Need a "Healthy" Halloween Costume?

I have the perfect solution!  I actually made this a few years ago and won first place at work!  Halloween is a very big deal at my employer and each year we try to come up with something unique and fun as a theme.  This particular year, we had a garden theme and I really wanted to be a vegetable.  Here's what I came up with!

Yes - I was a carrot that year and it was a huge hit!  

 Side view and back views.

When I finally determined what I was going to be, I thought and thought about how to support the top of the carrot on my shoulders and here's my solution.  This is a view on the dress form looking thru an armhole to the neck/shoulder area.  I used two metal wreath frames and wired them together as my supporting framework.

Shopping for the wreath frames was a bit funny.  I can just imagine the surveillance footage of me in the floral department putting these frames over my head to see if they will work and then searching for the perfect "carrot top" piece of greenery to complete my ensemble.  The security guards probably thought I was just crazy and decided to leave me alone!

The fabric is orange felt with a layer of shiny sheer polyester chiffon looking stuff that I pleated and sewed in random rows across the width of the felt.  Once the fabric was finished, I hand sewed the top portion to the metal framework and then pinned and cut the body of the carrot until it looked right.  

Of course I had to have an organic sign to.  I designed this on the computer, laminated it and just taped it on.

Here's a picture of the costume just hanging on the dress form.  It actually keeps it shape very well and the framework is comfortable to wear (well, that is as far as wreath framework is meant to be worn!)

 Another side view of the armholes.  

It's the hat though, that truly makes the costume I think.  The hat is actually a funnel that I covered in fabric, added some ties and found the perfect "carrot top" greenery to put in the top of the funnel.

A view of the inside of the funnel.  It doesn't look very pretty, but it works.   I just hot glued the fabric and ties in place.  The greenery piece fits nicely into the funnel portion too.

So if you are looking for a different costume this year - I highly recommend being a carrot - it was a great costume and I received a bunch of compliments on it.  

I also carried a basket with me and gave people the option of either taking a bag of candy corn or a bag of small carrots - most people took the bags of carrots.  The cutest thing though was when little kids saw me - their mouths would just drop open and they would be in awe!  After all - it's not every day you see a big carrot!  And not a single kid took a bag of candy corn - they all wanted carrots - it was so cute!

That's it for today - hope this has inspired you to explore a different type of costume this year.

Until next time - Happy Sewing!