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.

Source

 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

Mexican Feedsack Blouse

To be honest, this fabric was NOT a feedsack. It was a really large piece of true vintage fabric I discovered when I was browsing the internet some months ago. In fact, it was a 10 yard piece I shared among some fellow sewing ladies.
The most amazing quality, kind of cotton percale, clean, no stains, no damages. Like new. But around 70 years old.
As I said, it's not a feedsack. But the print is totally feedsack-esque, and many mid-century sacks actually had very similar patterns.

Um ehrlich zu sein war dieser Stoff nie ein Futtersack. Es war ein sehr grosses Stück Stoff das ich mal beim Stöbern im Netz entdeckte. Ein 10 Yard Stück, das ich mit einigen gleichgesinnten Näherinnen teilte.
Eine wunderbare Qualität, eine Art Baumwolle-Percale, sauber, keine Altersflecken, keine Schäden. Wie neu. Nur eben schon um die 70 Jahre alt.

I bought some ready-to-use bias binding, the blue was not super-super matching with the blue of the print, but then, it's just a bluse and nobody would probably look THAT close. But, at least, I made the piping myself.

Ich kaufte fertiges Schrägband, das vielleicht einen Hauch zu wenig perfekt zum Blau der Motive passt, aber bitte, es ist eine Bluse und nach ein paar Wäschen sieht man das vermutlich nicht mehr. Wenn überhaupt. Immerhin machte ich die Paspeln selbst.

As to the pattern... (Big sigh.) I used the Wearing History "Smooth Sailing" pattern, and I made some alterations to the front and back yoke to give my blouse a more Western style look. Besides that, the original front yoke almost vanishes underneath the collar, and I wanted to add some piping there. But to be honest, I'm not sure if I will use this pattern again. I have sewn it once before, and besides the usual adjustments for my slightly wider hips I didn't think it was a badly fitted for a retro pattern. But this time, something was different. The neckline was too tight, and the finished collar kept looking badly done (after all, I'm not a beginner!) and I ended up with a bit too much width for the bust. Of course I knew I had to make the sleeves and the cuffs a bit wider than the pattern (I knew it from the beginning as I had learnt about that from other comments), but ending up with a blouse that had to get altered on almost every seam doesn't pay off. I had to pin, baste (even that I DID baste the seams shows how desperate I was) sew and re-do almost all the seams. I felt like a complete idiot. I was annoyed, as my first "Smooth Sailing" blouse didn't cause any problems. I still try to figure out what went wrong. When I bought it I thought it was a good pattern. It's nice, and I certainly don't wan't to  talk it down, but I think for my shape there are more suitable patterns. Maybe it's just that true vintage patterns work better for my body...

Zum Schnitt. (Grosser Seufzer an dieser Stelle.) Ich benutzte die "Smooth Sailing" von Wearing History. Die vordere und hintere Passe änderte ich leicht, damit die Bluse mehr nach Western-Hemd aussehen würde. Zudem verschwindet die originale vordere Passe fast unter dem Kragen, dabei wollte ich dort doch Paspeln anbringen.
Was aber den Schnitt als Ganzes betrifft, so bin nicht sicher, ob ich den Schnitt je wieder verwenden werde. Ich hatte bereits eine Bluse danach genäht, und bis auf die üblichen Anpassungen für meine etwas breitere Sitzfläche Hüfte hatte ich nicht den Eindruck, der Schnitt sitze schlecht. Aber diesmal war irgendwie etwas anders. Der Halsausschnitt war zu eng und der fertige Kragen sah dilettantisch genäht aus, obwohl ich ja nun alles andere als eine Nähanfängerin bin und gewiss schon mehrere Dutzend Krägen genäht habe. Und über die Brust war die Bluse plötzlich sehr weit. Natürlich wusste ich schon seit Beginn dass die Ärmel und die Umschläge knapp bemessen sind, und ich hatte sie bereits beim ersten Mal weiter gemacht. Aber wenn ich praktisch jede Naht mehrmals stecken bzw.  heften und nähen und erneut ändern muss, ist das mir zu mühselig. (Dass ich sogar Heftfaden einsetzte, mag den Grad meiner Verzweiflung widerspiegeln.) Zwischendurch kam ich mir wie ein Idiot vor. Ich war verärgert, weil ich bei der ersten Version kaum Passformprobleme hatte. Es ist mir noch immer schleierhaft, ob und was da schief ging. Ich möchte die "Smooth Sailing" nicht schlecht machen, aber ich denke für meine Figur gibt es sicher geeignetere Schnitte. Vielleicht passen ja originale Schnitte einfach besser auf meinen Körper...

Each time I see my back, I feel the urge to make some sports...

