Monday, November 1, 2010

All Hallow's Eve and Crazy-Costuming-Goodness!

Hallowe'en has got to be one of my favourite holidays. And not just because it's an excuse to dress up, or that it falls on the same night as Samhain; but because of the effect it has on children. I can see in my own son the same excitement I felt as a child when he got to put on his costume, hurried on by the fact that there are already trick-or-treaters at our door (though to try and get him to eat his dinner on Hallowe'en night is another matter entirely!).

And then, the curiosity and fear as we walked up to each house, unsure of what spooks or tricks my await us near the doors. His favourite quote of the night was "Mommy, it's not scary!" whenever we came to a house with minimal decorations. It's amazing that we forget how scary a simple skeleton or cobweb can be to a child.


Of course, the night started out with carving and lighting the pumpkins; both to ward of the spirits that might wander our way, and to let the neighbourhood children know they'll find goodies inside (a pirate for Lucien, a one-tooth-wonder for Marcus).


Then it was time for the short trek up and down our street to collect our treasures (though in fact this picture was taken after we just got home, hence the little red noses!)

And that brings me to the topic of the costumes. Marcus wore the little dragon outfit that Lucien wore for his first Hallowe'en (though it barely fit - we couldn't get the hood over Marcus' head!), but I think both Chris and I went a little crazy when it came to Lucien's costume.

At first he wanted to be Strider (also known as Aragorn, from the Lord of the Rings). But after I started working on the leather armour, he decided he wanted to be Rohan, or one of the Rohirrim. So I had the adjust the design and colour scheme slightly, but in the end, it turned out fantastic!

First, I made him a tunic out of recycled green linen from an old sun dress I was given. It is all stitched by hand (though I was lucky enough to use some of the pre-existing seams and edges which cut down on sewing time!), and the front is closed with ribbon buttons.


The undercoat was made from wool broadcloth, which I then went over and painted on gold detailing. I chose just simple Celtic and Norse knot work designs that I though would mimic the actual garments worn in the movies.


The armour was my first real foray into working with leather. I originally bought this buckskin to make Lucien moccasins when he was a baby, but after a first attempt that I was unhappy with, I hadn't touched it since. I painted the rough side with watered-down acrylic, and then used sandpaper to give it a worn look. The designed were painted with the same gold as the wool, and I took inspiration from the gilding on Theoden King's own armour and the outfit worn by the hobbit Merry when he was a squire of Rohan, and then created my own images.

All the stitches had to be made in the leather with a hammer and awl first; hard work, but actually a lot of fun!



Chris also went overboard with the construction of the sword but I am so glad he did; it is amazing! Lucien loves it so much that by the time Hallowe'en came, he had already beat up the blade, and it had to be repaired several times. But it was well worth it. It was made with pine strapping that Chris whittled and sanded by hand, and the blade and handle (one piece) was fitted through the hand guard, and glued in place. The handle is wrapped in metal wire, and the blade and hand guard is covered in polished metal foil. It was the perfect accessory to his ensemble.


The cloak was also made from the wool broadcloth, and was attached directly to the chest plate with metal buttons. The detailing on the collar was a nightmare however, and for some reason I kept over-thinking the knot work, which caused it to take twice as long to finish as it should have.




And there is our lad, kitted out and ready to slay any Nazgul that may approach!


All in all I would say the night was a success, even though it was over too soon. At least now I can get back to working on Christmas and Yule gifts!


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