This last summer the entire family binge watched all three seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix. It was no surprise then that the boys wanted to be demogorgons/demodogs for Halloween. Unsure of how to execute such a technically difficult costume, I scoured the internet and found the likeness of what we were going for on Etsy. I emailed the seller with this desperate plea:
The seller was talented enough to not need a pattern but kind enough to walk me through her design. After a visit to Britax Fabrics and a family sized hoodie order on Cheaptees.com, I had a prototype! Each costume needed 25 rows of teeth, 10 petals, 5 stabilizing interfaces, and boning (to stand up)-- in total 125 rows of teeth and 75 petals. I enlisted Kerstin to do the fine handiwork of cutting while I was in Denver for a conference.
Upon my return the parts were cut and I got to work pinning and sewing. When I was done Alvin came over to put the finishing touches on the bodies of the costume. Everyone lent a hand in drying and finishing up.
Our big debut was at the school's annual HarvestFest. The crowd of demogorgons with the Mind Flayer were a visible and noisy presence.
The boys were very proud of our collective efforts and Anders jumped at joining the costume competition. By the end of the night, by a vote of cheers, we won!
On Halloween we gathered at our usual spot for the traditional photo shoot.
This year Lolo and Lola joined us to see our family tradition of neighborhood trick or treating (and bar crawl for the adults.) Chef Joe's Culinary Salon is always our first stop for mulled wine and hors d'oeuvres. We always come prepared with reusable cups (sustainability!) because many houses dole out adult "treats."
Halloween is the only day of the year when our neighbors are all out at the same time. Strolling amongst Victorian houses surrounded by our community and children, we are reminded that we all belong here.
After over 2.5 hours of trick or treating, the bags were almost too heavy to carry and the boys' feet started to hurt. The total haul: 9lbs for Linus, 7lbs each for Magnus and Anders, and another memorable Halloween for all of Team Karlsson.
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