Sew Geeky: Geek Spectacular!

Y’all…it’s a big month in Sew Geeky Land.  Ari and Kat decided to throw a giant Geek Spectacular and it has been amazing!  Basically, we were given free range on whatever Geeky Goodness we wanted to sew up.  With it being October, I went with the whole sewing costumes thing.

First up, Alana.  Originally she wanted to be Ariel, but when I was looking at inspiration photos I thought of Alana, Ariel’s sister.  I mean, it’s a little embarrassing that I didn’t immediately think of it, but it is what it is…anyway, my Alana agreed.

She was pretty impressed with this fun sculpture we found when our first photoshoot location didn’t pan out.

 

I was drawing a blank about the top when I first started drafting up the costume.  Modesty is a huge deal here in the UAE, so I couldn’t make a bikini top and be done.  After a bit of searching I found the Sweetheart Halter  and knew it was exactly what I needed.

I modified the top a little to use knit fabric, mainly because that’s what I had on hand.  I also color blocked the strap to make the pink go all the way around, imitating the look of the mermaids’ tops.

For the skirt/fin portion I loosely followed this tutorial.  The fin isn’t as fitted as I would really have liked it to be, but freedom of movement was more important for an active 9 year old.

The last piece to bring the costume together was this felt crown.  I just took 2 pieces of crown shaped felt, sewed them together, and bobby pinned them into Alana’s hair.

Next up, Cameron.
This guy was a challenge.  He originally wanted to be Hawkeye.  After I bought 4 yards of purple fabric he changed his mind.  Hijacking the costume I planned for myself, he decided on Rocket Raccoon.

For the base I used the Maui Muscle Tee and Hosh Pants.  Everything after that was an absolute test for me.  I have never, ever, ever spent so many hours on one sewing project.  I can’t even tell you how many hours I sat at my sewing machine just staring at this outfit, trying to figure out the logistics.

The vest is removable, thanks to snaps on the end of the black straps running across his chest/stomach.

The vest is actually a bunch of vinyl that started out hot glued together.  After getting everything where I wanted it I sewed up the important bits.  I think I would have completely scrapped the whole idea if it wasn’t for the help of the hot glue.

I think my favorite part of his entire costume is the tail.  I followed this tutorial for Rocket’s tail.  Tip: when she says to use a pet brush, trust her.  I tried using a fine tooth comb and it was a nightmare.  After wasting hours doing it that way I gave in and bought a pet brush….seriously the best $12 investment.

A couple more shots, because holy cuteness:

 

Just a few of Alana and Rocket together:

Lastly, me.

After being sent back to the drawing board I decided to do a costume I’ve wanted to do for years, Wilma Flintstone.

Wilma’s dress was a quick and dirty sew for me.  Rocket utterly wiped me out so I put almost zero effort into my costume.  I basically sewed a tube of fabric together, put it on, and cut out an arm hole.  The bolt was a little too small for me to use without a zipper (like I said, I was aiming for zero effort), so for the skirt portion I used two bolt widths, gathered it up, and attached it to the top.  I did manage to cut the bottom up a little, but since I’ll be taking the costume apart after Halloween I didn’t make the cutouts too extreme.

The family that derps together…

To see what everyone else sewed up for the Geek Spectacular check out the Sew Geeky Series Blog and Facebook Page.  Happy Halloween!