Pirate Costumes

Pattern: McCalls 4952 Kids 3-8
Sizes: Pants 3 and 4; Boy shirt  4; Vest; 5 (was too long); Skirt 8
Total fabric cost: ~ $75.00 (all from JoAnn on sale, except for bandannas)
Shoes: Walmart mud boots $15.00
[Pattern includes girl's and boy's costumes. Striped shirt was not made. Girl's shirt made from Ottobre pattern.]

Pattern: Ottobre 6/2012 Top #31 modified
Size: 122cm (even though it states the smallest size is 128cm; the pattern has a 122cm size)
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So here are the pirate costumes the kids got in the treasure chest for Christmas.  I'm not a fan of plastic, store bought toys, not for any real important reasons other than I can't stand kicking them around the floor, collecting them from under the furniture, trying to find all their like-parts and returning them to their home, they drive me crazy.  And, I feel the kids don't get that much play out of them for the price.  One thing they never seem to tire of playing is make-believe.  They love costumes.  Naturally, they'd want to play pirates with the chest so the costumes had to come along with it.

I have long sequence of photos of them opening up the chest and discovering all the goods inside, but I'll spare you to just a couple.

"What else is in there?"
It was funny how they very quickly appropriated the money bags.

So there you have it.  Other presents, nowhere to be seen.  At least this time, the costumes got equal play with the boxes which they turned into a pirate ship

I used this pattern because I had bought it a couple of years ago at one of the dollar sales. I've seen some nicer ones, at least for boys, but this one has the advantage of having a girl's and boy's costume. It might be a little confusing looking at the picture on the front of the pattern envelope as to what is included.  The hat is not included, nor are the shoes, nor the eye patch.  It is also a little deceiving as to what the pants actually look like.  In the picture, they are tucked in to boots making them appear like nickers, at least to me.  They're not.  They're just plain straight leg pants with an elastic waist.  I modified them by cutting them shorter.  I arbitrarily picked the shorten/lengthen line to do this and then I zig-zagged 1/4" elastic to the ends to gather them up.

The shirt came out quiet well.  The vest I made too big for my little 5yo. (I was trying to save time on tracing the pattern).  The sash is enormous, but decadence is fun.

Certain people where very serious about their poses.

The little guy gets more of a deck hand outfit as I just didn't have the time/energy left to make another shirt and vest for him. (The fabric cost included enough fabric those two pieces).  Plus, I thought it would be cute for him to look a bit different.  I intended to make him a striped shirt but there was nothing at JoAnn or in my stash, so I recycled one of Monkey Pants' old shirts by taking it in at the sides and back and shortening the sleeves a bit. (I wanted her to stop wearing it anyway, it was too small and a bit dingy).

He's not smiling, not because he's not having fun, just because they decided pirates don't smile in pictures.

Monkey Pants' costume was the first one I made.  I thought it might be the easiest to start with.  But, her shirt was the last.  The fabric I bought for the skirt is rather thick and stiff.  It has a lot of body and I should have accounted for that because I didn't need to cut as much width as the pattern called for.  It is extra, super duper full.  I decided I wanted her to have a girlier shirt so I modified the top from Ottobre 6/2012 by lengthening the sleeves and adding a bit of width to the top, center bodice.  I then decided I was going to figure out how to utilize the rouging technique for the top having never done it before, and this of course, being Christmas Eve. Well, I followed the directions a bit skeptically.  I knew this worked for other people, but wasn't sure it would work for me.  And ta-da!  It worked.  Maybe a little bit too much.  In my mind, I was going for a slight, off-the-shoulder look. I also added a couple of lines of elastic to the sleeves.  They could have had more puff, but considering the circumstance, I was just pleased that the shirt fit. AND, that she didn't feel cheated because she got a skirt instead of pants. I was secretly loving the skirt.

And last but not least, I rummaged through my stash to find some fitting quilting fabric prints for the bandannas.  I especially love this one with the flies.  I almost want to wear it just for the hell of it.