Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it’s the one day during which it’s perfectly acceptable for adults to dress-up alongside their kiddos and join the fun of playing pretend. (Have I ever mentioned I’m a kid at heart?)

My favorite Halloween memories are times that I spent coming up with a group theme and creating homemade costumes with my family. We’ve gone as the Scooby-Doo gang, characters from Harry Potter, zoo animals, period characters from the old west, the Justice League, and basketball players.

Some years, we all have different ideas on what we want to be, so we don’t stick to a theme; but, even then, we enjoy chatting about our favorite interests at the moment and trying to make our costumes look cool. Sometimes, my kids just want something store-bought; I allow that, too.

This year, we’re all doing our own thing. My oldest is 18 and will likely opt-out of dressing up. My 13-year-old still hasn’t decided if this is the year it becomes uncool to wear a costume. My 5-year-old has flip-flopped so much, I decided to stick with our original Trunk-or-Treat theme of Pokemon while he’s now settled on being Darth Vader; we might have to do a crossover Darth Vader/Pikachu, but that will depend on time constraints.

For now, I’m attempting two firsts – making my own costume from scratch; and sewing my first complete outfit. I’ve already made several pattern adjustments and massacred three yards of muslin, creating two mock-ups of my dress bodice. But, I’m feeling pretty confident with all of my alterations and it’s time to start cutting my material for the project. This is where the excitement really begins!

Stay tuned for future posts about the alterations process, finished project, and our Trunk-or-Treat theme… In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your current/past/favorite Halloween costumes/projects!

Below are some of our favorites. (Please excuse the not-so-great photography).