Happy Halloween Part One

Halloween is the ideal time of the year to express yourself through dress especially if you make elements of the costume yourself. I have always enjoyed designing and making crafts for this holiday. Grasping the opportunity for self-expression is both healthy and fun.

I have been making Halloween items to sell for more than 25 years. It is an ideal way for me to use my really awesome lifetime collection of quality junk. I have the habit of collecting unusual materials and objects for clothing and accessory design. Most of the oddities that end up in my studio are salvaged and discarded items. Because they appear in small and unreplentishable quantities, they are ideal for using in one-of-a-kind Halloween pieces. I have rescued these materials from the ultimate destination of the landfill so I certainly intend to upcycle them into something functional!

These decorated masks were some of my earliest creations sold during the 1980's. Usually, I cover the mask with lace or an interesting knit fabric. This reduces the "cheesiness" of a bare plastic mask. Unfortunately, most masks are made of plastic. If you can find a lame or satin mask backed with buckram, you are truly lucky and you can skip the lace layer. The top mask is one of the nicer vintage ones so I could sew decorations directly onto the mask. Remove the elastic or ribbons before decorating the mask.

Some tips to remember when covering the mask include:

• Cut the lace fabric a little bit larger than the mask and in approximately the same shape as the mask.
• Spread a line of glue around the entire mask. Use something like a contact cement which will adhere to plastic and most fabrics.
• Fold the lace over the mask, working back and forth alternating between opposite sides. Do not stretch the fabric too tightly.
• Do the eye openings last. Cut a slit the length of the eye opening, apply glue on the back of the mask and fold the fabric over to the wrong side of the mask.

When the mask has dried completely, you can decorate to surface with objects from your own collection of awesome junk. Any small, light weight object is good for this. I have used beads, sequins, glitter, ribbon and cord, seashells, buttons, feathers, plastic and metal trinkets and seeds. If the edges of the mask and the eye openings are less than perfect, camouflage those areas first. Glitter and sequins are good choices for this. When attaching items to a mask, I use a white glue that dries clear. You can be liberal with applying this kind of glue because it will be invisible when dry. Attach the elastic or ribbon and you're done.

KEEP IN MIND THAT IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL DAYS FOR THE MASK TO DRY!

ARE YOU LACKING SOME NEEDFUL MASK-MAKING SUPPLIES? For your convenience, I have created a mail order catalog of supplies available at amazon.com and by clicking BELOW on "buy supplies now" you will be connected directly to this source. The amazon.com logo on the catalog pages will connect you directly to everything amazon to continue your shopping.

BUY SUPPLIES NOW!

OVERWHELMED? Here is a link to my Etsy shop section with handmade masks! Click on Baisebeige on Etsy to shop now!

BAISEBEIGE ON ETSY