The Mermaids

These costumes have been on my list for a while. Last Halloween, oh wait, sorry, TWO HALLOWEENS AGO I saw this blog post at Heather Bailey's site. I thought her interpretation of the Mermaid costume was genius: modest (read: no seashells), and a full skirt that doesn't impede movement. Of course, she just whipped hers out of her head. I had to ransack my pattern bins (oh, all you poor sweet dresses that will never be made) and schlep together something out of these two:

Plus a lot of ruffles around the arms and waist when it still seemed like they were hardly covered ("See girls, it's like you're swimming in the water."). I also added a bracelet to help hold up the tail, but when the little one wouldn't wear hers I whipped on an extra hook and wrapped her tail behind her. Around the time I finished the first bodice, I realized Ariel had ditched Prince Eric and was now pursuing a career as a majorette/figure skater/flamenco dancer ("so there is such a thing as too many sequins"). But hey, at least she's pretty.

And for the finishing touch, Seashell Bags for all the loot! Happy Halloween and whew!