Cosplay – Halloween 2016 – Star Wars (McCalls 7421 and Brindille & Twig)

I know I’m posting a Halloween costume when it’s essentially Christmas but, as you know, I’m a procrastinator. It took awhile for us to get pictures and then that was an event in and of itself! I have a lot of outtakes and added a few to the very end of this post – enjoy!

Let me start by saying I did not make that awesome Kylo Ren outfit – I wish I could take credit for it!!! Andres ordered it off Amazon. We procrastinated (shocking) our outfits this year and I just didn’t have time. By saying we procrastinated, I mean I procrastinated. There are so many options out there and I got sucked into the world of Tangled and Aladdin but Andres was really excited about Star Wars so I agreed. I did end up making my outfit and Nico’s outfit. Let’s start with mine and leave all the cuteness for the end.

My outfit is Rey from Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens and is pattern McCalls 7421. (Side note: why do they have the chick on the cover of the pattern wearing Uggs?! I swear, not even in costume are those things cute!! Sorry to the Uggs lovers but I can’t get on-board with the brown Santa boots.) At the time of making this I measured 36-31-40 and decided to go with a size Medium. I think I should have sized up on the pants because they were a bit snug… nothing uncomfortable but too snug. I didn’t make a muslin because I figured I would only be wearing this a couple of times and that’s it. I did add a pocket to them so I could stash my cell phone somewhere. Can I also warn you to follow directions closely? I thought I did and sewed them together wrong!! It was a mess and I can’t believe I did that. I sewed the fronts together and the backs together. When I went to put them on I was confused and wondered why they made the pattern that way. Then I realized, derp, it’s a ME error.

For the tabard I used white gauze and dyed it with coffee. You basically just boil a ton of coffee, take it off the burner and then stick the fabric in there and let it seep for a few hours. It ended up being the perfect color and smelled good! Until of course it started smelling like dog pee about a month later. I checked, the dog didn’t pee on it, just smells super weird. I will say that I didn’t wash it after dying it, just put it in the dryer. I’m sure if you coffee dye things and wash them that they smell a whole lot better. I didn’t really follow the directions too well on this one because I was running out of time. I didn’t put the elastic into the waistband and probably should have so it would lay better. This part of the pattern is a fabric hog and if you’re a larger size it asked for twice as much yardage of gauze. I really think you can get away with the lower amount. If you go with too much it’s going to look like a tent.

The belt and cuff were kind of a pain to sew since they are pleather. Make sure you go very slow, use a basting stitch and a heavy duty needle. I hate sewing this type of stuff and I think my machine does too. I tried a walking foot but it left weird imprints so I gave up on that. It turned out looking great though, so I’m happy!

I also didn’t follow directions on the sleeves because, once again, time. I made the sleeve part out of the same material as the top and just wrapped gauze around them over and over. It looks good and serves its purpose. Also, the top comes together very easily and I used a soft drape knit for that one. The top does have a placket on the front but the directions are really great for showing you how to insert it.

Now, onto the cuteness: Nico Han Solo!

Almost all of Nico’s entire outfit is from Brindille & Twig, everything except the belt and holster. I’ve raved about this children’s pattern company over and over I know but it’s for good reason – they are amazing! At the time of making this outfit his measurements were chest: 20′; waist: 19 1/2″; Height: 36″; Inseam: ~12″. I used 3 of B&T patterns and all were in 18-24 months size.

Let’s start with the vest. The B&T pattern is the hooded vest, obviously without the hood. Omitting the hood was super easy, I just used a narrow hem around the neckline instead of attaching it. I also made a total of 4 pockets instead of one. I’ve noticed that this pattern runs really big so I went with a smaller size than I should have because I was using a woven instead of a knit but it’s still too big. I should have sized down because I feel like he’s swimming the vest. Oh well, he can grow into it. I used a basic black twill from JoAnns.

The shirt I used is the basic tee and again I made modifications. I added a placket on the front. I can’t really describe how I did this because I suck and it’s been a couple of months but I did follow the same tutorial from my shirt pattern. I’m sure you can easily Google it. Sorry 🙁 The fabric is the same fabric that I used for my shirt too and also from JoAnns.

His pants are the classic sweatpants pattern. This pattern also calls for knit and I was using a navy twill woven but I wanted them to be slim so I didn’t size up at all. For the sides I cut a strip of the twill and then strips of red ribbon and just sewed them on and attached them to the side of the pants – super easy, time consuming, but easy!

Next up is his belt and holster. I sketched out the belt buckle onto a thin cardboard and then had Andres finish it. He put some sort of shiny tape on it from the garage, I really have no idea what he used. The belt and holster and made from the same pleather material I used for my belt and cuff. I just Googled a picture of the belt/holster and sketched out a pattern. It turned out perfectly and fits him well. He has a little nerf gun we put in there for Halloween but he’s since lost it somewhere in his toy box.

I was planning on making him boots but totally lucked out and found some at Walmart instead. They had buckles on them so we cut them off. They look just like we wanted so I’m glad I found those before trying to make something. Overall I think his outfit came out super adorable and I love it. It’s always fun to make costumes and pretend to play dress up. He had a great Halloween and got over his shyness very quickly for candy! He wanted to go up to the door by himself and it was cute!

I didn’t mention Guinness, but he’s obviously Chewbacca and totally adorable. He wasn’t too thrilled about the whole event but I don’t care, I love it. His outfit is from Petsmart and I got it the day after Halloween for 75% off – score! He was a good sport and put up with all the pictures and chaos.

I’m pleased with my oufit and I think it’s pretty easy to make. I would say it’s not exactly beginner but close to it. Some of the directions are a little confusing but you can just wing it and get the same effect. The bummer is that now all of the Halloween parties are over and I have nowhere to wear this to! I guess I could go grocery shopping as Rey or to Christmas dressed up! Ha!

Now for some of the outtakes. Nico was obsessed with the remote for the camera and would get super mad when the light wouldn’t go off. He even took my solo pictures with the remote… maybe he has a future as photographer?