John's New Blue Suit

Every year Disney hosts a special Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom called Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It's the polar opposite of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, with kid-friendly costumed characters, a parade, special shows, and enough trick-or-treating stations to send everyone home with a five pound bag of sugar.

Needless to say, I love it.

John and I have been to MNSSHP (which really needs an easier name) three or four times over the years. The first time we went we threw together some last-minute pirate costumes, which was fun. The next year we dragged a friend along, and he and John went as playing cards, while I went as the Queen of Hearts. Those costumes took a few weeks to make; we made mine from an old prom dress, the cards completely from scratch, and I turned a plush hedgehog into a purse.

It poured the entire night we were there - we're completely soaked in this picture. (Those light spots are raindrops.) The card costumes were ruined, we were wet and cold all night, and we had so much fun.

That year marked the first time we ever had strangers ask for our picture, and all three of us were delighted -  so much so, that the next year, 2008, John and I pressed several more friends into service, and we had a nice-sized Wonderland group:

Since John and I made all the card costumes, we were especially delighted to see that *our* versions were a lot nicer than the official park costumes:

A straight! 

(Chad, Chris, & Glenn, you guys have fun with that.)

And see those paint buckets? We had the cards use them for candy pails, and each had red paint slopped around the edge & a half-painted white silk rose twisted around the handle.

Here's the before-and-after on my dress:

I'll give you two guesses who did all the sewing on my skirt. [hint: it wasn't me.] I did all the hand-sewing on the trim and heart, though!

And here's my hedgehog purse:

I emptied his stuffing out & added a zipper to his back, and then made the strap so it looked like he was sitting on a swing.

Sorry for the unnecessarily long intro, but this was all back before I had a blog, so I got a little caught up on memory lane just now. :)

Ok, so, getting back to present day, last week we were talking with some Disney friends about how we want to go to MNSSHP again this year, but it just doesn't seem right going without a costume. That night, lying awake with my usual insomnia, I had a flash of inspiration that kept me awake for the rest of the night, only this time with excitement.

A lot of you asked about John's costume for Star Wars Celebration and Dragon*Con, and I felt kind of bad admitting he didn't have one. He claims he was perfectly happy just being my guide and handler, but I know he'd like to have an epic costume himself some day. So this idea was just for him - although I'm pretty sure it makes ME happier, if that makes any sense.

Despite the fact that John has never even seen this character in real life, he was immediately on board. Not only that, he was almost as excited as I was! That very night he was at the sewing machine, working away (I cut out the pieces, though! I helped!), and within two days he'd sewn the most amazing thing he's ever sewn. Seriously, I think we were both a little awed. He used no pattern; just an old thrift-store jacket we cut apart for reference.

Wanna see?

Let's see if you Dizgeeks can guess what his costume will be, just from this:

Look at that face! Yeah, he knows he's all that. ;)

Since this was taken John's also made a full vest (with button holes! And buttons!) and he's wrapping up the pants as I type this. My husband is a wizard!! Who knew?

The best part, though, is how much fun John seems to be having. Every time he'd finish a section we'd both do a little happy dance, and can we talk about how he's showing this picture off to all the women who work at JoAnn's now? Please? Because it's ADORABLE. We're there so often that most of them know us on sight, but John's the star. He never gets out of there without double or triple discounts (shh, don't tell), and everyone there just seems to brighten up the moment he walks in.

A few days ago John went back to the store by himself for more fabric, and apparently he managed to acquire some octogenarian groupies. "It was kind of traumatizing," he told me later, "They were all over me! One lady kept hugging me! Another had her arm around my waist the whole time!"

Don't let his protests fool you, though; he was "complaining" with a big grin on his face. (And the same thing happened thirteen years ago, when John went to the local sewing studio for help making my wedding veil. I'm surprised I didn't hear the shrieks of delight from ten miles away.)

I told him this is why he always needs me there: for protection from the little old ladies.

Oh, and John's real mark of dedication? Borderlands 2 came out this week, the sequel to John's most favorite game ever, and instead of playing it right now he's sewing pants. But don't worry; he's still shooting up demon dogs and whatnot a few hours each night.


John came in here just now to show me the little pile of belt loops he's made. At this rate, he'll be done tonight! So stay tuned for more, and let me know if you guessed his character in the comments!