Before my blouse was  even finished, I had a look around internet to find a matching Mexican brooch. Vintage silver brooches are unaffordable for me, and the few plastic brooches from those decades were rather expensive as well. Then I found a lovely Melbourne-based shop on Etsy that had a reproduction of a lovely mid-century brooch. I contacted the seller if she could also make them in other colours. Amy from "The Moby Duck"  was amazingly kind and helpful, and she could make the brooches in any color I liked. I almost couldn't make up my mind between the red and the navy one, having in mind some of my favorite Mexican prints. So I ended up with - both. I think the anticipation to wear the brooch was helpful to keep me sewing inspiration up throughout the entire back and forth of the sewing. And when my daughter took the pictures, I totally forgot to put it on...

Noch bevor ich die Bluse fertig hatte, suchte ich mir bereits eine passende Brosche im Internet. Eigentlich hätte ich gerne etwas aus mexikanischem Silber gehabt, aber das ist derzeit jenseits meiner Möglichkeiten, und die wenigen Plastik-Broschen aus der Zeit waren auch nicht besonders erschwinglich. Dann fand ich einen Shop in Melbourne auf Etsy, der Reproduktionen einer meiner liebsten original Vintage Broschen anbot. Ich erkundigte mich bei Amy, der Inhaberin von "The Moby Duck" nach den möglichen Farbvarianten. Sie war ausserordentlich nett und hilfsbereit und zeigte mir eine solche Farbpalette, dass ich mich kaum entscheiden konnte und zu guter letzt eine rote und eine blaue nahm, so dass ich zu allen meinen mexikanischen Stoffen etwas Passendes haben würde. Die Vorfreude auf diese tollen Stücke hat meine Motivation beim ganzen Hin und Her des nicht so reibungslosen Nähens halbwegs gerettet. Und als dann meine Tochter die Bilder machte, vergass ich, die Brosche anzustecken....

Still, despite the name of the pattern not being accurate in this case (no smooth sewing this time), I like my blouse and I will wear it often, despite the average fit, but mainly because of the amazing print. The colour range is fantastic, and so typical for the 40s.

I finished the blouse some weeks ago but didn't have time to make some pictures, and today was such a splendid and mild autumn day I really had to go out. But I was in a hurry, so sorry for the lack of accessories (ah, that gorgeous Mexican tooled leather purse!) and make-up.

Auch wenn der Name des Schnittes ("smooth sailing" heisst etwa so viel wie "ruhiges Segeln"...) in diesem Fall etwas unzutreffend war, mag ich die Bluse dennoch, trotz allem. Das liegt an dem schlicht und ergreifend sagenhaften Print, der mit seiner typischen 40s Farbpalette viele Kombinationsmöglichkeiten bietet.

Die Bluse habe ich schon seit Wochen fertig, fand aber nie Zeit für Fotos, und weil heute so ein toller Tag ist wollte ich das unbedingt noch erledigen - und vergass in der Eile jegliche Accessoires (z.B. meine tolle mexikanische Lederhandtasche!) und ein besseres Styling. 

This project counts as 5th contribution to my Vintage Pattern Pledge, using a pattern and a fabric from my stash. Yay, I made it!

Blouse pattern: Smooth Sailing by Wearing History
Fabric: vintage 1940s cotton Mexican print (Etsy)
Buttons: mid-century dead-stock plastic buttons (Etsy)
Brooch: The Moby Duck, Melbourne, on Etsy and FB
Trousers: Freddies of Pinewood

Harwood Steiger "Desert Race" Skirt

Some of you may know I have a soft spot not only for Mexican circle skirts, but generally for many things from the Southwest. I had the incredible chance to travel there many years ago, and I was deeply impressed by the landscape and the rich culture. I always, since I was a little girl, had a deep interest for Native American culture, and there was a time I spent what little money I had on silver and turquoise jewellery.

Einige Leserinnen unter Euch wissen bestimmt, dass ich nicht nur eine Schwäche für mexikanische Tellerröcke habe, sondern generell für Sachen aus dem Südwesten der USA. In jungen Jahren hatte ich das unglaubliche Glück, diese gegen bereisen zu können, und ich bin noch heute tief beeindruckt von den verschiedenen Landschaften und der kulturellen Vielfalt. Und seit ich ein kleines Mädchen war, habe ich mich für die Ureinwohner Nordamerikas interessiert, und so habe ich mein spärliches Geld oft für den traditionellen Silber-Türkis-Schmuck der Navajos ausgegeben.

When I became a vintage sewer I was looking for Southwestern themed vintage fabrics some time ago, I came across the name and work of Harwood Steiger. However, I mostly found table cloths and runners. Or rather 60s and 70s skirts. I was sure there had to be material in dress making quality out there.

Als ich begann, Vintage für mich zu nähen,suchte ich nach einem mexikanisch oder vom Südwesten inspirierten Stoff. Schon bald stiess ich auf den Namen Harwood Steiger, über den ich in meinem vorigen Post berichtet habe. Doch meist fand ich nur Tischtücher, Läufer und Röcke aus den späten 60ern aus seinen Stoffen. Es müsste doch auch Stoff für ein Kleid geben!

