The great sacrifice of three T-shirts, a pair of pants, a bath towel and wash cloth created my latest handmade costume for the spoken word and poetry show which I produce, The Austin Writers Roulette. Although I wore green shorts to complete look, I didn’t change them.
To make the chameleon eyes, I traced circles onto two different-colored T-shirts.
Then, I made the first two of nineteen pillows, starting with the eyes. This headpiece was the top part of a pair of pants. Whenever I modify clothing to make a costume, I try as much as possible to retain the original stitching and design since that results in less hand sewing on my part. So, I stuffed the pockets with polyfill until they bulged and sewed the eyes on top.
For the chameleon’s tail, I combined the pant legs. When I researched how to make the tail curl, I quickly abandoned the idea of using a wire. Instead, I stuffed it with polyfill, then sewed the curl into the tail.
Years ago when I bought two green towels with washcloths, they actually matched. Using a template, I traced thirteen squares. I liked the contrast of the towel pieces versus the washcloth pieces.
Hand-sewing those thirteen triangular pillows was another story. I sewed up one side, stuffed in polyfill, and then gave myself hand cramps holding them while sewing the third side. Even with pins to keep the pillows shut, I still experienced hand strain.
Three of the scale pillows decorated the headpiece while the remaining ten decorated the back of the T-shirt. The magical moment arrived when I sewed the tail onto the bottom of the shirt.
Topping off my look, the most expensive part of the whole ensemble, the $15 green lipstick! The best thing about that pricey lipstick was its staying power.
I love to get the most mileage out of all my handmade costumes. So when one of my three part-time jobs hosted a costume contest, I dressed as a chameleon and posed with my call center agent stuff.
I didn’t realize I’d have to submit the pictures via FB. I’ve resisted using FB all this time and certainly wasn’t going to join just for something like this–as cute as the idea may be. Fortunately, a coworker helped me out and posted the pictures for me. I hope to win some trick-or-treat money!