Costumes | Pad Patter 10.20.22

[umyesh]

My mom made the most amazing costumes when my sister and I were little. My favorite was the Big Bad Wolf. She made a big head out of papier-mâché and then covered it with fur and a top hat on top. Honestly, she could have been a professional costume maker.

Lucky! That sounds like an amazing costume!

 

[umyesh]

I only have 2 photos of childhood trick or treating. One was Casper (1960). Both were store bought costumes. When I was about 12, I went out with a friend and I dressed as a cheerleader. That might have been about the last time I actually went trick or treating.

When I was in 2nd grade my teacher did a whole unit in our class of the American Indian heritage in our area. Every student chose an Indian name to use while we learned. It was always around Thanksgiving and we were taught the story of the Pilgrims and Indians feasting together (remember this would have been in the early 60's). All of us got to wear our Indian outfits that day and 2 students (a boy and a girl) got to play the part of the Pilgrims. I was chosen to be the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim boy, me and 1 other student that was dressed as an Indian got our photo in the paper. This teacher did this every single year. We weren't her first and we weren't her last.

As an adult I have very rarely dressed up. I did once in my mid-20's and chose to be what would now be called a "redneck". Wore bib overalls, working boots and carried a little brown jug. Had my long hair in pigtails. 15 years ago at work we could dress up for Halloween. I had lost a lot of weight and now fit into those same bib overalls so I did an updated version of that costume. Hair wasn't long enough for pigtails but I put 2 small pigtails on top of my head that day. I found a plaid suit jacket left here by Dad and wore it. Had wild socks so wore one leg rolled up and had ankle boot shoes. Stuck a red bandana in the pocket of the bib overalls and had on a white shirt as well since I no longer had the old work shirt I wore all those years before. Fun costume for just pulling things together.

But I guess the Pilgrim would have to have been my favorite because I was in the newspaper wearing it

I love that you made it into the newspaper! I also love everything you came up with for your “redneck” costume.

 

[umyesh]

I had a lot of those plastic mask costumes in the 1950/1960's ... first one was a clown, had a witch one, and am pretty sure we had a Casper too. Oh, my sister was Bride of Frankenstein one year. Once I got a bit older I'd make ghost costumes out of old sheets ... my mother only bought white sheets back then.

I made a lot of costumes for my kids ... clown, witch, Dracula, but my fav was probably Alice in Wonderland ... made that for my sister to wear in her high school play, she hated the one the school had.

I love that you made so many different costumes! That is a skill I definitely don’t have haha

 

[HavaDrPepper]

I love that you made it into the newspaper! I also love everything you came up with for your “redneck” costume.

It really wasn't hard. I lived in a city at the time I first did it and everyone I met thought I was a hillbilly because I had a "southern" accent (according to them but I didn't). So I played into it by dressing like a lot of the farmers in my hometown area dressed. Bib overalls were worn by most of them when I was growing up.