Dia de los Muertos Halloween Costumes

Halloween is not a traditional holiday in my country, however, I love it for various reasons. The roots are Celtic, and the Celts lived in my native country before the Romans came. Also, I am fascinated how a pagan holiday blended in Christian religion, resulting in folkloristic traditions that probably most people around the world don't know anymore, because today's Halloween has become quite a commercialized event with not much left in common with the ancient believes. Plus, my kids love to dress up, and I love to make costumes, and it's a good opportunity for all of us to shorten the time until Christmas and put some colour and excitement in the dark evenings of autumn.

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 When my husband came up with the idea for new costumes I was hooked. He knows my love for Mexican culture, and the Day of the Dead is certainly something that fascinates people all over the world. This holiday developed from the catholic holiday that is celebrated on the day after All Saints' Day (or Allhallows in older English, therefore Halloween, for Allhallows' evening), on November 2nd. Because of the beautifully spooky costumes and the painted skull decorations that are distinctive for those celebrations and because of the proximity of this holiday to Halloween, the Mexican costumes and specific facial paintings have become popular even in Europe. No wonder I was excited to make some costumes for my kids inspired by the Dia de los Muertos.

As a sewer and a huge admirer of authentic folkloristic crafts, one of the most beautiful things I have ever come across are the various and extraordinarily beautiful traditional costumes of the regions of Mexico. The rich and colourful embroidery is thrilling, and I could spend hours rolling over pictures of those garments that have their origins in Azetc traditions that were mixed with Spanish motives. Of course it would be convenient to have an embroidery machine, but still, trying to produce garments that would look authentic would still be a huge challenge and very time-consuming.

To keep it simple, I made a Charro style jacket for my son from a pattern for a short collarless jacket I found in my 1950s Lutterloh book. It was by the way the first time I made a two-piece sleeve. It didn't turn out too well because the fabric was a rather cheap synthetic material, but it was certainly a good experience. I also made a red scarf and sash. Luckily I found a cheap felt sombrero from an online shop, and some black trousers completed the outfit. (He first refused to wear it as he wanted to be a ghost or a spider or a transformer. I insisted, as he should match his big sister and it's probably the last time mommy can put him into a costume like that...)

My daughter's costume was far more time-consuming. The skirt should recreate the look of embroideries on a bottom ruffle. I spent much time studying pictures of amazing traditional Mexican garments. I sketched some flowers and leaves and made my own stencils, and in some of my many sleepless nights I printed them on the fabric. The material is a rather slinky viscose (rayon) javanaise, similar to a challis, but with a hint of a shine. Maybe not the best choice, but I had it in my stash, and plenty of it, and the skirt would certainly be very flowing a good for twirling. Hand printing viscose was a new experience for me, and I was happy I made some tests before starting with the pieces I planned to use for the ruffle. It's quite different from cotton! There are various flowers, and I used as many colours as possible.

I certainly don't claim this IS a Mexican skirt, but I tried to be as close to the embroidered costumes as possible. And even though my printed version doesn't justice to the beauty of the originals, it's certainly a garment that shows my deep admiration for the traditional outfits.

When it came to making the floral crown, I took to it like a duck to water. I love Frida Kahlo's look and especially her hairstyles, and my daughter does too. There was no doubt it would be the template to follow by for the updo. Felt is a wonderful material for making flowers.

As an avid gardener I absolutely wanted to make flowers that had something to do with Mexico, so I made some researches. To my utter surprise, many of our annual garden flowers originally are native to Mexico, as marigold, cosmea, zinnia and dahlia. I added lilies, calla lilies and some roses, as these are popular in Mexican culture like Mexican folk songs, embroideries etc. Finding a way how to fix and arrange all the flowers on a headband was rather tricky. I couldn't find a tutorial that would meet my needs, as my flowers are a bit heavier than ready-made synthetic faux ones. So I had to find my own solution. But I think it was totally worth all the hours I spent on it, and also stitching almost all the flowers to the headband by hand instead of using the glue gun.

My daughter's costume is completed by a true Mexcian embroidered blouse I found incredibly cheap for a couple of bucks on Ebay, plus a pashmina shawl from my wardrobe. I must admit I am no very skilled at painting my kids' faces on such occasions, but I was quite pleased with the result, keeping it rather simple.

Even if I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, and despite working mainly in the night (oh black fabric really IS a pain in the back in poor light!), everything looked much better than I had hoped. I am well aware that most people are happy with off-the-rack costumes that are available for little money and that can be thrown away after some wear. Yes, I am a bit crazy for all the effort I put in the kids' costumes.

At least a carved ghost for my son's pumpkin...

...and a Mexican skull on my daughter's. I might need some practice.

This gap-toothed little señor completely stole my heart...

