I’d taken some ratty old thrift store doilies (I’ve recently spotted doilies at Dollar Tree and JoAnn’s, if thrift stores aren’t your thing) and dyed them with Dylon dye.

I told you I was going to make pillows.

Well, I finally did.  And it only took me 433 days.

Supplies:

Canvas drop cloth (or other fabric for the body of the pillow)
Doily (dyed or not…your choice)
Sewing machine and thread

Random blah blah blah about the body of the pillow:  I had an 18” pillow form, so I cut my front piece 18” X 18”.  I used the already hemmed drop cloth edges to cut two 12” X 18” (this was the hemmed edge) pieces for the envelope closure on the back.  If you don’t have a hemmed edge, you’ll want to cut yours bigger to allow for hemming.

I centered the doily on my square of fabric and pinned it in place.

I used a zig zag stitch to sew around the edges and to tack down part of the middle as well.  Since I used matching thread, you can hardly see it.

Here’s a shot of the back, to give you a better idea:

And, that’s it.  Put the pillow together and you’re finished!

Macy’s “cute” vampire:

• Black shirt and leggings she already owned
• Sparkly red shoes – reused from last year’s Dorothy costume, originally purchased at Target.
• Tutu – used this tutorial
• Cape from Simplicity # 5927 – The pattern called for 13.25 yards of trim. There were also supposed to be horizontal lines of sequins and some on the collar, but there was no way that was happening with the 13.25 yards. FabriTac worked way better than the hot glue gun for attaching the sequins.
• Long black wig – found at the grocery store
• Creepy make up from a kit and cheap vampire teeth

Keller and Campbell’s Mario Brothers:

• Overalls from McCall’s #4644 – I lengthened the back straps and squared off the front bib part. I also added facings (the pattern is made for fleece) and the chest pocket.
• White magic stretch gloves – I bought mine on Amazon.
• Long sleeve tees in bright red and green – I bought mine from www.cheapestees.com
• Baseball caps from Oriental Trading – I had to buy a dozen. If anyone needs a freaking ugly hat in red, green, yellow, orange, black or blue…let me know! I free handed the M and L circle logos and then used Wonder Under to make them. I used FabriTac to glue them to the hats.
• Mustaches – also from Oriental Trading
• Wigs – found at Dollar Tree, they were originally red and yellow striped. I spray painted them black.

Bennett’s Toad:

• Toad hat – modified from this idea in Family Fun. It’s basically a sombrero and bubble wrap. I glued on the red circles with more of the FabriTac. That stuff got a work out this year.
• Vest – made from red felt with yellow felt trim. I looked at a pirate vest from several years ago and figured out how to shape the pieces from that. It took 3 tries, but felt is cheap and wide, so I had plenty.
• Pants – white knit. I traced a pair he already owned and made them puffier and put elastic at the bottom.
• Shirt – I used a long sleeved onesie I already had and dyed it. I used Rit Liquid in tan and just dipped it ’til it looked to be a good skin color.
• Brown shoes – we already owned, but they’re Pedipeds if you think you need some.

And then Bennett barfed all over his.