You can check out all the photos on our Spins & Needles Flickr page.

Here’s some highlights from the night:

Moishe and Max Masks

King for a Night

Wild Things Monsters

Moustaches and spectacles

Also be sure to check out one of my earlier blog posts featuring a DIY tutorial on how to make a Where the Wild Things Are mask!

1. 1 – Where the Wild Things Are Mask: Materials, 2. Hair on Top, 3. Foam Facial Features, 4. Hair All Around, 5. Outlining Features, 6. Finished!

So the trick or treaters are out and about but us older folk still have a few more hours before we head out for a night on the town. Here’s an easy-peasy Halloween mask for all those still hunting for a last-minute costume, inspired by the film Where the Wild Things Are, and our Spins & Needles event last Thursday.

So here we go…

Materials
Black/brown felt
Black/bron yarn
Craft foam: white, yellow, orange, brown
Black permanent marker
Paper plate
Popsicle sticks/barbecue skewers
White glue/glue gun

Instructions

1. Cut out a half-moon of black or brown felt, slightly larger than the top of your plate. Glue to the back of the paper plate. Cut felt in strips to mimic hair.

2. Cut out two horns from white foam, two eyes from yellow foam, pupils from black felt and white foam, nose from orange foam, and triangle teeth from brown foam. Glue to top of paper plate for the face.

3. Cut out strands of black/brown hair and glue to top of head and bottom of head. Use shorter pieces at the top and longer pieces at the bottom.

4. Using the permanent marker, outline the eyes, nose, and mouth, and lines under the eyes, the cheeks and nose (as shown in the photo).

5. Attach popsicle stick or skewers to the back of the plate using glue or tape.

Now put on your fuzziest-looking outfit and head out for a night on the town, Halloween style and show them you’re a wild thing!

Trick or treat!

1: Bjork Swan Dress – Materials , 2: Bjork Swan Dress – Making The Back, 3: Bjork Swan Dress – Making the Front,  4: Bjork Swan Dress – Making the Neck, 5: Bjork Swan Dress – Making the Head,  6 – Love It: Bjork Swan Dress

Who doesn’t love the infamous Bjork Swan Dress? I whipped up this dress a couple years ago and decided to take it out of the vault again for Halloween 2009. Since there were a few things I had to mend on the dress, I thought recreating how I made it in a photo tutorial might be handy for those who were interested in making it themselves.

You can also view the photos and instructions on my Flickr page.

So here we go…

Materials
Thrifted white skirt
Thrifted sheer curtains or light cotton
White feather boa x 2
White cotton fabric
Needle + White thread
Sewing machine (optional)
Polyester filling
Hot glue gun
Two black buttons
Black felt
Orange felt/fabric
Glue gun
Safety pins
Skin-coloured bodysuit
-

1. The skirt/bottom: Take your thrifted white skirt and cut away any excess fabric so that it ends above the knee.
2. Cut long strips of sheer curtain material and sew it in layers horizontally on to the back fo your skirt. (I handsewed mine but you can also machine sew it.)
3. Cut the strips vertically to create small squares and to create a “feathered” or tiered effect. Sew on more small squares if you want to add more volume.

4. On the front of your skirt, handsew one end of the feather boa to bottom of your skirt.
5. Place your boa horizontally and wind it up the skirt, handsewing it in place to your skirt. Use a second boa if you need to.

6. The swan neck/head: Cut a 8″ x 35″ piece of white cotton fabric.
7. Line up the fabric so the long edges meet. Leave one end open and start sewing up the fabric. Round off the other end for the head.
8. If you have any sheer fabric left, cut up some squares and sew up the neck in a tiered effect.

9. Cut two black triangles from the black felt for the shadows around the eyes. Hot glue gun each piece on either side of the head. Attach the button eyes by hot glue gun or handsewing.
10. Create a cone out of the orange fabric. Hot glue gun or sew it to the tip of the head for the beak.
11. Stuff the neck/head area with polyester filling. Leave about 6″ from the bottom unstuffed. Sew across at this point. (You will tuck the remaining 6″ into your skirt later).

When you are ready to put wear your costume:
1. Put on your skin-coloured bodysuit.
2. Then put your skirt on: feathers in the front, sheer curtain material in the back. (There are no feathers in the back in case you want to sit down – the sheer curtain material won’t get crushed).
3. Wrap the swan neck around your neck and tuck in the unstuffed end of the neck into your skirt. With safety pins, secure the neck to the top of your skirt and to your jumpsuit. If you have the end of your feather boa still hanging, wrap it around and up the neck of your swan neck.
4. Put on your white (or in my case, black and comfortable) shoes.

You’re done and ready to go out in style!

p.s. You’ll notice in the photo my swan head is on my left side (Bjork’s had her swan head on her right side). Keeping it different I guess!

I started getting  ready for the S&N Halloween Party this Thursday with this awesome owl pumpkin carved last night. It uses one larger oval pumpkin for the body and three smaller sized pumpkins for the eyes, beak and ears. (Instructions available at marthastewart.com)

Work colleagues also carved up some pumpkins to be sold to those not so pumpkin decorating- inclined, with funds going towards our workplace charity campaign. Check out this pics for some inspiration:

Bert and Ernie

The Edward Cullen

Teeth and (Yam) Tongue

The Scarecrow

Have you started carving yet? There’s only 2 days left – yikes! Here’s some other au courant ideas from NPR’s blog to get you inspired.