mostly about Halloween

**Twitter** – For those who like to broadcast their lives but can’t be bothered writing a blog or using Facebook.
— @MrDrewseph

Yeah, um, oops. I am told by the author that the above tweet isn’t directed at me, but it sure does fit. And I say this: My life just isn’t iiiiinteresting right now.

I have my annual Halloween Sewing Madness, of course, but my own costume is waiting for a pattern sale to begin. I know, I don’t usually use a pattern at Halloween, but I’m generally Frankensteining an existing piece. This time it’s all from scratch, and the bodice I have in mind involves a technique new to me. It’s best to let the professionals give me some assistance. The costume I’ve been assigned to create for a friend may or may not be secret, but I’m not going to be the one to inadvertently drop spoilers. I can say this much: It’s a knit fabric, and my machine’s built-in overstitch feature is giving me a hell of a time. Adjusting the tension anywhere between 0 and 9 just gives me different levels of Bad. The zig-zag stitch is behaving similarly. Loads of saggy thread piled up on either side of the fabric, and the manual is of no help at all. Grrr.

I can tell you this much about my costume: The party theme this year is The Future (illustrated above by Bill Randall), and my budget is approximately $0, which is a far, far cry from past years. Thus far, I have done rather well constructing the costume (in my head, at least) with scraps left over from an uncompleted handbag project, a remnant purchased for $1.50 from the thrift store, and a yard of upholstery vinyl that I picked up at Big Lots for $5. Also, a few dollars spent on trimmy bits at Dollar Tree. Vintage shoes (mules) were procured, and they might wind up being the most expensive part of the costume… or they may get replaced by shoes that won’t fling off if I wear tights. And am drinking. Two things that I wish to do.

The party is being held on Halloween night, which means that I won’t be home for the evening kiddies. Which, in turn, means that I won’t bother decorating. It’s a Saturday this year, so I imagine the wee ones may start trickling by in the afternoon, and I’ll have candy on hand just in case, but the wee ones are usually put off by my décor anyway, so this will save everyone the stress.

And now, back to packing up items to be shipped off to the Devil Doll concert benefiting Dick Dime. More info can be found at HeartSizedCrush.