By Casey Hopkins
Halloween, crunchy leaves, colorful landscapes, and brisk breezes. Can you feel it? It’s finally Fall! Outside of the obvious change in nature, what else brings on this sense of anticipation? I, for one, love Halloween. Not the dark part of it, I like the costumes! It is what got me interested in sewing, to begin with. I grew up with a mother that sewed all of our clothes but I had very little interest in it. Until I was in my early twenties, the only thing I had sewn was some little outfits for my Cabbage Patch dolls when I was 8 years old. I remember needing a patch sewn into a pair of jeans when I was still in high school, but I had to ask my grandmother to do it for me. The scolding I got for not knowing how to do one of the basic duties of a woman was, well, memorable. Womanly duties. Ha! That’s a conversation for another time.
Back to costumes. (I am going to share a little of my nerd with you and I expect complete tolerance and understanding. Just kidding, you can totally make fun of me, I’ll live.) I love all things magical; think Ireland folklore and you’re there. I am a very guarded, introverted person, which makes sharing this nerdy side of me year-round difficult. This is why I love Halloween! Couple that with the fact that I have kids and of course I had to start sewing! My oldest was a little fairy princess when she was 4, and she was adorable. I made the dress at least two times too big and had to buy the wings because shaping wire hangers and then pulling pantyhose over it was beyond my skill set at the time. Still, I was successful at creating a little magic of my own and it showed in my baby’s face.
October is also the month that made me a mother to a child with special needs. I’m telling you, folks, fall is a big deal for me. I finally had my boy, my girls became little magical creatures for an evening, and I got to express a side of me that stays well hidden for 11 months out of the year. It’s a month of dreams for me. You can’t imagine the creativity bubbling up in my imagination! Unfortunately, I am only one person, and my family is all but grown, busy with their own lives. Want to come over and do some decorating with me at the shop? I may even carve out some time to make a costume…we’ll see. Happy October lovelies!
