Ah, Boxing Day...
A day made for sitting back, putting your feet up and digesting food... and with that comes the perfect opportunity to blog about bits and bobs! I've neglected to blog about our Halloween costumes [which feels like forever ago!] And if you haven't guessed already, we chose a Ghostbusters theme! After seeing the new movie, I felt inspired to do something pop culture and relevant and to pay tribute to the original franchise. I'm not good enough a costume maker to create detailed outfits which are true to either film, If I'm honest they are more like Blue Peter Pritt Stick quick-fix, but hey ho, they held together for the night! Here are just a few final details :)
So, it's worth mentioning that this Ghostbusters 'crew' consists of three members, myself [Mrs Stay Puft] and David [husband] & Simon [wife] as my arch rival Ghostbusters!
Me and Simon set out to complete the Ghostbuster jumpsuits first, which involved a cheeky eBay purchase, neon fabric from Abakhan and Simon was able to source the iconic badges online. We managed to put these bits together in a fun wine-fuelled evening [whilst David played on his PS4 - Go team! haha] We also created hand-embroidered name tags to give the outfits a personal touch.
The backpack involved a beer box, various other upcycled containers and gauges and knobs stolen from an old cooker! A hot-glue gun, a lick of black paint and a length of tubing later, and et voila! You have yourself a Proton Pack! :)
Doesn't it look glamorous on my ironing board? We then adhered the finished box onto a small grey backpack from Decathalon [only £2.49 - bargain!]
So, creating Mrs Stay Puft was no mean feat, if you're aware of the character - you'll know that it's essentially a huge marshmellow man... not so flattering! I decided early on that I'd go for volume in the skirt and opt for a sailor girl, cosplay vibe! I handmade the tutu with the tying method, which involves knotting narrow lengths of netting onto a piece of ribbon and packing them tightly together. I vastly underestimated how much netting I needed - all in all I think I used 10m! Luckily white netting is standard so it all co-ordinated. Here's a little piccie of me in my livingroom with the finished tutu! [note, I'm so bloody thrifty that I've since transformed the tutu into two mini fairy tutus for my little cousins]
The lovely Editor of Love Sewing, Amy Thomas was kind enough to lend me the sailor bib, which I sported over a white t-shirt dress. I die-cut the letters for the belt using white felt which a self adhesive sheet on the back.
I'm most proud of the teeny weeny hat I made, which was very last minute! It involved covering a strip of pliable card with blue material, stuffing it with carved foam. I covered the foam with white felt before securing the band around the edge and sewed a covered button through the centre. A few finishing touches later [PUFT lettering & a ribbon] it was good to go! Here's the collection together, with the finished ensemble, I donned a cheap white wig, some big pants [to try and cover my modesty] and white Doc Marten heels.
Showtime! Here's my beloved with his outfit... I'd call him anytime ;)
My boys, giddy with excitement! They wear it so well! <3
Here we are together, in the spotlight!
And here's me, rocking the full volume of that epic tutu! I love this outfit and can't wait to throw myself into more handmade upcyled creations in the future - maybe next time I wont just wait till Halloween!
I hope you enjoyed a little bit of a change from cardmaking, I sure did!
N x
