Project Cre8ing-Crazy Weed Costume

Recently, LegoMaster brought home a letter from the music teacher.  It described how one needs to make a “costume” for their first grader for the upcoming choral concert.  The theme is Garden Party.   If I remember correctly, she said something like “a hat with leaves or a headband is OK.”  While making a costume is truly my idea of fun, the next sentence made my heart skip a beat.  Each class was assigned a category in which to dress.  

Categories included flowers, vegetables, rabbits.  Easy stuff.  Matter of fact, I currently have corn and tomato costumes in the closet. 

This won’t be that difficult, I think.  And then I continue reading.

{I am starting to learn that the thought of “not difficult”, in and of itself, is a warning of something bigger heading my way.  It has taken me 40-something years to learn this, but finally it has sunk in.}

LegoMaster’s class assignments were as follows: girls are flowers and boys are weeds.  WEEDS?  My first reaction  is why the boys are assigned something that has a unspoken meaning of bad, but I don’t want to be “that mother” so I hesitated in calling the school immediately.  I went to my handy-dandy computer to Google weed costumes.  Go ahead-do it yourself.  I’ll wait.

Not what you thought, huh?  Me neither.  Thankfully I had not yet called LegoMaster over to the computer for a brainstorming session so he did not see the images of Maryjane that showed up.  I quickly closed the window and casually asked LegoMaster what he thought a weed was. 

“Like a dandelion” he says “the fluffy white kind.”

OHHH.  Well that I can do. 

I searched the stash and found some white polar fleece and some green felt.  I zipped up a quick white hat.  Actually it wasn’t that quick because I grossly underestimated the size of my boy’s head.  The first edition barely fit on his head.  “Mom, that is a little tight.”  King of understatements, he is.  So I had to put a gusset in it. If you see too many seams, that is why.

I freehanded some big green petals or leaves.  They are to represent the covering of the seed pod that peels away once the white fuzz is ready to go.  I made the front pieces shorter so he could see the music teacher’s direction.  I’m thoughtful that way.

I didn’t sew a complete round with the leaves as the hat will need some give for getting on and off.

As an aside-my machine does this to almost every thread I have tried and almost every tension setting I have.  Anyone know how to fix this problem?

Now we have a hat with leaves.

At this point I must go to the local craft store as I do not have anything white and fuzzy, like feathers.  I cannot use feathers, mind you, because LegoMaster is allergic and would have red itchy eyes almost immediately if I put a feather hat on his head.  So I must wander the aisles in search of something white and fuzzy that may or may not look like a dandelion fluff.  Not really torture as I could spend hours in a craft store examining the possibilities.  I come up with some really great ideas for the front room we have just redone…….oh, I must get back on track.  Why was I here?  …………….Yep, here it is.  I am supposed to be looking for white and fuzz.  I find some really cool extra fuzzy pom-pom balls and some white floral wire and I head for home.

LegoMaster wants the fuzz to stick up.  That really is the only request other than “Remember how I am allergic to feathers?  Don’t get those.”  Ok, got it.  So I think these white floral wires will help me in the stick up category. 

I figured I needed to glue or sew the inside somehow so I wrapped a loop around my finger …

and stuck the pointy end through the hat.

Then I used hot glue to hold it in place.  I am of the opinion that hot glue is to crafting what Jesus is to the world.  Please take no offence.  If it weren’t for hot glue all crafters would be struggling, just like we all would be struggling without Jesus.  It, and He, definitely makes us complete.  Amen.

Here is the finished product.  Modeled by Honey Bear as LegoMaster got mad at me for constantly putting it on his head today.

Now, here is the kicker.  After I had made this crazy beauty, LegoMaster brings home a note saying the choral concert is put on hold until further notice because the Gym is flooding and they are unsure when it will be back to working order.  Sigh.  At least my job is done for when the concert does happen!