So for the last, oh I don’t know, six months people have been saying,

“Oh! What’s Briar going to be for Halloween?”

and

“The first real Halloween, you must have huge and exciting plans!”

Each time they would look at me with big, happy eyes and a smile that seemed to say,
“Aren’t you glad I asked? Now you get to brag about what a superior parent you are!”

Ya, that’s exactly the effect it has on a working mom folks. Thanks. Besides, she’s 1. It’s not like she’d eat the candy from trick or treating, or really enjoy the cold, dark walk. Clearly I have let myself get a touch sensitive about the whole thing.

It has actually reminded me of the time my mom came home and said with a slightly crazed look,

“It’s center piece time! Time to change the center pieces for the season”

To which I said, “Huh?” and thought, “What center pieces? They have a season? And where the hell has my mom gone you stepford freak of nature!”

But, much like I did this Halloween, my mom bit and off we went to Pier 1 Imports, returning home several hours later, and, if I remember correctly, several hundred dollars poorer, arms laden with “center piece necessities.” In defense of the ladies who take center piecing to an art form, we did have fun. But the fun was really about the fact that we were taking so seriously something that was so non-essential to anything. The house did look festive, but it always has. That was the only year we caught the center piece craze.

So, after what must have been the 5,899th inquiry about what Briar was going to be for Halloween I’d had it. Yesterday afternoon Briar and I went to JoAnn Fabrics on a mission to find a costume that I would make for her. She doesn’t regularly watch tv, so she doesn’t have any favorite characters and I really dislike the whole,

“Oh, but doesn’t she make a cute tomato!
Pumpkin!
Crab!
Mermaid!
Whatever!”

No, I wanted the costume to be something that Briar would like and would maybe even look back on and think,
“My mom and dad were pretty cool to dress me up like that!”

Somewhat chagrined that it took exasperation and shame to get me to the store, rather than my own initiative I took Briar through the store and let her just have fun touching all the sparkly, twinkly, musical things. She also spent 5 minutes batting around the clearance costumes made of vinyl and plastic, sending them shooting out the bottom of the impossible to repack plastic sleeves. I made a valiant attempt to repair the display and then came to my senses and spirited Briar and the cart away from the evidence that we are not regular crafters.

After a 40 minute shop and a $30 bill we left the store with a bag of costume fixin’s. I did buy a “cat kit” for $2.39 just in case I failed. We had purchased 7 squares of quilting materials, 3 of which were a moss green flecked with gold pattern and the other 4 were a pink on pink flowery pattern. We picked up one tiny remnant of white gauzy material with sparkly vines, 8 purple rosettes, pink thread, a band of non-roll elastic and one incredibly exciting bit of pink ribbon covered with big green and purple sequins and little lime green beads.

My plan was to take the fabrics pieces and sew them scarf style onto the elastic band, which I would then face with the incredibly beautiful and wacky ribbon. The rosettes were to embellish a plain old white long sleeved onesie. I sewed away last night and this morning. Sean helped keep Briar distracted. 10 minutes ago I finished. Well, I still need to size the band for Briar’s waist, but take a look!

This is Sean distracting Briar for me.

The costume!

I realize it’s not a clear cut, I’m a fairy type of costume, but, based on Briar’s reaction to the ribbon and my efforts, I think it is more what she wants to be than anything I could have found at Toys R Us.

A closer look.

The back.

I have some left over material and am toying with the idea of making a cape.
I think I may pass since we are keeping Briar home. I think greeting kids at the door will be right up her alley and will keep her warm and safe.

I talk all the time about taking the time to just send time, listen to your cues…I really had fun working on this costume. It was relaxing for me, it was something for Briar and it just made the house seem more like a home. We speed around so much, seeing a work space on the dining room table, colorful thread, fabrics, Briar gigling at the ribbon was wonderful!

So I guess I owe a little thank you to those 5,899 Halloween fanatics that asked about Briar’s costume.

Thanks.