Charro costume:
Jacket: self-made after Lutterloh "Der Goldene Schnitt" (The Golden Rule), book edition 6-1949, mod. 139, p. 80
Felt Sombrero: costume online shop on Ebay
Sash: handwoven from Mexico

Frida costume:
Skirt: hand-printed and self-made dirndl skirt with hand-printed ruffle (no pattern required)
Blouse: true Mexican embroidered blouse, Ebay
Flower crown: self-made felt flowers on head band

Share In Style "Summer" - 1940's Summer Dress

A summer dress - but no summer in sight!

Although summer is almost over here in Switzerland - in fact, after a very promising spring it never really WAS a summer - I wanted to make one last summer dress this year, especially as Rosy asked me to be her partner again for the "Share In Style".

Obwohl der Sommer hier bei uns schon fast vorbei ist – irgendwie scheint er auch gar nicht richtig stattgefunden zu haben, trotz des vielversprechenden Frühlings -, wollte ich dieses Jahr noch ein letztes Sommerkleid nähen. Insbesondere deshalb, weil Rosy mich einmal mehr gefragt hat, ob ich ihre Partnerin sein möchte beim SIS.

As you could read in my previous post, I made a little bit research in advance to find some inspiration, and I spent one or two hours browsing my patterns to find the right dress for my wonderful vintage fabric from the 1940s. Funny thing, that apparently the color way of my fabric was quite typical for the 1940s summer dresses. Lots of red, blue and white patterned materials.

Wie in meinem letzten Post berichtet habe ich mich ein bisschen schlau gemacht dazu, und nach Inspirationen gesucht, weil ich für mein Stoffschätzchen aus den 1940ern wirklich das richtige Schnittmuster finden wollte.

To be honest, I knew the fabric would not be easy to work with, as the print was not on the grain. I realized that when I press the fabric after washing it, and when I layer out my pattern pieces, it came to my mind that probably due to this fact the original owner never used the fabric for project she had in mind. But I never imagined it your be THAT difficult. The checks sometimes were on the grain, sometimes not, which made it extremely difficult to cut the pieces on the grain and make them look good. I lost more time than expected to solve this problem. Even though this was only the second time ever I used a Lutterloh pattern, I felt more comfortable with this design, as I made also a muslin that revealed some parts thad needed more adjustments. There was even a mistake in one of the pattern pieces, but it was an easy fix.

Zugegeben, es war mühsam mit diesem Stoff zu arbeiten. Weniger wegen der Qualität, sondern wegen des Druckes, der nicht immer dem Fadenlauf entsprach. Bei Karos verheerend! Vermutlich ist das der Grund, weshalb die ursprüngliche Besitzerin diesen tollen Stoff nie verarbeitet hat, weil sie das zum Verzweifeln brachte.

Ich habe deshalb auch sehr viel mehr Zeit mit dem Zuschnitt verbracht als üblich. Obwohl ich aber erst das zweite Mal mit einem Schnitt von Lutterloh arbeitete, ging es schon viel besser als beim ersten, da ich vom Oberteil ein Testexemplar gemacht hatte und die „Schwachstellen“ kannte.

The major (and most challenging) change I made was the front button closure. The original dress had a side closure, probably a zipper, but I wanted buttons. Buttoned dresses are so adorable, and buttons can add so much to the entire look of a dress. And, especially when it is hot (which seldom occurs in my country), it's easier to put on.

Die grösste Herausforderung war nebst der Passform die Knopfleiste, die ich vorne anbringen wollte. Aber das war für mich ein Muss für dieses Sommerkleid, denn ich finde Knöpfe etwas Tolles, sie können einem Kleid ein vollkommen anderes Aussehen verleihen. Zudem ist ein geknöpftes Kleid bei heissem Wetter (sofern es das je gibt bei uns) einfacher anzuziehen.

I found these dark red plastic buttons in my stash. They are vintage too, and the have a lovely flower or pinwheel design. A perfect match!

Die Knöpfe sind ebenfalls Vintage, mit einem süssen Blumen- oder Windrad-Motiv.

The fabric was a dream to work with, despite the print being off-grain. It's a slightly thinner and finer woven cotton, maybe a poplin? And most wonderful to wear!

I made some more changes to the pattern, but then, Lutterloh patterns don't come along with instructions, there's always a lot of guessing, and so I just thought it's also an opportunity to make it my own way. Maybe I will change the sleeves again, I feel they are not set in as perfectly as I wished, but it was so late when I finished my dress I had no time to redo it yet. For the time being I can wear the dress like that.
I was quite happy how it turned out. Of course, the pattern drawings often lye, and dresses very often do not look exactly the same once they're finished, but I think the drawing in this case looks pretty much the same as my dress. Beside the sleeve, that looks slimmer, more fitting.

