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Matilda
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| Posted: Oct 20 2008 at 10:11am | IP Logged
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I started a brainstorming thread over at my blog and I wanted to do the same here. If you have any cute, clever, and relatively easy (on the schedule and pocketbook) ideas for All Saints costumes, please share them.
If you have a saint that your child would like to honor but you can't wrap your brain around an idea, ask and maybe someone will come up with something.
Thanks in advance!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11 , 10 , 9 & 5 ) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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stefoodie
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Hi Charlotte and all -- I was working on a Saints Costumes spreadsheet for our local group here and I thought I'd share -- it's as yet unfinished, but I'm taking volunteers  , and will be working on it some more off and on in the next few days.
Google spreadsheet:
Saints Costumes spreadsheet
LMK if you gals can access it or not!
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stef
mom to five
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missionfamily
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Our three older boys are all dressing like St. Paul in various phases of his life in honor of the Pauline year...I found cheaper store bought costumes...a gladiator costume and then a little horse on suspenders, so Brendan will be Saul at his conversion. A prisoner costume...Gabriel will wear this and carry a scroll and quill...Paul in prisoner writing the epistles...and a pirate costume for Quinn...shipwrecked St. Paul. The two babies are going to be a lion and a lamb!
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Colleen
dh Greg
mom to Quinn,Gabriel, Brendan,Evan, Kolbe, and sweet St. Bryce
Footprints on the Fridge
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Matilda
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Wow. That spreadsheet is amazing!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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JennGM
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Fabulous, Stef! Wow!
I don't have a list of actual inspiration. Growing up our family always dressed up as saints, and usually partied with our cousins. It was almost a year-long research project as we got older to find a saint that hadn't been done before. We always played "Who Am I?" to try to confound our cousins. We found illustrations, historical context, symbolism and mix it in with creativity.
I guess if the child is inspired, the creativity can be endless, and that's what I like to keep Halloween and All Saints Costumes to be.
One year we decided to all come as patron saints, another twist to the Who Am I?
The little ones were always so easy to do -- a man's black t-shirt belted with a cord and rosary hung on became a Benedictine. Mommy's old dresses or a visit to Salvation Army or Good Will to get some sheath or simple dresses as the "base" for women's clothing.
I was Joan of Arc one year. Chain mail was made with a gray knit sweater and gray knit cable tights (a little warm for a Louisiana Halloween )
I remember how my younger cousin created his own costume, especially memorable were the wings for St. Michael at the age of 6 or 7.
This year we're going simple, and just doing St. George or some other knight, as we had a knights party for a September birthday. 
The old CCM list had some fabulous ideas (maybe Stef incorporated them in her list?) in the archives.
My mother sewed, and I still can sew a few straight stitches and cut a rough pattern out. But I need visual and text inspiration. In other words, like with any other project I do, I need books.
The first two are ones we used extensively for our Halloween costumes. The first is so tattered and torn, but my mother will not part with it. Patterns for Theatrical Costumes: Garments, Trims, and Accessories from Ancient Egypt to 1915 by Katherine Strand Holkeboer
The ideas in this book are based on historical era, but really easy to lay out on newspaper for patterns. Some basic themes (like the tunic, long dress, cape) can be carried from one theme to another.
Another one we used was The Costumer's Handbook, How to make all kinds of costumes, by Rosemary Ingham & Elizabeth Covey.
I found a few other titles that looked promising, but I don't have experience with them like I do the above books. Check out the library for additional inspiration.
Elegantly Frugal Costumes: The Poor Man's Do-It-Yourself Costume Maker's Guide by Shirley Dearing
The two books by this author Barb Rogers might be even better:
Costuming Made Easy: How to Make Theatrical Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing
Instant Period Costume: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing Barb Rogers
We also used for our illustration inspiration Lives ...of the Saints for Every Day of the Year by Rev. Hugo Hoever, 1955-1961 version.
And lots of symbols books to pull out ideas for the saints.
Some links (excuse me if posted before):
Alternative Halloween Costumes
Domestic Church Costumes
Holy Garments
Knowledge Hound Costumes
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Mackfam
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That is an awesome spreadsheet, Stef! My dh will be impressed as he considers himself the spreadsheet king! 
I'm printing that off to add to my November/All Saints planning file! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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~Jessica~
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I've so enjoyed reading all the ideas!!! And the spreadsheet is WONDERFUL!!!
I posted a list over at my blog that I had updated with additions and pictures from an email I received from a friend of mine. I had been searching for the original source and finally found it... It is a pdf put together by a women named Diane Bokulich. It is awesome, and I just printed it out myself!
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Jessica
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Catholic Cuisine
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JennGM
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I love having costumes that do double duty (play or other events of the same year), besides the obvious hand-me-down possibility. My nephew did this recently, and he really enjoyed it.
One example is dressing for St. Nicholas for Halloween and use it around Christmas, too. Don't miss the costume pattern at St. Nicholas Center which is fabulous and detailed if you can sew. This can also be adapted for a priest, bishop, cardinal, or abbot saint.
And here are more costume suggestions.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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I have Advent on my brain, but another double duty or inspiration can be St. Lucia, especially if you have girls and do Lucia Morning. St. Lucy can show up for All Saints holding a plate with her eyeballs and a sword, and then wear the wreath of lighted candles on December 13.
The book Lucia Morning in Sweden has patterns to make the Lucia and Star Boy Gowns and hats. There is an easy version and then a traditional Lucia gown pattern.
I remember when my mother used to buy pretty sheets and make nightgowns for us. This idea is easy and pretty. You don't need to go so fancy.
You can do the opposite and use nightgowns as the base of some costumes, including Lucia.
