add some sort of bodice to it, so I rummaged through my craft stuff and Pinterest boards.

I found a basic technique for making patterns, and several large sheets of black craft felt.  I went to work.  I didn't really document the creation process largely because it was entirely experimental.  I've actually never attempted any type of armor construction before.  There were mistakes, alterations, and plenty of experience gained.

This is the visual guide I used to create the basis of my pattern.  Using the tape technique, I made some cuts and came up with this.

I traced the pattern and its reverse onto the craft felt, cut it out, and stitched back up the cut lines created.  I then attached a bottom band, and added the side panels that would tie in the back.  That last bit was not as straight forward as I thought it would be, but I kept at it and got results that I was happy enough with.  

The fit ended up being pretty great, and all that it needed was some embellishment.  Seeing as I started this project two days out from Halloween, I kept it simple.

I felt happy enough with it to wear it out, and I thought it made a nice addition to my costume.

Like I said, lots of black, and tah-dah!  Semi-instant assassin.  I was ready to skulk through the night.

I will be the last thing you see before the light at the end of the tunnel...

It was pretty comfortable.  I'll admit the walk from the car to the club was a little chilly, but not horribly so.  If it had been colder, I could have easily worn a long sleeve shirt instead.  I did take the cape off though as it felt like a little much to dance in with how thick the crowds were.

A good night all around.  Now, off to eat some of that left over candy...