Halloween: Flygon
This, my friends, is Flygon. Flygon is a Pokémon, a Ground and Dragon type, to be exact. Asher loves dragons, loves this chartreuse color, and loves coming up with challenging Halloween costumes. At first he was talking about being the Grim Reaper. I think he got it into his head that big kids go for scary costumes and wanted to do the same, but I drew the line. I think five-year-olds aren’t really ready for scary costumes. So when Asher picked Flygon out of an old Pokédex book, I said yes and kept my doubts private.
This costume is more involved than anything I’ve made to date. It started with some green fabric and some red duct tape. I had no pattern, but I did have the experience of making the rainbow dragon tail last year. Figuring out how to make the stipes on the tail concentric was a bit tricky for me. I consulted with my pro costumer friend Nicole to get her advice before I did any cutting. I bought a white cotton sweatsuit from Dharma Trading Company and some chartreuse dye. That was great because I’m not much of a seamstress. But just dyeing the outfit took half a day. I worked on this costume little by little over about a week. The wings were bumble bee wings until I pulled off the yellow fabric and bent them into diamond shapes. Ian helped me recover the wing wire with fabric and hot glue; we needed several hands. Then we added the red tape to the edges. The tail piece is made of cardboard, covered in the same wing fabric, and then outlined with red tape.
This is what we were going for. Super cute, right?
I think it turned out pretty well! I sewed the tail and stuffed it with a little wool and then some bubble wrap. There’s a coat hanger inside that made it stand up and wobble around nicely when he walked. It tied around his middle and was also supported by suspenders that he wore underneath his hoodie.
I had just enough dark green to make the head spikes. They are stuffed with wool and hand-sewn to the hood of the shirt. He liked when they flopped over his face.
The glasses we bought years ago for Burning Man. I think they made the costume. I really feel that I sneaked up on this costume. I pondered and plotted a lot before I did anything, and I took it on one bite at a time.
At the last minute, Asher decided he had to have green and red makeup too. No problem. I’ve got that!
I love the way he got into character!
I am kind of amazed he was able to keep up with all the big kids that night. He enjoyed trick-or-treating immensely.
And now it’s time to remove the head spikes so he can wear the hoodie.
November 16, 2012 at 11:38 am
You amaze!
November 17, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Wow, Sara! Awesome! Very Waldorf! :). Our girls are both in Waldorf up here and we’re loving it. Whew knew!
December 10, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Hi, Tracie! Thanks a bunch! I’m glad you’re enjoying your Waldorf experience. The longer we’re involved in Waldorf education and community, the richer the experience becomes.