Ich bin ganz zufrieden mit dem Resultat, werde aber die Ärmel vermutlich nochmals auftrennen und ändern. Irgendwie überzeugen sie mich nicht wirklich, aber für’s Erste sind sie OK und tragbar.
Meist entsprechen die Modellzeichnungen nicht ganz dem Resultat Aber in diesem Fall ist das fertige Kleid ziemlich genau das, was die Zeichnung verspricht. Die obere geraffte Partie vielleicht nicht so, was mir aber letztlich lieber war (so viel Spielraum für die Oberweite brauche ich aus anatomischen Gründen nicht…). Und natürlich die Ärmel, die weitaus schmaler wirken.

I finished the dress very late and had time to take the pics only this morning. I was so nervous anyway. It's my daughter's first day at the kindergarten, and I felt so sentimental. And weather was so bad. Look at those dreadful pictures…

Ich bin sehr spät (sehr früh?) mit meinem Kleid fertig geworden und konnte die Bilder erst heute Morgen machen. Meine Tochter hatte ihren ersten Kindergarten-Tag heute, und ich war sehr nervös und etwas sentimental. Und das Wetter war nicht sommerlich...

I will make a matching belt to wear with this dress, as my red belt is too bright and didn't match. I'm also wearing for the first time a pair of vintage ear clips. They are from the 1940s or 1950s and made of shell. They look like tiny rosebuds or flowers. Usually, I don't wear yellow, it's definitely not my favorite colour, but the look nice with this dress, as there are some tiny yellow flowers too.

Ich werde aber unbedingt noch einen passenden Gurt machen, denn mein roter ist zu grell zu dem gedeckten Dunkelrot des Kleides. Die Ohrclips trug ich für die Bilder auch zum ersten Mal. Sie stammen aus der gleichen Ära wie der Stoff und bestehen aus winzigen Müschelchen, die kleine Blütenknospen bilden. Gelb ist sonst so gar nicht meine Farbe, aber es wirkt mit dem Kleid sehr sommerlich.

We had a rather cool and rainy summer, as it happens in my country, so this dress is a typical summer dress. The fabric is summery, but the dress is also perfect for less good weather. Combined with a lovely cardigan, it can also be worn in September, when we hopefully will have the last warm days of the season.

Der Sommer im Juli und August war wirklich sehr verregnet und kühl, deshalb ist das Kleid ja doch auch typisch für mein Land, deshalb bin ich froh um die halben Ärmel. Für noch kühlere Tage und den hoffentlich noch ein wenig schönen September braucht es dann aber doch eine Strickjacke.

I'm sure Rosy has definitely warmer weather and sun than me! And so her dress is not only totally summery, but reminds me also a lot of my holidays in Italy in previous years. She made this adorable two-piece dress, and the colors offer her a wide range of combinations. Just look how great these outfits are! Please visit her blog, she's such a great seamstress, and not only her dress, but also the wonderful scenery of her pics make me swoon… She knows how to dress!

Rosy hatte definitiv tolleres Wetter als ich! Und so ist nicht nur ihr ganzes Outfit wunderbar sommerlich, sondern ihre Bilder erinnern mich an vergangene Urlaube und entschädigen mich für das schlechte Wetter. Sie hat ein hinreissendes und ansteckend fröhliches zweiteiliges Kleid genäht, das sie auf ganz viele schöne Weise mit andern Sachen kombinieren kann. Wirklich, sie ist eine Meisterin ihres Fachs.

Thank you Rosy for being my partner again. Your amazing pictures make me feel like having a holiday on the beach!

And for all those who are confused as Rosy posted some different pictures on the blog this morning - don't panic. I was not sure if I could finish my dress in time, as there was too much going on at home, so I took some pictures of me wearing a summer skirt I made for a playsuit set (it was a sew along project). It was the first time I took that skirt out (did I mention we had a bad summer this year?), and even though the weather on the picture looks fine, it was quite cool. So here are some pictures of that skirt, they were taken at my parent's home. And yes, they have a garden too. It's a family thing.

The skirt is nothing special, it's made after a ver simple pattern from an early 1950s sewing magazine, but it's very nice to combine with different colours, and the button from closure is great. Wearing this skirt made me feel like being on a holiday.

And here's me with my little big girl. She had her first day today at the kindergarten, and I was so sentimental and nervous.

Outfit 1
Dress: me-made
Fabric: true vintage cotton fabric from the 1940s
Pattern: Lutterloh Quarterly Supplement, Spring 1940
Buttons: Vintage
Earclips: Vinatge shell jewelry from the 1940s or 50s
Shoes: sorry, some very old reddish Clark's ballerinas, I hurt my broken toe 2 days ago I can't wear any different shoes currently…

Outfit 2
Skirt: me-made
Fabric: Michael Miller "Belize Bloom" cotton fabric (out of print)
Buttons: hand-carved rectangular horn buttons, bought at a flea market some 10 years ago, maybe vintage
Top: off the rack
Earrings: true vintage NOS fruit sale screw-backs, eBay
Shoes: brown Clark's ballerinas (again, sorry…)
Purse: raffia flower purse with bamboo handles, bought about 10 years ago very cheap somewhere in Zurich

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