I have been promising some ladies that I'd detail how I do costumes. I am always asked if I use patterns or if I make them up.  If at all possible, I use patterns. Quite often, especially for my son, I have to get extremely creative because patterns cannot be found. Also he is extremely particular about the details, so his costumes can be quite the challenge. I am picking up where I left off last summer, with the Museketeer costume. Details on the previous costumes and the Elizabethan costumes from this unit are in the "Costumes"  link in my right sidebar. I'll try to get caught up to where we are now in the next few weeks.

      I used a pattern for the cape. I purchased the blue silk for the outside and used yellow silk for the lining, which was in my fabric stash. The pattern called for gold trim, which would have been expensive. I made my own with gold fabric in my fabric stash. After ironing it to a double sided fusible, I cut out all of those triangles. Then I ironed them onto the cape.  On the positive, this was free since supplies were sitting around unused. On the negative side, the gold frays easily and it was time consuming.

     The pants are actually navy blue sweats that my son had in the closet.  I was up to my elbows in Elizabethan dresses for my daughter and me, so I wanted to simplify my son's costume as much as possible. Don't remind me of the unsimplified homemade gold trim. =) 

     The boots are the ones he made for his Robin Hood costume. The faux leather for the boots were a bit pricey so I was glad they were getting more use.

     The shirt was a great find. There are patterns for those types of shirts, but they are in men's sizes.  I went shopping. Shhh, don't tell the secret of where I found the shirt. My son doesn't want anyone to know, but I found that shirt at Marshall's in the lady's department. Because I was so busy with those Elizabethan dresses (and gold trim), I was thrilled that I found this shirt in the first store I walked into. That is rare.  My son was devasted when I brought it home and told him where I got it. I told him that's what men wore back then and this is a costume. The ruffles are very French, which his costume requires. He conceded that.  I was also thrilled because I could foresee him wearing it for the next several unit celebrations, which he has done.  He even wore it with his colonial boy costume when we went to Colonial Williamsburg last summer.  After vacation, when I was going through pictures, I was ecstatic and called him over.  There is a picture of him shaking hands with the Frenchman, Lafayette. The ruffly sleeves look identical!  How cool is that? To make this shirt more French, I sewed lace to the edges of the sleeves.  For future costumes, that lace came off and stayed off, which I guess was a good call since my son's sleeves matched Lafayette's!     

     The biggest challenge to this costume was the hat. Would I find a hat that I could afford that could be repurposed into a Musketeer hat?  Marshalls, where I got the shirt, did not have one.  I think Target was next and I found some black felt cowboy hats in the men's section. I don't know if Target always carried these.  This was in San Antonio where the annual Stock Show and Rodeo was about to start. The hat was about $10.  I was willing to pay that. Then I got a large white feather at my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby.

     When I got home I made more of those gold triangles and ironed them onto the hat. Then I glued the feather onto the hat and I probably put some clothespins in place until the glue dried.  Ta da! 

     My son made the sword.  He used combinations of cardboard, tape and paint. He used pictures off the internet that I probably found for him, as models. This sword went through transformations after he met Lafayette at Colonial Williamsburg.  I'll save that for when I describe how I did his Lafayette costume.

     Overall, Mr. Particular was pleased with his costume.  In fact, at the end of the year when my kids were asked to serve tables in costumes at the Awanas banquet, I told my kids I was not sewing more costumes.  =)  They could choose from our costume stash. Although he would have loved to have worn his Spartan costume, he knew he would have a difficult time moving around in it. Finally he decide to wear his Musketeer costume, which was a hit! Whew!  Another costume accomplished!