                                     

Then I found by chance a wonderful dark red /maroon fabric printed with cacti and roadrunners - just what I was looking for! It was slightly over 3 yards, the colour would look great with my Southwestern jewelry, and it was - surprisingly affordable. I couldn't believe my luck! I was a bit disappointed as the print is dark blue, not back as I had hoped for (and as it was described in the listing). Still, it's a piece of art and I am very proud to own it.

Durch Zufall fand ich dann auf Etsy einen fantastischne dunkelroten Print mit Kakteen und Roadrunnern (das sind diese Vögel, die man oft auf Strassen rennen sieht). Genau nach meinem Geschmack! Das Stück war etwa 3 Yards lang. Die Farbe würde mit traditionellem Schmuck wunderschön aussehen. Und der Stoff war - erstaunlich erschwinglich. Ich konnte mein Glück zum fassen. Leider stellte sich der Druck als dunkelblau heraus, nicht schwarz wie erhofft (und wie vom Verkäufer beschrieben). Trotzdem, es ist ein kleines Kunstwerk und ich bin ganz stolz, dass ich das Material gefunden habe.

I first played around with several types of pleats. None seem to suit the rather wide border print. I didn't want the gorgeous design to disappear to much in the pleats. In the end I decided to make rather deep pleats, leaving the front part unpleated.

Einige Zeit spielte ich mit verschiedenen Arten von Falten herum. Keine Variante schien dem sehr grossen Motiv Rechnung zu tragen, und ich wollte nicht dass der fantastische Druck in den Falten zu sehr verschwindet. Zuletzt legte ich mutig eher tiefe, dafür wenige Falten und liess die vordere Partie glatt.

Roadrunner race!

It was our anniversary yesterday, and my husband had planned to go to a nice place for dinner. We know each other since 15 years and are married now 7 years, so he knows exactly that I love to wear something new and special for a special occasion. He had seen me fiddling around with the fabric and some pins shortly before midday, and he asked if I wanted to wear this skirt for dinner. I said, well, I thought I could finish it, but actually I was unsure. He encouraged me to go ahead (yes, sure, go and sew up this skirt quickly), and I actually was surprised I succeeded. Pinning all the pleats all over again, inserting the zipper, adding the waistband... Including preparing the kids and myself. In time.

Gestern war unser Hochzeitstag, und mein Mann hatte ein Abendessen an einem schönen Ort geplant. Wir kennen uns schon seit bald 15 Jahren und sind seit 7 verheiratet, deshalb weiss er sehr wohl dass es ein Tick von mir ist, dass ich für eine besondere Gelegenheit gerne etwas Neues, Spezielles trage. Kurz vor dem Mittag hatte er mich mit dem Stoff und Stecknadeln hantieren sehen, und er fragte mich, ob ich diesen Rock am Abend zu tragen gedenke. Naja, eigentlich schon, aber ich fand es würde sicher nicht mehr reichen. Er meinte, ich solle mich beeilen. Als ob sich auch ein simpler Rock eben so mal aus dem Ärmel schütteln lässt... Überraschenderweise schaffte ich es. Alle Falten nochmals berechnen und stecken, absteppen, Reissverschluss rein, Bund ran... Daneben noch Mittagessen kochen, die Kinder und mich vorbereiten. Rechtzeitig.

The food and the evening was wonderful, we had a beautiful flower wrath on the table my husband had organized (oh well, he's a romantic Italian...), we could sit outside and enjoy one of those mild late summer evenings. We forgot to take proper pictures, so we had to do so today.
I love to wear some of my turquoise and coral jewellery with this skirt. It suits the beautiful Southwestern theme of print. I even have a vintage and slightly broken roadrunner brooch.

Das Essen und der ganze Abend waren wunderbar, mein Mann hatte einen schönen Blumenkranz für den Tisch organisiert (ja, er ist ein romantischer Italiener...), wir konnten draussen sitzen und einen dieser milden spätsommerlichen Abende geniessen. Leider haben wir dann vergessen, richtige Bilder zu machen und mussten das heute nachholen.
Ich liebe es, einige Stücke meines Türkis-Schmuckes zu tragen. Diese passen hervorragend zur Thematik des Druckes. Ich habe sogar eine vintage Brosche mit einem Roadrunner, die zwar etwas defekt ist, aber immer noch tragbar.

You can see some of Harwood Steiger's amazing works here and here. Ot just look it up on Google.

Mehr Werke von Harwood Steiger kann man hier und hier sehen. Oder schaut auf Google.

Pattern: no pattern, simple pleated skirt
Fabric: mid-century printed cotton-blend fabric, artist print "Desert Race" by Harwood Steiger
Blouse: cheap off-the-rack cotton voile
Shoes: Remix, bought 2nd hand
Vintage Roadrunner Brooch: Ebay
Turquoise watch, rings, earrings: Native American sterling jewellery from my collection, various sellers
Turquoise & coral bracelets and necklaces: selfmade