The Mermaid

Pure elation!  Do you see it?  And I thought I'd have a little pirate girl, or a piggy, or a little cardboard robot girl with a polka-dot bow.  No, Charlotte was very clear that she wanted to be a mermaid.  And somehow the timing worked out well this year, so I went all out!

I created the tail texture by running gathering stitches in a fanned-out pattern.  Huge relief that it worked as planned!  The skirt is supposed to be the ocean, but I didn't quite get to the seaweed and fish I had in mind.  I love the color variegation there though - makes for great interpretive water.

I made a removable plastic sleeve for the fin so Charlotte could enjoy her Halloween without being barked at about dragging her tail.  It worked out swimmingly -- though the tail stayed off the ground anyhow as she pranced around in just about the same pose as you see in this photo. Crazy cute!

I drafted the pattern for the bodice and went a bit nuts with ruffles and trim.  At one place in the sleeve seam there's something like 12 layers (a couple sets of doubled ruffles & piping, trim, & the usual stuff).  I had to outfit Charlotte with a sleeved dance leotard underneath to keep her little arms comfortable.  And dance she has, in full regalia, on Halloween and every day since.

Isaac's contribution was the crown.  I handed him the materials and said, "Go for it!" 

He responsed, "What's wrong with this one?" (The original plastic crown underneath all of the goop). 

"Nothing's wrong with it, but it could be so much more mermaid-y."

"Ya, I guess," he said, but then proceeded to spend the next thirty or forty minutes deeply enthralled, improving in every way my original plan.  He even got out the drill so the button shanks on the back of the crown jewels would nest into the plastic just so.  I mean he really got into it.  He's proud of that crown.

He went a bit crazy with the wand too.  Got burned in the process : (

Besides the hot-glue burns, we had extra-fun this year.  It was Charlotte's first Halloween where she understood what was up - costume, candy, costume.  What a joy to see the magic in her eyes!  She's really pretty caught up in her underwater fantasy.

And obviously, Elijah's still got the magic.  Thank heaven Jedis lead a simpler, less-layered, unglittered existence or I might not have made the deadline.  Love my twirly, big-eyed dreamers.

Comments

[Dara]

WOW! That's the one I'd been waiting to see... it turned out so beautifully! She looks ecstatic!

[Melanie]

Will you adopt me?! I am in love with this costume, it is absolutely stunning. Fantastic work - and well done to Isaac on the crown and wand too :)

[joohliah]

This is amazing work ! The tail, the ocean, and the CROWN & wand !!! The Jedi was awesome too, but as a dreamy girl, I go for the mermaid and the jewelry, of course ;)

[stephanie]

I just showed my mother the mermaid and the Jedi. She adored the mermaid, saying it was beautiful. Then proceeded to say "what a shame, you didn't have a mother like that". I highly agree with everything she said. Haha. I would have loved that mermaid outfit as a girl. I was very much a girly girl. The mermaid turned out "swimmingly", congratulations on great costumes!

[Liene at Blue Orchid Designs]

love it, love it, love it - so darn cute!!

[jessi nagy]

adorable!!!
what a cutie
jessi

[peonyshade]

beautiful. you can see in her face how happy she is. all the hard work was worth it.

[maryse]

this costume is one of the most beautiful i've ever seen. your little girl is adorable. how wonderful that both of you are so talented.

[anna maria]

I am crazy nuts for that second photo! I wanna pinch here! And I am totally feeling the waves :)
xoAM

[Lisa]

Just lovely. The colors and the design are beautiful. Great pictures as usual too!

[Suzanne]

Too beautiful! Wrap it up in blue tissue and save it for her little girl someday:-) Isn't it nice to give them such lovely memories of childhood!

[Sissou]

just gorgeous, my little girl would kill for the same dress ! Congratulations for this huge work but I guess that the best reward was her smile wasn'it ?

[Mary]

Stunning!

[Mama Urchin]

Katrina was a mermaid too and I think that the wrist holder for the tail is a requirement too. Katrina just wore hers on her wrist and the tail never got dragged, or tripped over.

[Emma]

Wow! Stunning! I'm happy being me; with MY life, My husband, MY children, MY quilting... But sometimes when I read your blog, I turn a tinge of green!

[Jill]

Amazing - now that my daughter is older, we've moved beyond mermaids and princesses. This year it was minnie mouse. She's already decided next year's costume - mad scientist.

[kiki comin]

unbelievable..that whole get-up is amazing!

[Tina]

Beautiful work on that costume! You should sell that pattern!

[April C]

Ohhhh how beautiful. My 2 1/2 year old went out as a princess, however I was not nearly as crafty, as that mermaid dress is fantastic!

