Polly Wants a Candy!

My hot glue gun has been working overtime the last few weeks. After all, it is costume season.  Once I came up with a costume idea, I got my tail in gear. I visited a few fabric stores, bought the biggest bag of hot glue sticks I could find (100 sticks), and moved my sewing machine into the kitchen.

This costume has taken a little longer to create than I’d planned. But if I’m going to do a costume, I want it to be as detailed as possible. So it’s worth the extra hours, some hot glue burns on my hands, and hundreds of red fibers scattered on the kitchen floor. (The house looks like the world’s largest feather boa exploded inside it, but luckily I have a very patient hubby who knows that I’m much happier (and easier to live with) when I have a project going. Smart hubby!)

My idea for this costume came about because I like parrots for their bright, feathered outfits. At the fabric store I spotted red eyelash fabric and it reminded me of feathers. That would be my base, and to it I would add felt feather shapes as well as actual feathers. I created my beak and feet with plastic needlepoint mesh, which is an excellent material when you need some rigidity but also a flexible, lightweight material. I already had a red shirt and red skirt I hadn’t worn in ages, so turning them into costume components was free.

The pitfalls of life in a parrot suit:

·        It’s not as comfortable as other clothing.

·        Keeping one’s beak in place is not always easy.

·        The costume is hot (no wonder birds shed feathers) and the weather is expected to be warm today. (But we artists sometimes must sacrifice for our art, so it’ll be worth it!)

The perks of parrothood:

·        Making this costume was fun! Bright colors are mood-lifting.

·        An amusing costume makes me happy and hopefully will entertain others.

·        This holiday is all about choosing an alter ego for a day and being as creative as you like.

This morning I’ll be attending a Halloween parade so I’ve got to fly.

This is Polly Parrot signing off, saying “Squawk! Happy Halloween!”