Keep on the lookout for sheets from yard sales and tag sales, nice soft cotton for cheap.
star boy wands
lucia crowns
St. Lucia Dress Pattern $10.95
I looked online for free nightgown patterns, but no luck today.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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donnalynn
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I've been trying to pair up my children - the only success I've had so far in the past is a St. George for one and then another dressed up as a dragon.
But I'd love to see a St. Francis and a wolf, or St. Germaine and her sheep, St. Jerome and his lion - you get the idea. I think this would so cute for an older and younger sibling...
I've made some cute animal costumes for littles by taking a one piece hooded sweat suit or even a set of matching sweat pants and a hooded sweat shirt - and then adding the appropriate looking tail and ears and maybe a large round piece for the belly.
Sometimes I've made the ears and tails so that I could just safety pin them on - that way the sweats are usable after Halloween and All Saints' day. Use eyeliner to add some whiskers....too cute!
I do have a Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf this year. Another was going to be the hunter but then the wolf child was insulted when the possible hunter child said "Yeah...I shoot you dead." 
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Matilda
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I posted a "tutorial" on our St. Thomas More costume for this year over at my blog. I didn't sew anything for this costume. The most challenging thing was figuring it out.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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JennGM
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Seeing as I bought our costumes this year, I did want to mention Our Coat of Many Colors for future reference.
There was a nice write-up from Catholic News Service in our diocesan paper, but I could only find it online
here
and a brief summary from the CNS site. See below:
Kansas seamstress's costumes of saints go marching out to customers
CUMMINGS, Kan. (CNS) -- Debra Fuhrman is under the gun. Barraged by orders arriving from Kansas, around the United States and even overseas, Fuhrman has been shipping out product as fast as she can. With All Saints Day just around the corner, you see, it's high time for the saints -- or rather, their costumes -- to go marching out. Fuhrman runs a business called Our Coats of Many Colors in Cummings, population 580 or so, and as best as she can tell, it is the Catholic children's costume capital of the world. That's quite an accomplishment for Fuhrman, a member of the First Christian Church of Atchison. Until just a few years ago, she didn't know the difference between St. Tarcisius and tartar sauce. Fuhrman gives a lot of the credit for her success to her Catholic neighbor and friend, Maria Rioux, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Nortonville.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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ALmom
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I can see the spreadsheet. Is there a special way to print it out? I'm filing it for next year, if it is possible to print it.
The first rule in keeping the costume cheap is to think about the stuff you already have cluttering your home - from ballet, collections of ethnic clothing, out of date hand me downs, fabric scraps and old sheets. Often these very things can be turned into a dozen or more saints costumes with little or no expense. You also save from year to year. So for instance, St. John (my youngest) is using a robe from his last years Saint Jude costume, a picture of an Eagle printed off the internet (laminated), an old chalice like thing that was a bridesmaids gift to me eons ago that the kids just pulled out to polish, and an old birds feather in someone's collection that looks like a pen. I found some red fabric to use as a cloakish type thing. Oh, and if we could find what the symbolism is all about, we could stick the plastic snake we have in the animal bin into the chalice. Every little boy probably has some sort of shield and sword. Combined with a robe and cardboard wings, you have St. Michael. You could even make a sash with the words in either English or Latin - Who is Like God.
We have done things much as Jenn described and depending on the year, we have been quite creative or very simple. We save our robes from year to year. For a while I let my children use them as dress up but then I started putting them up high for keeping them in good shape. Black, Brown and Blue robes cover most. When you sew - use huge hems that are put in loosely , then they can be used for older and younger children over the years. They are easily altered with appropriate props or drapes. We tend to share with our group, too. So someone is now the recepient of our ST. Catherine Laboure and our Blessed ? (founder of the pink sisters) since I only have boys small enough now. A black cape works for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton but then can be added in for a smaller child's Dominican male Saint a different year. Some years I'll call someone and ask if they have x color robe. I have x colors in whatever sizes.
I am not a craft person but the best thing about costumes is that they are forgiving. It doesn't matter that seams aren't straight or things are bunched. My sister showed me how to lay the child on a folded cloth and trace the body and arms allowing room. It just takes two straight (relatively so) seams and it is done.
One year, when we couldn't get the sewing machine to work, dd glue gunned the last few seams together. Oh and there are patterns for vestments to go on top of robes for the later Saints who need a little more than the robe. Mitres are made out of cardboard and decorated with glitter pens or glued on fabric.
Oh, if children are small enough, you can usually find enough fabric in the seconds section or use scraps. Old sheets work as well. You can usually find some black robes in any size (after Halloween these will be on sale for the following year)- and they come with a hood. These work really well.
This year we had some going as Blesseds from the Nazi occupation of Poland (all lay folks so their regular church suits will do).
Oh, another easy one for us was to go as a Japanese martyr - white pants, and a red Chinese shirt with white a white tie to keep it on. (I suspect the shirt may have been some sort of martial arts thing or something from Chinese New Year in a box of junk to get rid of from his mom). Oh one year someone came to our All Saints Party as Margaret of Clithrow. Full, antebellum skirts (on hand from other costumes from plays or civil war re-enactments) and two pieces of cardboard for the door. I think they used some of the ballerina stuff underneath to make the skirt full at the bottom. Honestly the costume was awesome and depending on what you have on hand, it wouldn't be expensive at all. Stuffed animals work well for the lions, etc.
We always use pictures from various saints books or on-line to help.
Our children's goal is to find obscure saints to keep everyone else guessing. We have the distinct advantage here in having numerous collections of out of print books - and these often give details about martyrdoms that help.
It is fun.
Janet
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: All Saints Costumes- Brainstorming