This is my first visit to your blog in 2 MONTHS! My laptop got soaked with a bottle of lysol (niiice, makes a great airfreshner!) and I'm just getting back online now.

Have missed your stories!!
April

[Sarah]

So wonderful, Heather. We should all have such talented Moms as you.

[Haydee]

WOW! I wish I could sew clothes..absolutely beautiful. How great that you can do that for your kids.

[Desiree]

Amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. What a lucky little girl!

[Laura/DaPFG]

DUDE!! i thought the jedi costume rocked, but this is TOO cute!!! i love the last picture...it totally looks like she's got a tail instead of legs. *giggle*

lucky kids, lucky mom!! :)

[amy]

your children are so fortunate to have a mom that takes the time to make such wonderful things for them to enjoy, and you are so fortunate to have beautiful children who love the things you make for them. both costumes were fantastic! but of course, as a girl, this is the one i would have swooned over as a kid. beautiful. =]

[Kim]

OH MY GOD! That is the coolest mermaid costume EVER! It is so pretty and sparkly and fun. The tail is awesome! Can I borrow it for my daughter next year?? : )

[Alisha]

Beautiful! So glad to hear Charlotte had a great time. It was my daughter's first year of understanding what Halloween is all about too and she had a blast. It really is great to see through a child's eyes.

[Bobbie Duran]

Wow! What a beautiful costume and you can see she was defiantly loving it.

[Andie]

Now THAT. Is a costume.

[Audrey]

All I can say is that I love how your brain works. :)

[Sandi Henderson]

Oh goodness, I better not show Eliza!! She would want one now, not for next Halloween. To cute Heather.

Sandi

[Amy Ragland]

Wow! That's one cool costume. Love it!

[Monica]

Wow!!! Both costumes and kids are just gorgeous! You did a great job!

[Stacy]

I am pretty much a lurker on your blog, Heather, but I had to come out of hiding to congratulate you on two fantastic costumes! I never would have thought of the idea for the mermaid. That it is so original!

Isn't it great when they appreciate your hard work? I made my daughter's renaissance dress and my son's BLUE pirate costumes and, well, at least my son was SUPER excited. The two year old just went with whatever mommy wanted her to be this year. I'm sure that is the last year of that!

[Paula]

Just WONDERFUL! How fun, for ALL! Yes you can see it in the glimmer in her eyes! You did a fantastic job! Just love how it all came together!
Congratulations on a fun time for all!
Paula

[Kim]

Wow, that is just incredible.

[Miss Sassy]

Dang that is cute. I was all proud of the spider costume I made Aidan - until I saw this. OK. I'm still proud as I just started sewing a few years ago but geez, I don't think I can ever match your talents. Awesome job!

[Miss Sassy]

Ummm... I think I spot a few trash ties, too...

[Shawn]

Ridiculously cute! Wow!! :)

[Laurie]

how gorgeous/twirly/fantastic!

[Jody]

This is a fantastic custome! I LOVE that your husband made the crown and wand - and it gave him a reason to break out the power tools!!

[DJ Inphinity]

Aww! She looks so pretty! Those colors are amazing too... stunning.

[Hope]

That is one heck of an awesome costume. Has she changed out of it yet? I wouldn't!!
The crown and scepter are also very cool!

[Kristen Laurence]

That is positively magical!

[Kimberly]

You have such a gift Heather - I hope you know that. This costume is very special.

[Margo]

Beautiful! So creative!
Question about hair: do you just use water to get your daughter's hair to stay smooth? I've got a daughter with straighty, silky hair and I really try hard to get it into ponytails and whatnot.

[Heather Bailey]

Oh, this is a unexpected question - Yes, I mist her hair with a bit of water, pat it with some gel and use a fine-tooth comb. I comb the gel through to distribute it and then make her little piggies or ponies. Best system I've found for containing all those little baby fly-away hairs, though they make an appearance by the end of the day in their own adorable way.

[Christina]

Wow, that is brilliant! It's the best interpretation of mermaid I've seen -- I've always wondered how to do a tail without hobbling the kid and that's it-- brilliant! Great Jedi cloak too...

[Steph VW]

Wow... what a beautiful mermaid you have at your house! I hope you don't live too close to the ocean - she's surely swim away!

(This is bringing back great memories of the costumes my mom sewed for me.)

[Toni Hamel]

Beautiful! I love it!

[Gabby]

I'm a lurker, I'll admit it, but I had to comment on the ingeniousness (it's a word, I just used it!) of the mermaid costume. I would have never thought to make a mermaid costume where the tail wasn't worn, but rather, almost like an accessory, but lending the illusion. Pure genious, and very beautiful. I aspire to the tenth of what you can do. ^_^